Developing a Less Selfish Link Strategy

Didit Editorial

11 years ago

By Chris Irby | February 13, 2014

Note: this article, by Chris Irby, was originally published on Inceptor.com.

When it comes to SEO, links are an inherently self-serving business. Giving someone a link may seem like a generous gesture, but if you’re like most linkers, you’re only doing so because it supports your point of view or it provides additional content for your website… or because the person to whom you’re linking has promised you something in return.

Pursuing links is an even more selfish process, motivated by your rankings, your keywords, your business model, etc. Your goals may be a tad narcissistic, but going after links with that mentality will only hurt your chances for success. “The linking relationship is no different than any other,” Van Iderstyne writes in her article on Search Engine Watch. “If you put the other person first, it’s going to lead to a mutually beneficial partnership.” To this end, she offers a number of tips for developing a link strategy that isn’t all about you.

Provide Content That Isn’t Self-Centered
Admittedly, your website is supposed to support your sales funnel, so you should definitely include content that educates your customers and encourages them to choose you as a vendor. However, content of that nature simply doesn’t bring in the links.

Van Iderstyne recommends going outside your content “comfort zone” to build trust (and provide more linkable content). Instead of devoting all of your energy to tooting your own horn, try to come up with some informative and/or entertaining content that focuses on the needs of the rest of the online community. “Stretching your relevance expands your reach,” writes Van Iderstyne. “It’s much easier to broaden your view of what’s ‘relevant’ to you, than to expect the general public to bend to your goals.”

Don’t Be Mediocre
It can be hard to objectively evaluate the quality of your content, but you really need to be honest with yourself. How good is it, really? Would you share it with your friends if you didn’t work for your company? Would you share it if you were an independent blogger?
“When it comes to web content, re-inventing the wheel is everything. If you do the bare minimum and expect to get links for it, that’s kind of selfish,” Van Iderstyne writes. “When you put in the effort to contribute something awesome to the world, you’ll usually be rewarded for your trouble.”

Avoid Overbranding and Being Too Commercial
Branding is an important online strategy, as it gives your company a strong sense of identity and helps build customer loyalty. However, there’s actually a pretty broad line between branding and overbranding. Your logo doesn’t need to dominate your above-the-fold space, and your articles (and titles) don’t need to be keyword-stuffed with the name of your company. It’s fine to let folks know about your “Super Discount Shipping Rates,” but you should do so without plastering it all over every page of your site. “There is a time to back off the hard sell and the ‘in your face’ branding,” writes Van Iderstyne. “Sometimes a little subtlety and humility can go a long way. In link building, it’s often the difference between success and rejection.”

Choose Linkers Who Share Your Goals
When it comes to selecting link targets, there’s a tendency to focus on where we want our links to come from rather than considering what the linker wants. It’s that whole selfish thing again—if people are going to link to you, there should be something in it for them. So when you ask someone for a link, you need to have something to offer that’s specific and compelling.

According to Van Iderstyne, “Thinking only about where you want links to come from without aligning those goals with your content creation creates an almost insurmountable disconnect. Sure, you may get lucky from time to time. But with better planning—and perhaps even a little reverse engineering—we get past the selfishness and into the strategy that actually produces links.”

Have a question about your your linking strategy? Didit’s experts can help.