Link Building Techniques – Blogging / Guest Blogging

Using Blog content to generate links and shares

My last two blog posts on this topic, an Introduction to link building & link building using forum marketing hopefully opened up new ideas for you and your business. This week I want to focus on using blog content to create opportunities for links. Using blog content to link build is one of the more unpredictable of link building techniques. There are two methods to using blog content to generate inbound links.

Benefits to link building using blog content

• Establish thought leadership
• Create content & pages as well as opportunities to link build
• Every post has the opportunity to create links or social media shares and bookmarks which are also now part of the Google algorithm

Two methods to link building through blog content

The first method resides with your own onsite blog. The key to this area is quality, engaging, fun or educating content. Making this content easy to share & good enough to be reference is absolutely key. One of the best sites in the industry at this in my personal opinion is seomoz.org, they have built a business on great content that you find 100's > 1,000's other bloggers reference. Things to consider when writing blogs to generate links:

1. Understand your audience, their motivations, their wants / needs etc
2. Be consistent
3. Plan and publish content that is:
   • Research driven
   • Unique
   • First to market - industry news
   • Instructional / Guide orientated
   • Interviews or case studies
4. Always consider use of media, audio, imagery & videos which is engages and helps with sharing

Although it was written years ago, we think Seth's Godin's post on ideas to develop content or promote your blog posts should spark some ideas. If not, try Darren Rowse's post on 10 ideas on what to post to a blog when you suffer from bloggers's block.

The second method to link building through blog content is to create relations within your field / vertical where you can add value to other peoples websites / blogs by appearing as a guest blogger. Creating these relationships and the amazing content that people would want on their own websites is an art and comes through time, effort & creativity. Always make sure you team with sites & people you would want to appear on your website that way the relationship is likely to work on an ongoing basis. Creating the relationships with appropriate blogs can in happen in a number of ways:

• Networking at events
• Calling on your current network
• Through creating good enough content people will ask you through your own site
• Through contacting sites you believe you can add value to
• by being active on other sites, adding value in comments & ratings is a good way to get noticed

As always please leave your thoughts & ideas in the comments below.

* Image from http://blaugh.com/