Link Building Begins with Real Connections

A lot of advice on link building points to the places you should look to for links.

Some SEO experts advise readers to seek out directories, look at blogs in their industries, and generally try to make up huge lists of links that they should hunt as prey for Google's gaping maw.

Very few get down to what really good link building consists of...

Genuine Connections.

Although there's been some talk about devaluing links in terms of ranking factors, the evidence is that Google still values links to calculate reputation. For website owners that means link building is still a chore that has to be done. As with any chore, most people are tempted to do it with the least effort and interest possible. That's a mistake.

Good Links are Genuine Links

Matt Cutts (and Google generally) has been trying to steer the SEO industry toward genuine links for at least five years now, with some success.

In the old days most SEOs would advise clients that links should be genuine, but...

There was always that 'but' hovering in the background, allowing room for dodgy deals and link farms to creep in.

Today, investing in a link farm scheme is just less likely to happen.

Few SEOs, even the inexperienced ones, are going to fall for such schemes because the rules surrounding links have become so much clearer.

If a link doesn't have any genuine relevance to a website, it's pretty much useless.

Investing any money in link building – or indeed any time in reaching out for it – is just a waste of resources.

What Actually is a 'Genuine' Link?

Links really aren't that difficult to get your head around.

Imagine your website is going for a job interview with Google.

Good links are the references supplied by your website's genuine contacts – the ones it's worked with, the ones who know it personally, or the ones who have heard of it and generally think it's well suited for the job.

The bad links?

They're the equivalent of paying a neighbour or your Dad to answer a phone on your website's behalf.

How to do Genuine Link Building

Forging genuine links is a side-effect of life in the real world, but it's a bit harder on the net.

If your website has only just been launched it can seem like an insurmountable problem. That's when you need to get out there and put some personal investment into your link building:

• Take the time to seek out websites that genuinely interest you, or have a connection to your business
• Read through their content and get to know them
• Make your approach personal. Find out the name of the site owner or editor and send them a personal message
• Don't rush things. Set out to create a relationship before asking for a link

If this sound a lot like networking, that's because "it is".

Good link building is all about reaping the rewards that come with putting in the time and effort to do the right networking.

If you're interested in reading more about building genuine links, this post on Moz explores taking real-world networking and turning it into links.