Is Your Link Building Strategy a Time Waster?
June 24th, 2008 | 62 comments
Earlier this year I revealed that the only traffic generation secret was that there is no traffic generation secret. Today I’d like to hit on link building, because many people think the same way about building links as they do with traffic generation.
The first and possibly most important thing I’ll say about link building is that you shouldn’t be spending your valuable time seeking out top-secret pages that give followed links!
Sure, you could probably find some, but in most cases the time investment isn’t nearly worth it. Most of the time these “top secret” high PR pages aren’t nearly as valuable as you think and how long did it take you to find it? It’s just not worth it. The time you spend searching could have been used more effectively!
Instead, spend your time executing some or all of the known link building techniques:
- writing good content that invites links (natural linking)
- article marketing
- reciprocal linking
- guest blogging
- creating WordPress themes, tools and other applications that others can embed onto their site with a link to your site.
- leveraging pre-existing sites
etc.
If it’s tough for you to obtain links on authoritative sites don’t worry about it! I guarantee you could obtain more overall authority with 10 or so incoming links from pages of low authority in ONE day than you could with one page of good authority in a week or more!
The average internet marketer with less than a year of experience, and some with more than that, spends ENTIRELY too much time looking for gold mines and top secret methods. Those who concentrate on the known methods, work hard and never give up, are the ones who get those top 10 rankings sooner!
Something that I wish more people understood is this: ALL of the information that you need to be successful online is out there and you’ve probably already heard 99% of it multiple times! Don’t waste your time looking for shortcuts and goldmines! Whether it’s link building, traffic generation or anything else, concentrate on known methods and take action!
photo credit: Cristina
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24th June, 2008 at 4:34 pm
As always, a to the point no nonsense post.
You sometimes forget that the old methods are tried, tested and work wonders. I think we all get caught up in the fanfare sometimes.
Cheers,
DesDrec.
24th June, 2008 at 4:38 pm
What a wonderful post, Josh! If all the time invested in looking for ‘miracles’ was instead, invested in working a proven system….there would be a LOT more folks making money online, don’t you think?
PotPieGirl
24th June, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I have been making money online for about a year. luckily i started article marketing right away and never looked back. Hands down it is the best thing i could have done as the traffic is great and it builds back links naturally.
24th June, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Great Stuff, Josh, (as always). I really appreciate the content you share. Keep up the good work, buddy.
Matt
24th June, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I can testify to the wasted time spent on finding the “holy grail”. Consistent link building has accomplished more for me than searching for THE link secret.
24th June, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Yes, the site wide links do make a difference. I have three sites with many pages with links to each other and so far it has been great to get me going–I must remind anyone that all these sites are on different ISPs and hosting services. That makes them just “friends” and not “blood relatives” that might cause some problems if they were all on the same host.
Anyone want to swap links in a three way, let me know.
24th June, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I remember a Dan Kennedy book from a few years ago, I think it was called the “ultimate success secret” – and the secret to success was simply to take action. Not to look for the secret formula, not to keep planning, just take action, like you said!
24th June, 2008 at 5:08 pm
It’s funny to read this post on the day that I finally saw success from practicing just the basics. I now realize I know what to do – and that is such a relief. It’s amazing how much time and energy is wasted in trying to figure it out.
24th June, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Joshmeister,
You neglected to mention substantive comments on do-follow blogs. Also a legitimate link-building method. I’m incorporating that as part of my daily routine…and having some fun with it.
In terms of a trustworthy resource, I’ll take this opportunity to recommend my own new do-follow blog directory:
http://riseabovedirectory.com
Hundreds of links now and more be added every day (and I’m not just saying that). Decently categorized for your convenience if relevance matters to you.
Also, I’d recommend that you take a peek at the KeywordLuv plugin for your blog. This would allow visitors to use their real names in conversations here AND they get the benefit of the anchor text they crave…and since KL itself doesn’t remove the no-follow attribute, you can still use your current 3x linking policy. It’s worth a look!
24th June, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Josh,
You information is spot on. I’ve researched virtually everything on the web when it comes to generating traffic and have decided article marketing is the way to go because it’s easy to see how well it works. Your site ez-onlinemoney.com has an Alexa rank of 86,000 and a PR of 5.
My site, is new and has very little traffic as of 6-24-08. I’m going to start using article marketing and we;ll see what the statistics are three months from now. I predict the site will be getting consistent traffic growth.
24th June, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Great post Josh!
