It is true that blogging is an effective means of building customer loyalty and encouraging new users to visit your site. However, blogging is only as effective as the exposure your site receives. That’s why effective link building is an important part of a comprehensive blogging strategy.
Some companies new to the Internet marketing game develop a blog with the expectation that providing quality content means readers will simply find it on their own. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Your blog needs to be linked by as many external channels as possible in order to maximize exposure.
Here are some helpful tips for effective link building:
- Social Media – Above and beyond just about anything else is the concept of linking your blog to social media sites. If you do not already have a presence on Facebook, Google, Twitter, and YouTube, establish them today. Then make sure your blog utilizes plug-ins and links that provide for cross-platform integration.
- Blog Rolls – Getting your site listed on the prominent blog rolls is extremely important. However, most of them do not accept every blog that comes their way. You will have to take a couple of months and maintain your blog with regular updates before most will accept you.
- Guest Writing – Take a couple of hours to search around the web for other sites similar to yours where guest writing is encouraged. If you find a good site you are willing to write for, submit one or two posts and include a link to your blog in your bio. As long as your guest post gives readers something they find interesting, they are likely to follow your link.
- Leave Comments – If you come across a similar site that allows linking in comments this is a great way to get your blog some exposure. Make sure your comments are useful and insightful while avoiding the bad habit of flaming.
- Review Other Blogs – If you are willing to review other similar blogs and add a link or badge on your own site, it is likely the owners of those other blogs will reciprocate. Blog reviews are great way to build a network of relevant blogs aimed at a particular audience.
- Backlinks – There are plenty of tools available that allow you to do a backlink analysis. The point of this type of analysis is to find out which of your competitors is being linked by other relevant sites important to you. You can then contact those sites and ask them to link to your site as well. In most cases, they will if you have something to offer.
Make Your Blog Useful
All of the tips we have offered can help get your blog out of the shadows and into the limelight. However, none of them will be very helpful in the long run if your blog is not worth reading. Therefore, rule number one is to make your blog useful so that readers have a reason to visit.
By “useful” we mean you are providing relevant content that speaks to a specific issue, question, or topic. Useful posts avoid generalities, ambiguity, and rambling for the sake of keyword stuffing. A useful blog is one that leaves the reader satisfied that he or she has learned something new or gleaned valuable information.
The last thing to remember is to update your blog regularly. Though it can sometimes be hard to come up with great ideas for your post, it is absolutely necessary. If writing is not your strong point, you might consider hiring a professional to create your posts for you. Believe us when we say it is worth the expense.