Modern Link Building In 5 Easy Steps

I got this idea from veteran online marketing maven Debra Mastaler.

And if you’re wondering what link building is, just suffice it to say that it’s an activity that involves marketing your website’s content using offsite techniques that drive traffic and improve your search engine rankings via inbound links to your web pages. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? In a nutshell, you perform actions elsewhere on the Web that build links pointing to your web pages. Simple, no?

Traditional Link Building Technique No. 1

Online marketers have used a variety of link building methods over the years. One of the more traditional ways has been to find directories related to their niche and submit their website to those directories.

For instance, if you had a website related to gardening, you’d search for directories that listed gardening-related websites. Then you’d submit your website to those directories and you’d have instant back links to your website.

Fast Forward To 2011

Directories are not dead, but online marketers are always on the prowl for new and improved methods of doing the same old things – like building inbound links to their website. One newfangled method of doing is to use file sharing websites like Scribd. You might also hear these referred to as “document sharing websites.”

The main idea behind these sites is to upload your documents – like PDF files, for instance – so that others can download them, either for free or for a few easily-parted-from dollars.

How To Use Document Sharing Sites To Build Links

So let’s say you want to build some backlinks to your website (I assure you, you really do). You learn that file sharing sites are good sources of backlinks (not to mention winning new fans for your published content). Here’s what you do (in 5 easy steps).

Search for your niche keyword plus “document sharing site.” For instance, “gardening document sharing site.” (HINT: Take out the period.)
Create your document and include an image with a link that allows people to tweet or retweet the document, or share it on Facebook. Make sure your document includes a link back to your website.
Upload the document to a handful of file sharing sites.
Promote your document on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Try to do this when your audience is most active on those social networks.
Police your work with Copyscape. Any non-linked content you have produced that is being published by someone else, send that a publisher a request to link to your website or document or remove your published content.

You don’t have to be a large publisher or an author with a big following to take advantage of document sharing sites and social media. You can build backlinks to your website in just a few minutes a day.