For all the new tricks and techniques that exist – both black and white hat – natural growth is still ultimately the best.
Taking action and concentrating on a simple blueprint of continual learning, writing and sharing still works.
24th June, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Another great post Josh. It is so true. Looking for the needle in the haystack…. I say just get links however you need to.
Steve
24th June, 2008 at 5:43 pm
So true indeed Josh. People need to stop thinking about it, stop obsessing over it and just go out and get some links. It’s not rocket science, it’s actually pretty simple.
As for follow vs. “nofollow” – who cares? I never saw much evidence that “nofollow” matters anyway. All things being equal I’ll take the follow link, but it’s a non-issue.
Years ago I had a single link to an affiliate product, with “nofollow” and in 2 weeks I was #1 for that companies name. I did the logical thing to prevent that, but they tossed me out of their affiliate program after I got about 12 sales. They did pay me, but that was that. They let me rejoin, but 1,000 clicks never converted, so I left as they were clearly ripping me off.
Now quit reading and go get some links! :^)
24th June, 2008 at 6:37 pm
At a recent conference I heard some very sensible advice from a panel: Your site should have a mix of links. It’s unnatural to only have links from social sites, and it’s equally unnatural to only have links from PR8 sites.
I often find myself completely paralyzed at the thought of building links. The answer of course, as it so often is … just do it.
Nice article, and timely too.
24th June, 2008 at 7:06 pm
You’re so right Josh, there are no secrets, just a step by step path to walk, with patience and persistence people get there.
24th June, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Hi, Josh,
While I agree with you in principle, I think there has to be a better definition of “taking action.” Massive action with no direction is essentially what most marketers are doing when they’re chasing every shiny thing that flutters by looking for that one perfect technique that will allow them to retire next week.
It’s not enough to take action, it needs to be focused action, directed action, action with a purpose. I’ve been as guilty as anyone of chasing the Grail and I think some of that is necessary to A) get it out of one’s system, and B) define what it is that one really wants. There are so many marketing methods out there and not all of them, or even most of them, will work for everybody. Certain methods work better for certain people and there has to be some amount of experimentation to determine which method(s) work best for any individual.
That said, a person can sample various techniques effectively if that’s their intention and they do so with some planning and forethought. It’s the random chasing after butterflies (pun intended) that is the problem.
Keep putting out the good word.
John The Geek
24th June, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Hey Josh,
Good info here. I’ve just spent a half a day researching how I might be able to get some .gov and .edu links. Should have waited to read this post. LOL -
We do some article submitting and it does help but really want to submit some slightly different articles to several places. Then all the gurus say we’ll get shot down for duplicate submission.
Guess you can’t win, but maybe you know a happy medium?
Thanks.
Rich
24th June, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Interesting, but slightly misses the point.
Firstly, Josh is right about link building – you don’t have to try hard – all you do is set yourself up with http://www.linkmarket.com (but I guess there are others) and once you have a convincing links page the requests to link to you will flock in.
But secondly, the big question is whether it works well. Reciprocal linking doesn’t to me, seem to do very much. Three way links the same.
What do you do ? Article writing certainly works in the sense that the links show up in google webmaster tools. But what dioes it really do for you ?
Do you mix all three (reciprocal; one-way;articles) ?
24th June, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Great post – couldn’t agree with you more.
Stop looking for the silver bullet and just get started
For Charles (above) – LinkPartners.com is another good source of potential link partners.
24th June, 2008 at 8:17 pm
@ Chuckmeister – I don’t recommend it because too many people use dofollow blogs to spam. There are only a few, like yourself, who actually leave good comments in exchange for the link.
I’m not sure if KeywordLuv would be compatible with LLL, but I’ll take a look.
@ John – Very true. In regards to your comment on nofollow though, it actually does matter with Google. So you should be looking at that if you want rank with Google.
@ John the Geek – True statements there, but you’re simply expanding on one point. This is a general post. I could expand on every point but I’d have a book and not a blog post
@ Rich – Most of those guru’s don’t know what they’re talking about
Be your own guru by testing, tracking and taking action!
My article marketing strategy
@ Charles – I’m not sure who’s missing the point here! LinkMarket.com has been around for years and has been getting gamed the whole time…it’s worthless.
Reciprocal linking works, but you have to be very selective.
Article Marketing works better for direct traffic, but combined with other link building techniques it’s helpful.
Most of my links are natural, but I do have niche sites, outside of the IM niche, which don’t get any natural linking.
