I’m back for the third and final part of my “Successful SEO” blog series! This time, I’ll be focusing on links.
Search engines use links to analyze the popularity of a site based on the number of websites that link to them. Search engines can also use links to gauge trustworthiness and authority, as well as determine whether or not your website should be considered “spam.” So, how can you make sure that your site is considered reputable by search engines? Keep reading to find out…
Leverage Connections
If your business has done work for a different company or is a sponsor of a charity event, ask if they will add an icon to their website that links back to yours. Think of it as an online version of a bumper sticker—it doesn’t have to be outrageously eye-catching, but it will help build awareness about your brand. This will also increase the amount of traffic to your website, which will improve your SEO rankings.
Return the Favour
Other businesses are looking to improve their SEO rankings just as much as you are. You can easily include links to other companies’ websites in ways that will still benefit your business. For example, if one of your loyal customers asks you to include a link somewhere on your website that leads to their site, include it as part of your portfolio.
Similarly, if you’re a sponsor of a charity event, it wouldn’t hurt to link to the event’s site on your company website to demonstrate community involvement. Linking to other relevant company websites will indirectly improve your SEO ranking by increasing your “online neighbourhood.”
Target Specific Online Communities
It’s important that the majority of the websites that link to your company webpage are relevant to your business. If you own a car dealership, for example, earning links from a car blog is much more important than earning links from an off-topic site, like a cooking blog. But be careful about what websites you’re associating yourself with—generally, search engines will conclude that any website that links to spam is the spam itself. (Tip: A good specific online community to target is a local one. So, if your business is in Toronto, it’s a good idea to target websites and blogs whose target market is also Toronto.)
Create a Blog
As I mentioned in my first ‘Successful SEO’ blog post, a company blog gives you the ability to create new and unique content on a regular basis. It also allows you to consistently create additional links that lead to your website. If a reader finds your content relevant or interesting, they can share it with others through their own personal blog, social media site, or even on their website. This will help increase the credibility of your site according to search engines.
Repackage Existing Content
Building new links to your site doesn’t necessarily mean always building new content. Take inventory of the content you already have and think about ways you can repackage it. For example, you could include information from one of your blogs in a post on one of your social media sites.
Well, that’s it for my “Successful SEO” blog series! Hopefully, you were able to learn a little bit more about what SEO is and how it works. If you want to learn more about link building and SEO, visit the IMP Canada website. We offer several services that will help improve your search engine rankings including Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Management, and Website Design. If you have any questions or you would like to find out more information about our services, don’t hesitate to send us an email or give us a call at 905-681-8333.
