How to develop links?

[alex0811]

Hi, I have created two new sites, and I am confused how to develop links for them.

One site is about Chinese Music, and the other is about China Suppliers News, which kind of sites should I exchange links with, and how to effectively exchange?

Thanks.

[aristotle]

You should try to get links by a variety of methods. Also, one-way links to your site are generally better than exchanges. I always start by submitting to a few free direcrtories, because for me that has proven to be the easiest and most reliable method of getting some quick initial links. But in the long run you need to use several methods.

To really do long-term link-building successfully, you will have to increase your knowledge. Onw way to do this is to spend time on forums such as this one.

[FranticFish]

Yep, read through the library here, it has some great suggestions. Take your time (should take at least a day to go through). Looks for posts by Wheel especially who is an inspiration and could sell ice to eskimos :) but there are other experts here sharing and if you put what they suggest into practice you will get links.

[Elric99]

You should try to get links by a variety of methods. Also, one-way links to your site are generally better than exchanges. I always start by submitting to a few free direcrtories, because for me that has proven to be the easiest and most reliable method of getting some quick initial links.

Thanks for this post. Might I ask if you submit to niche directories at first, or just general free ones?

Tom

[aristotle]

Quote: Thanks for this post. Might I ask if you submit to niche directories at first, or just general free ones.

Thanks for your question
I submit to niche directories when I can find them, but in most of my niches there aren't enough of them for what I need. So mostly I have to submit to free general directories in the most suitable category I can find.

Here's something else I should have mentioned- There are a lot of older "dead" direectories that have been abandoned by their owners, so it's a waste of time to submit to them. So I mostly submit to newly-announced directories. Their owners are enthusiastic about their new site and will often approve your submission in less than a day. You can find these new directories on certain forums and special lists that are updated frequently (We're not allowed to post links here, but you should be able to find some of these by searches on terms like "new directories", "directory forum", etc.)

I should add that many people doubt the value of free directory listings and will tell you that they are a waste of time. But my experience over several years indicates otherwise. It's true that one listing alone isn't worth much, but over a period of time you can eventually get dozens or even hundreds of them, and the total value can add up.

To do it properly, you should use a form filler, and you should vary the anchor text and descriptions sometimes.

Finally, as I said before, for the best chance of success, you need to combine directory submissions with other link-building methods.

[ogletree]

Study the backlinks of your competitors. Type in the search term that you want to rank for and make a list of the top websites. You can start off going to yahoo and getting a list of backlinks for each by going typing in linkdomain:example.com. Go through the list and find sites that link to your competitors and then send a request to the website to get yours listed. Send a personal email from an email address on your domain. Compliment their website. Mention which page you want to have your link on and at the end provide the html code you would like for your link. Do not use any service that does this in bulk. It works best if done manually.

If you find any link to your competitors that are broken send an email to the site owner letting them know about the broken link and tell them how your site provides information that will help their readers.

There are a few applications out there that help you organize your links and provide ways to clean up backlink lists to get rid of duplicates. You can also do this in excel if you know how. There are also a few places that will give you a more complete list of backlinks past the 1000 limit of yahoo.

[piatkow]

Music based sites have strong symbiotic relationships and exchange links freely. People also tend to know others in their speciality off-line so personal contacts are a valuable place to start. If you are simply jumping into the niche because it looks as if it might be profitable rather than through any prior involvement you will find things a lot more difficult.