For them I use article marketing and reciprocal linking primarily, but I’ve been having some luck with 3 Way Links lately as well.
Don’t turn it into a big deal. Submit an article here and there, request a link exchange here and there, post to related forums here and there etc.
The links will come.
24th June, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I think like Marlon Sanders keeps saying, “Learn and do.” “Learn and do.” I for one keep forgetting that little secret. It must be secret because almost no one is doing it.
Thanks for the reminder, to learn and do.
24th June, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I think link building is still about about…
Great Content!
If you create great content on your blog or site, others will naturally want to link to you because your site becomes valuable to them and to their visitors.
Article Writing, Providing Testimonials, Press Releases, and Blogs are all good.
I’m leary of reciprocal linking. As Josh said, you have to be extremely selective.
Link Farms are just a waste of time and bandwidth.
Enjoyed your post Josh. Some really good comments today.
24th June, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Great info – simple and to the point.
Good stuff Josh.
24th June, 2008 at 8:34 pm
What people fail to understand is that link building which looks organic, building up over time, is the most effective link building. Everyone expects overnight success and it just doesn’t happen.
24th June, 2008 at 8:47 pm
The absolute best link building method is to provide great content that others will feel like they have to link to it in their websites. This is the step that people don’t want to do. People would rather do busy work like leaving comments on do follow blogs all day as opposed to creating great websites.
24th June, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Heaven knows I’ve spent way too much time on gold mines and top secret tactics that produced nothing.
Many people won’t like what you’ve said. But what you said was true.
Thanks for the reminder.
24th June, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Yes, Josh, I agree with you.
It is so easy to be at the computer for 2 hours and not really achieve anything by scrolling and hoping to find suitable links.
Instead of this you usually get side tracked and read all sorts of other information that does not even apply to what you are selling.
24th June, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Many thanks yet again Josh. I confirmed exactly the same for myself a long time ago, based purely on the reasons that you too, have given with the above post. For me I use articles mostly and in this regards EzineArticles. Create rich keyword articles to dominate any specific niche and you really are, halfway there.
Many of my own articles are now in the number 1 position on google and still I write more and more every day, targeting even more high value keywords to drive that traffic to my websites. Every time I write an article obviously, this gives me greater exposure and the increased chance of my direct links being picked up.
The goal is to seen as a leading authority within any particular niche within which I am directly targeting and marketing.
Again, a great many thanks for this timely reminder.
Wishing you as always, a fantastic week.
Kindest regards.
Mark
24th June, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Unfortunately you are right Josh. There are no “top secret” methods or hidden gold mines out there.
We know, because we’ve looked. Again and again.
Fortunately, there are proven methods, like the ones you’ve outlined here, but they take work, and time. Like everything else.
You don’t get something for nothing.
Provide value, build relationships.
24th June, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I agree Josh
Good article marketing has the triple benefits of:
1. Getting you links
2. Getting repeat customers
3. Building your profile as an expert.
Ray
24th June, 2008 at 9:57 pm
“ALL of the information that you need to be successful online is out there and you’ve probably already heard 99% of it multiple times!”
Isn’t that the truth!
24th June, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Josh, You really hit home on this one. I agree 100%. I know I am certainly guilty of exactly what you are talking about. I am trying very hard to break that bad habit, but it is not easy. It is too easy to fall into the trap. I really do appreciate all the good info that you put on this blog and would like very much to use your post on My Affiliate Marketing Guide Blog. Please let me know if I can use it. I will of course give you credit.
24th June, 2008 at 11:03 pm
“Whether it’s link building, traffic generation or anything else, concentrate on known methods and take action!”
SPOT On, Josh! Thank you.
24th June, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Hi Josh
Great post as always.
As well as the time wasted on looking for a magic solution you can also waste too much time looking at statistics. Google analytics is great but I probably have spent too much time wondering why that visitor from Montana bounced or whatever
Taking action as you say is the key.
Neil
24th June, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Hey Josh,
As always, good and helpful stuff.
Another practical method is to get backlinks from social bookmarking sites.
Of course, there is the problem of that dreadful ‘no follow’ command.
This can be overcome by taking your feed from these sites and adding them to
other rss aggregators.
Just a thought. Anyway, thanks again for
your tireless work and efforts.
Best,
Scott
25th June, 2008 at 12:19 am
Josh,
Thanks again for a “bookmarkable” page. I’ve started to get serious and take your advice, and the advice of some others (who reference you often) and now I don’t feel so “lost in the woods” anymore.
