Can Directories Be a Good Source for Links?
Filed under: General Marketing, Niche Marketing, Search Engine Optimization
The whole point of directories is that they are a means for you to submit your site to so that a reputable site is linking back to you. Submitting your site to directories can actually be a great way to build links, since you will be getting a backlink as a result.
The best way to do this is by submitting your site to DMOZ and other directory sites that allow free submissions. If you happen to be a site selling treadmills, for example, then you can submit your site to one of these directories, and there will then be a backlink to you supporting your site. More treadmill sales for you!
Under the same umbrella is the tried and true method of submitting your site to the paid directories as well. Just be cautioned to look for credible and quality directories by checking to see if they have a high page rank or Alexa rating to prove their amount of traffic. This is the way to make sure that you are not wasting your time and money in investing in a submission to them.
To take it even further, you can create your own topical directory on your subject, so you now have a directory on treadmills so that consumers can come to you to find the sources that they need. You will definitely want to link to your own site in doing this, and be sure to deep link to important content on your pages wherever you can. If you actually put the work into this to make this a valuable authority and tool for people out there, then all the links will start piling up in no time. You are killing two birds with one stone!
Finally, you can look to meme trackers and other sites like Digg to see what the latest buzz is and what people are looking for. If you take that cue and start to write about in demand topics then your site could potentially be cited as a source on the meme tracker list. Be sure to use your own creative content and to link back to their sources too so that you can be pegged as a reliable source to be linked to.
Again, finding good sources for links is all about finding the best way to create organic traffic to your site. If you are looking to expand your options, then do not discount submitting to directories and similar sites because they have been proven to be a good source of links for SEO. There are a wealth of options for you to find great links out there, and when you are looking to promote your site and business, the sky is truly the limit!
Writing Reviews and Testimonials for Traffic
A little known avenue for ranking even higher in your content is to look into writing reviews. This is not something to be overlooked because if your site already has authority, then your review content will automatically rank well. The reason for this is that most brands are not that well established online, so this is the perfect time for you to step in and give people what they are looking for- reviews, all leading them back to your site, of course. So if your site is selling women’s shoes, then start churning out reviews about new Nine West shoe designs, Steve Madden, you name it.
You can even start reviewing relevant products on Amazon, because this has been shown in the past to bring secondary links and cutomer inquiries about your site. To take it even a step further and tie into the list building aspect of SEO, you can build product lists for Amazon that will review top products, like the newest women’s shoes for summer, and then have a link back to your site in your background information. Brilliant! Again, you are providing expert resources and lists that people like to link to, all the while creating more credibility for you and your site.
Another means of building you and your site’s authority on a subject is to begin reviewing similar products on shopping search engines like ePinions. There you can provide your expert opinion, or “ePinion”, on what heels you think have the longest life and most comfort in a shoe. After seeing that, people are going to want to link back to your site when they have any sort of questions, like what sandals are the best for a night out or what are the hottest and best quality boots for winter, so that they can get your credible viewpoint and hopefully buy the same products from your site.
Often, if you do buy a product that you really liked, you can leave a testimonial that will mostly likely be turned into a link. The thing with testimonials is that you need to make them as believable and as detailed as possible because this is your chance for a mini review that will showcase the expertise that you’ve got. People looking to buy that specific product, a women’s shoe for example, will of course look at the testimonials left on the product because they want to see if anyone wrote a scathing review about what a horrible product it was so they won’t have to waste their money on it.
On the flip side, if you are able to seek out products that you support and can leave knowledgeable comments about them, people will be able to link back to your site as an authority on shoes, or whatever your site represents. Anyone online shopping for a quality product will be drawn to comments and reviews that will then direct their traffic back to a credible resource so that they can ensure that they are not wasting their time or money on products that don’t deliver. That is where you come in as the knight in shining armor to guide people into purchasing the highest quality products for them in the area they have been searching.
If you can get your reviews out there, then people looking for the lowdown on the best shoe (or other products) for them will be motivated to link back to your site because you are the expert, of course. When selling and promoting your site, reviews are a fantastic way to put your business and knowledge out there. People are looking for someone to tell them what’s hot and what’s not for their online shopping needs, so use reviews to make sure that it’s you they are looking to and not anyone else.
You can’t expect to build a ton of backlinks this way but it can definitely help you generate traffic and jump start your brand marketing. If you establish yourself as a helpful expert on a topic it’s easy to convert your traffic in to customers.
Using Trends to Get More Links
We all know that the internet is the latest hub for what is relevant and in demand. If you find yourself scratching your head and wondering how something becomes the latest craze, the answer is… I don’t know. But I do know one way that you can track the current trends and then use that up to date content to ride the wave into popularity!
What you are going to first want to do is find the latest hot topics on the meme trackers like Digg and Reddit. You can then create relevant content that people have already been searching for and will search for again.
If you sell hair products on your site, then you can find out through the meme trackers what people are wanting to hear about in the latest hair product market, and you can give them even more related content on what they are looking for, thus creating more links back to you.
Digg has been the catalyst in social networking sites and has spurred other sites to create features with voting options and story submissions, so if you jump on board and provide an article that people are looking for, the you can get Dugg and jump to the top of the list. That will be much more traffic to your site!
Even if the Digg traffic isn’t that great, you can still get great search engine traffic. Brand new trends are exactly that, brand new, so no one has had time to establish authority sites based on the keywords of these brand new trends. So, if you create a keyword-rich post about a trend topic, you can easily be at the top of the search engines in a matter of hours!
Another social networking option is to begin to really put yourself out there in the blog arena. It may seem at first like you are giving and giving with no return, but that is all part of building your integrity and credibility in your niche. Begin commenting on blogs on your subject, like hair care and hair products, and even though those links may be no-follow, you will be making connections with your peers in the blogging community and causing them to reciprocate over time. Also, viewers of their blogs, who scroll to the comments, will see your hair products website, and possibly click through!
That is a great method of viral link building, but you can even use other social networking and bookmarking sites to find related content on your niche and make even more friends and groups. Thus, you are expanding your social media circle, and your audience, of course. This is likened to what I posted earlier about Twitter, where you must view these opportunities as being at a party- making genuine conversation and connections with the people out there.
If you are using these blog comments only for spam and self-promotion, then that is really not being part of the community at all and people will be much less likely to link to you or visit your site. Users of the blogging social circles are looking to create lasting business and relational connections so be true in your approach. You can begin to email and link to other bloggers in your niche, and they will be linking back to you in no time. Give a little, get a little!
Take your time and research the latest trends on your topics that are being Dugg, bookmarked, and searched for. If you can hit the right niche market with a target audience that is needing to hear what you have to say on new hair products on the market or what hairspray has the best hold, then you will be amazed at the domino affect of traffic that it creates to your site.
All it takes is one cutting edge idea that will begin to get your name and your business out there, and people will begin to recognize you as the relevant source that they need to go to for products and answers. At last!
