Build Backlinks for Free: 5 Easy Steps

Free Ways to Build Backlinks to Your Blog or Website

Yes, you read that correctly: “free”. Though the world of internet marketing may seem complicated, competitive, and anything but free; there are still a few great ways for those with smaller budgets to participate and build online respect. Here are some of our favorite-and free!-ways to gain valuable backlinks to your blog or website.

• Articles: One of the best free ways to get a valuable backlink to your site or blog is to write an article for an article submission site. If you are unfamiliar with these types of sites, do a simple search for “article submission”, and you’ll find a lengthy list. Most of these sites ask that word count be a minimum of about 500 words and not a blatant advertisement. Most people choose to write on something related to their industry, trade, or product in a manner that is informational. Some of these sites will allow you to include a hyperlink (keyword link back to your site) in either the article content or the “about the author” section. Make sure you know if they do and which, so that your article is successfully accepted.

• Blogs: If you do not already have a blog associated with your product or service, start one. Most all blog sites make it very easy to set up and are free to do so. On your blog, you can choose who to link to. Just make sure that you keep credibility up-for the blog service as well as Google spiders-by posting informational content related to your product, service, etc periodically.

• Forums (Yours and Others): Another way to get some backlinks is to both start your own forum related to your product or service, and also regularly participate in a variety of related forums. Forums are for posting questions, concerns, and recommendations that you may have, and unless the forum explicitly denies link inclusion in your post, you should add you link to as many related forums as possible. It is absolutely necessary to remember that to all parties concerned-you want to become a trusted interactive member of these forums, not a forum spammer. Put some time into your post and do your very best to sound more like a recommendation with your link post, and less like a blatant advertisement.

• Press Releases: Another great way to get valuable exposure through free backlinks is submitting a press release to press release sites such as Digg.com, etc. Draft up something new going on with your company, site, or services offered and submit a press release about it, including the very fundamental backlink back to your site.

• Reciprocal Links: Depending on your school of thought, adding some mutually-related reciprocal links to your site in return for your links being placed on others’ sites can be helpful in your exposure and Google pagerank. Reciprocal links can be helpful in moderation, but make sure to stay away from sites that are a part of web farms and link rings-these are notoriously banned by Google on the regular. Also, remember that your site should be related to the site that you are partnering with in link placement. Lastly, only a handful-at most-are helpful with backlink exposure. Beyond this, you start to look like you are trying to boost your search marketing artificially-and Google does not like that.