Your explanations always clear up things that have been opaque for me before.
Hotcha!
Brian
25th June, 2008 at 1:19 am
Hi, Josh
I agree with many of the comments that article marketing is the way to go
I also empathesize with those who started to market through articles, became frustrated waiting for a response, sought out miracle marketing methods, and then finally turned back to article marketing…
Which makes me wonder… is there any way to track a specific article to see what levels of traffic it brings in over time?
If there was a way, that would sure ease the frustration… and provide verification that a particular article is pulling “its weight”!
Anyone know of any system or software that does this? Thanks.
25th June, 2008 at 2:50 am
Hello Josh,
It looks like the slow listbuilding and writing quality content is getting you all the traffic and links you need.
Most people are so busy getting links to junky sites – no wonder they have to get up to such bizarre antics to try and get links.
25th June, 2008 at 4:17 am
I’ve been reading your articles for some time now. What you are saying in this one I totally agree. I did some simple research of my own. I got the conclusion that the blog with high quality content most likely be the one people will visit. Why in the world people come to your site just to hover around the Home Page.?right?
25th June, 2008 at 6:20 am
Hi Josh!
Great post. If we think most of the strategies, which bring us links, like useful content, article marketing, blogcomments, blog posts, social bookmarking and forum posts, the links are actually the results of our marketing efforts, not separate link building.
We all need links, they run our businesses, and as you let us understand, the best way to get them is the content in all we do.
If we are useful for our target group, we get links naturally.
25th June, 2008 at 6:48 am
Josh, you are so right. I learned very quickly that this is only as hard as you make it for yourself. There is no such thing as a quick fix or overnight success. If you want to start out with $10,000 a month, you are in the wrong business. But if you stick to it and follow a good plan, you can make it. Link building takes time, but it really isn’t that difficult. If I could succeed, you can too!
25th June, 2008 at 8:25 am
Josh, as you’ve said before, and I’ve proved so many times to my own satisfaction, the way to get to the top of the SERPs is to write good stuff!
Yes, you can get near the top with a VERY extensive link building campaign pointing to garbage but what’s the point of that kind of life-suck when writing good stuff is so much easier and more rewarding.
I think what people tend to forget is that visitors need to do something when they’ve actually got to the page being linked to. Adsense, as the late great Ken Giddens used to say, has entrenched an attitude of “Get off my page so’s I can make some money”. It’s one of the reasons – apart from rapidly declining returns – why I’m now backburnering Adsense in favor of writing great content and affiliate and own product marketing.
25th June, 2008 at 8:29 am
Way to tell it like it is, Josh.
It all boils down to credibility and integrity. As far as the people from whom we gather information is concerned.
If people just knew who to trust when pursuing their I.M. information, there’d be a lot less confusion and probably a lot more healthy competition in the field.
Ahh. But then, the “gurus” might not like that, now would they. Which is why they keep things stirred up with mis- and out-dated information. To be fair, though, a lot of that out-dated and misinformation is simply passed on by well intentioned folk who simply don’t know any better.
All the better for people like yourself and a few others out there who are sounding the bell for truth and honesty in the advice they are giving.
Between yourself and Chris Rempel, I’ve learn a lot about what works and been able to abandon a lot of junk advice that has never worked (or was never intended to work).
Thanks for being around to verify what I was already beginning to figure out for myself. The time saved is well appreciated.
25th June, 2008 at 9:20 am
It is reassuring to know that I have not been wasting my time.
Great article.
25th June, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Agree with you, probably the best way to get links is write some valuable and useful content on our site so that will draw visitors and links naturally!
25th June, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I also like use forum marketing.
Cultivating relationship with other bloggers help. Just don’t expect they will link soon.
For me, content, promotion and network, in that order.
25th June, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Josh,
I completely agree with you. I used to stress over “nofollow” & “dofollow”. Now I just try to be a great online citizen and concentrate on helpful comments on blogs, forums, etc.
I don’t care how small the blog is, what PR it has, etc. My job is to just quickly add my best comment that hopefully helps some people and move on to the next topic that interests me on another blog.
Oh yeah…and of course Article Marketing! AMD style (still the best course on the subject).
26th June, 2008 at 3:09 am
Ohh bummer – you just demolished every “secrets” ebook out there! LOL
27th June, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Right on Josh!
I can see how this stuff can be confusing to “newbies”.
The number 1 fast rule I tell “newbies” is to keep it real.
Don’t post just for the sake of posting.
