One part of a strong SEO optimization plan is having a good link building strategy. If you’re going to rank well on a search engine, you need other people to link to your content.There are dozens of ways to get other people to give you inbound links. You can purchase links, you can write link worthy content, and you can flat out ask people to link to you.

Am I suggesting hacking? Absolutely not. Obviously. But there are ethical ways to put your own inbound links all over the Internet.

The easiest way to get inbound links from another site is to be a guest blogger on blogs within your industry. Almost all blogs will allow guest bloggers to include a short bio with at least one link back to the content of your choice. Remember, these are inbound links, so be selective about what anchor text you choose to put your link with. Don’t make the mistake of hyperlinking your first and last name if that’s not one of your keywords, and never, EVER link “here” as in “can be found here” – unless your goal is to show up in a Google search for “here”.

How can you get someone to let you guest blog on their site?

Ask. Or rather, offer. Start with sites you already read that you’ve seen publish posts from guest bloggers in the past. Think about what information you have to share that would be valuable to their readers, and put together a quick proposal. Tell the blog owner what your idea for content is, how many words you plan to be able to deliver, and what you hope to get out of it (in most cases, a short bio with link).

This strategy works best if you’ve participated on the blog in the past by commenting. Also, it’s helpful if you can give the blog owner a sample of your writing so they have an idea of what quality of writing you’re asking them to expose their readers to.

Another place to find possible blogs to guest post on is within your own comment section if you have your own blog. After all, these are people who have already shown an interest in your content.

Don’t overlook smaller blogs, especially when you’re starting out. Of course we’d all like to have our inbound links featured on top blogs and web sites, but you can create SEO momentum by building links on “smaller” blog as well, and it might be an easier way to get your foot in the door.

Britt Reints is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch, a full service content marketing agency serving hundreds of clients and thousands of writers since 2000.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 10:00 am and is filed under SEO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.