Eight tips to create a successful link campaign

By now everyone knows that links are a very important factor in getting traffic and high rankings in the search engines. Link are essentially a key part of the search engine optimization process. Without links you will never achieve a front page listing in Google. But, on the contrary this does not mean that with a million links you will receive top ten listings no matter what. Below I have listed the 8 steps to take to create a successful link campaign, to help you gain better rankings.

Step 1 - Create a marketing plan.

Write down a goal, such as, to have 300 links coming to my website. Then write down how you are going to achieve it. For example you might say, I am going to find 100 directories to link to me, request 100 link exchanges, post on forums and write 5 articles.

Step 2 - Read everything you can about search engine optimization and link building campaigns.

Every article and every book! The internet is a great source of free information. Read everything you can about link building, this is a great way to build your overall search engine optimization knowledge.

Step 3 - Brainstorm of all the places you could place your link that has to do with your target market.

Post on forums, place paid ads, submit your website for review. There are many different places to submit your link to.

Step 4 - Submit to the ODP or DMOZ

and as many other relevant directories as you can find. The value of a link from a directory is higher than you might imagine. Don't forget about local directories! Now if you have a brick and mortar storefront you should definitely sign up for Google's local directory.

Step 5 - Create a link page on your website.

Make sure to fill it with text, not just links. You should only exchange links with relevant websites. You should also make a point to regularly check that your link is still on your link partners website. Make sure the links on your website are HTML, no javascript or links from Flash websites, as these are harder for search engines to follow.

Step 6 - Make sure to include your keywords in the link text that links to your website. Also, keep changing the link text but, only slightly. This prevents the search engines from thinking that your link is automatically generated.

Step 7 - See who your competitors are linking to.

Then place your links on those websites. If they have exchanged links with your competition, send an email and kindly ask if they would exchange links with you too. Make sure to outline the benefits of exchanging links with you and include the code you would like them to use on their website.

Step 8 - Now revisit your marketing plan.

Since you first wrote your marketing plan I am sure that you have had many more ideas on how to get links. Make sure to constantly update your marketing plan and set time aside each week to work on it.

As long as you have completed all 8 steps, I guarantee your search engine rankings will improve. It might not get you top ten in Google, but I can guarantee it will improve.

Alicia Harper

Vancouver Website Design Firm