Don’t write an article just for the back link.
Don’t participate in a forum just for the link back.
Keep it real by sharing information that will truly help or lend to the learning process.
Keep up the good work.
Paul
“The Mad Webmaster”
27th June, 2008 at 9:24 pm
@ David Cooper – True statement, but some sites need a push. Article writing, providing testimonials etc. aren’t natural links… they are provoked, yet still valuable. These are the things we need to do though for some sites.
@ RT – True statement. If it’s not natural it needs to at least look natural, which means a steady flow of incoming links over time.
@ Wachovia – True, but you have to realize it all depends on your business model. Some sites, like small white-hat niche sites just aren’t going to get much natural link love and they need a push. But, in general, you’re correct… good content is the best model.
@ Zoll – Well, just about all of us have, so you’re not alone. As long as we learn from our mistakes they aren’t really mistakes.
@ Herschel – I appreciate the comments and your request, but as you’ll see in the footer of the blog I am not currently allowing syndication of my blog posts, although this may change in the future… Thanks for asking as opposed to just doing it, like so many others would have done!!
@ Neil – True, stats are important, but we can’t let them consume us
@ Scott – I’ve yet to really look into social media for link building purposes, but I’ve head alot of people mention it. I may take a deeper look in the future… thanks for the recommendation.
@ Brian – Great to hear you’re getting serious and I’m glad I’ve been able to help! Just keep taking action and don’t give up, no matter what, and you’ll get there!
@ Brian Gidda – The reason for that is normally because those people didn’t do proper keyword research, so their articles never ranked for any phrases and didn’t drive traffic to their sites. Article marketing does build links, but the primary benefit is the traffic the articles provide after ranking for long tail phrases. As for traffic stats on individual articles I’m really not sure. I just keep an eye on my analytics and watch the article sites as a whole.
@ Hendry – Forum marketing is good, but not for the links. The links are typically very weak. It’s the raw traffic some of the forums provide that’s of value. As long as you have a way to retain that traffic you’re good to go.
@ Dennis – lol Oh, I’m sure there will be plenty more to come along.
30th June, 2008 at 2:28 am
As usual, great and simple post that really says more than people realize
Thanks for your honesty!
Maria Reyes-McDavis
30th June, 2008 at 2:35 am
[...] Is Your Link Building Strategy a Time Waster? [...]
30th June, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Great post. We get all caught up with the new so called ways to get links. While we forget the old tested and proven ways to do it.
My top two are article marketing and good quality content that engages readers to pass it on.
Thank you, excellent post.
2nd July, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Yeah, you have pointed out some valuable information particularly about the elimination of shortcuts!!!
2nd July, 2008 at 6:16 pm
While there’re free tools that help you find followed blogs, generally far too many people waste precious time looking for those secret shortcuts that don’t exist.
One might as well, just get down to it, do something legitimate and effective and just “stay the course” until the results begin to roll in.
Sami
3rd July, 2008 at 11:38 am
[...] 4. Is Your Link Building Strategy A Time Waster? [...]
15th July, 2008 at 9:43 am
The best advice i’ve had is stop reading and start doing – but it’s always tempting to keep reading about different people’s techniques
Which is how i found your site
Sarah
4th August, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I’m just starting into this business and yes your right I’m getting bombarded with claims of instant backlinks and others.
Just good “old fashion” work is needed to create quality backlinks.
Nice blog and wonderful post!
Thanks,
Jim
11th December, 2008 at 2:31 am
See, this kind of no-nonsense advice is exactly why my partner subscribes to your blog & why I’m always reading those emails! Refreshing to hear marketing advice like this, in the midst of all the get-rich-quick hype.
20th January, 2009 at 11:15 pm
hey Josh,
I found this post via your “related post” feature. Clicked through because of the title. Anyway…
What do you mean that I need to work hard, and that there is no secret “golden nugget” link out there?… I thought that if I just keep looking, I’ll find it!
Seriously though, the secret to promoting a blog or website is hard work. But it seems you know that.
~ Steve, purveyor of fine portable trade show booths
25th January, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Work with a goal is the important part. Just like the best football coaches of all time. Focus on the basics. Nothing gets done if the linebacker doesn’t get blocked.
Molly
1st March, 2010 at 10:52 am
You said it. I have always said that “incremental progress over time is a force multiplier”…my version of a popular Colin Powell quote. Chasing one’s tail after the “secret stuff” when they could have been doing the right stuff all along over a period of time incrementally, will make them regret this approach later.