Links are an incredibly important part of SEO, but one of the hardest things to obtain. A lot of SEO can be performed within your site, where the hard work is under your control. Obtaining high quality links, though, involves convincing other people to do what you want them to. This is just as difficult as selling your site to individual users, sometimes more so.

A big part of an SEO professional’s job is developing techniques that help a site’s off-page strategy succeed. Unless you’re already well-supported with inbound links, a plan needs to be in place during your site’s initial SEO implementation to create off-page links. Some companies rely on paid or automatic linking systems, while others strategise to develop links through contacts with the internet community. What you decide on depends on your site’s needs and the resources of your SEO company, but it’s highly likely that one day your site will need to approach someone asking for links.

There are a few ways to go about this. The use of social network sites such as Facebook has grown in recent years, and you can talk to our experts at SEO Consult about how to incorporate social media into your SEO campaign. Many businesses approach influential bloggers to ask for a link directly. Usually, something is offered in return, such as an idea for a blog post or products to offer through a competition. Regardless of your approach to others when trying to found links, there is one thing you need that is even harder to get. This thing is difference. In a world full of competition, you should never assume that your site is interesting enough on its own to catch attention. You can’t assume it’s interesting. You need to make certain it is.

Here are just a few ideas:

Software: Having a different and handy piece of software on your site can set you apart. This can be an entire application that is available for free download, or even a simple widget that allows users to explore your site more easily.

Information: Many SEO experts will advise that information is a great way to draw attention. Including content such as ‘how to’ articles or brief educational videos can make your site a resource and a focus for your industry. The provision of informative content can be facilitated by the use of a consultancy.

Competitions: This is a very basic way to drum up attention to your site. Holding competitions either on your own site or offering products to bloggers to hold a competition on your behalf can boost traffic in the short term as well as produce links.

Sometimes, all it takes is a brief look around your competitors’ sites to discover more ideas on how to stand out in your industry. The good news is that making certain your site has something different to offer will pay off in more ways than one. Not only will potential linkers be more attracted to something different, your site users will too.

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