I recently came across this great article on Search Engine Land and thought it was a great followup from my last post about the importance of quality links.  If you haven’t read it yet, check it out here!

In that post I focused on why we should focus on the quality of links over quantity.  I want to briefly highlight a few of the ideas in the article on SEJ to show how we can accomplish this.

In her article on SEJ, Kristi Hines focuses on seven ways to help link builders focus on quality links over quantity.  She talks about the importance of analyzing your competitor’s links, and identifying link opportunities from their list.  This is nothing new, but she mentions a few guidelines that I want to highlight:
  • Check potential link opportunities for Google penalties.  Even if the site is linking to your competitor, it doesn’t mean you want them linking to you.  Check to see if their traffic has suffered due to a Google update, and if it and hasn’t recovered, steer clear.  You can use this awesome tool to help you determine if the site is worth your time and effort.
  • Perform an in-depth analysis of potential opportunities.  Make sure you look at each link and find out where the link is located, where it’s pointing, and how recent it is.  This will help you determine if this is an opportunity you want to pursue.
  • Reach out to potential opportunities individually.  The best way to NOT get a response from a potential link builder is to send a generic email.  Take the time to send a personalized email, specifying what type of link you would like from the site.  The extra time will be worth it in the long run.

Since your time and resources are limited, make sure you follow these principles that will help you determine which link opportunities to pursue.