3. The BEST Ways To Build INcoming Links NOW
As we’ve just seen, securing inbound links and exchanging links with other sites increase traffic in two ways...
1) increase link popularity/reputation at the Search Engines -- this results in higher rankings at the Search Engines for relevant keywords.
2) get spidered and listed at engines that do not accept submissions -- obviously, a huge plus.
These are the big two reasons for building a link program. The third (the original) reason was to actually get and send traffic to and from related sites. When one site provides a link to another, it provides a service to its visitors. This “vote of confidence” sends traffic to the receiving site. Remember this basic but overlooked original reason, because THAT is actually the “reason” the engines WANT behind each link.
They try to see through shams... and like all other tricks, they relentlessly get better at finding them and eliminating sites that use them.
So... keep it real.
Nowadays, the #1 and #2 above are the bigger advantages of building an inbound links (AKA “back links”) program. A properly developed link program will deliver far more traffic due to its impact upon the engines than the actual links themselves. But remember... keep it real and you will never have problems.
The best (and the simplest) way to build your site’s link popularity is to get IN-coming links without exchanging OUT-going links. How? By listing in...
1) major directories
2) second tier directories
3) themed directories and hubs.
SIDEBAR
These three are the best “bang for the buck” as far as building
a simple inbound link program to improve your link popularity/reputation.
Getting listed will take a bit of time and perhaps a few dollars, but all
three of the above are well worth the effort (especially the latter two).
Other methods of building links (publishing an RSS feed, syndicating your content to article directories, setting up an affiliate program, etc.) are worthwhile, but should only be investigated after you’ve finished the first steps. They are beyond the scope of this e-booklet.
READY-SET-GO?
Start this process after you have built 20-30 high-quality content pages. Why 20-30 quality pages? Here’s why...
1) Your site is unlikely to attract quality links from other Webmasters until it becomes a viable information resource. You won’t be able to accomplish this without sufficient content material on your site.
2) Getting a directory listing depends upon the reviewing editor. Yes, your site will be reviewed by a real human who knows something about your subject matter. She has to decide that your site contributes something of merit to the directory. If your site is unfinished, or if content is sparse or low-value, it’s unlikely that you will get a thumbs up from the reviewing editor.
3) Focusing solely on link popularity to drive traffic is the
wrong side of the 80-20 coin. High-value, visitor-focused content
is ultimately what attracts targeted traffic and keeps them on your site.
Yup... Content 
Traffic PREselling Monetization.
Think of that snowball analogy. An inbound link program starts that snowball rolling. But it’s Content-Content-Content that will feed the positive feedback loop of human behavior that drives ALL the off-page criteria, which ultimately helps you even more at the engines, which together with even more Content, just keeps bringing more visitors, which...
Well, you get the
idea by now.
OK, onwards and upwards...
MYLW: <<2.5. Link Exchange Caveats 3. Build Incoming Links 3.1. The Major Directories>>
