Link building can be a long, tedious process that requires patience and serious time spent building content coinciding with proposed links and associated keywords. But despite the difficulties associated with link building, the results can be extremely positive for those looking to improve search engine optimization efforts and boosting search engine ranking. While there are a number of efforts that are pushed by marketers and SEO experts, building links that can survive the multitude of algorithm updates from the major search engines can be overwhelming and exasperating.

Building Relevant, Desired Content
Although every Internet marketing expert is familiar with the importance of quality content when it comes to improving search engine optimization, creating desired, sought after information is important for link building as well. With the creation of relevant content that is desired by consumers and target audience members comes the prospects of links. Other sources of information will be drawn to produce content if Internet marketers and link builders research and write information that highlights one’s status as a as a thought and industry leader. Websites with greater authority and fresh new ideas are more likely to earn links from other highly authoritative resources looking for that information.

Look Outside the Obvious

It’s no secret that there are certain keywords associated with one’s industry that every other company is similarly seeking to optimize for. But while optimizing for common and competitive keywords is a constant, albeit important, task that deserves consistent attention, thinking outside the box when it comes to ranking for keywords is imperative in relation to SEO efforts. Developing content around long tail keywords can help attract links from sites seeking authority on industry topics. Adequate, thorough research regarding which keywords and topics are interesting and sought after by target audience members can reap valuable link building results for large and small businesses.

Track Links and Company Mentions

While building links and creating valuable, attractive content is a vital component of link building, tracking what companies, websites and consumers are saying across the web can help reveal what content and ideas are gaining attention, shares and interaction. In addition, it can be helpful to uncover who may be using information one has created without sourcing one’s website and giving deserved links.

Community Involvement

Community involvement and activity in one’s neighborhood and for worthy, attractive causes can be a powerful method of attracting links from non-profit organizations one sponsors and events a company is involved in. In addition to improving link building efforts, staying active locally highlights company culture outside of everyday operations while opening the doors of opportunity for content that may be attractive to prospective clients and consumers.

Don’t Just Share, Consume

While sharing quality information is an important way to show one’s authority and display ideas that are related to one’s expertise and industry, consuming and interacting with the ideas displayed by others is equally important. Creating a sense of community where consumers and other businesses feel as though a company is interested and interacts with their ideas provokes interaction that makes everyone feel more comfortable sharing.