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By Amanda Bastock, Fathom Online Marketing's Senior Account Executive
As the SEO industry continues to explode, webmasters and site owners are becoming more savvy to linking strategies and are less likely to just give a link away. Any SEO expert can tell you that search engine algorithms consider quantity of links as well as the quality of links coming into a site. It's not always easy to acquire links from highly authoritative sites with top-level domains and good PageRank. Why should they link to you? What can your site offer their readers? Developing link bait that will educate readers and provide additional resources can lead to more opportunity for quality links.
Strategize First
Many companies begin with creating the link bait, and then think about how to promote it. Rather than strategizing promotion after the content is already developed, reverse the process to target your link building goals. Rather than soliciting for links from a random variety of sites, strategically develop your link bait and campaign around a goal. If you're looking for more links from .edu domains, think about what your site can offer the students.
Nix the Self-Promotion
Develop link bait that doesn't just speak to your current consumer. Creating articles about your specific product features may be great for sales, however, the same won't hold true for link building. The article, case study or white paper needs to have a value proposition. Without value, why would a site link to your content?
Choose a topic that will appeal to a targeted demographic and build your link bait and campaign around that demographic. For example, if your company sells eco-friendly products, consider creating link bait around resources and information about "going green." This link bait could appeal to eco-friendly organizations, recycling facilities, green bloggers, and other environmental awareness sites.
Get involved with your local community. There are many authoritative sites that have a much localized audience. Develop link bait such as an article or news release that speaks to your local community. This will help boost your opportunity for local organizations, news sources, and websites to promote your content on their site. Sticking with our eco-friendly example, perhaps a resource of local recycling facilities or a list of the most eco-friendly companies in the area would spark links to your site.
Get Personal
Once your link bait is developed and opportunities have been identified, make sure you create a custom email for each contact. The benefits of your content to each site may vary. Though the target audience is similar, each site will more than likely have a slightly different objective for its readers. Create a personal pitch that will highlight the link bait's value proposition to their site's readers.
By offering a valuable and informational resource rather than content that speaks solely to your consumers you broaden the opportunity to acquire quality links.
