One of our clients recently asked an important question: How can members of my organization build links to our website on a personal level? The answer is simple: Start small by building on already established relationships. In order to answer her question in more depth, we wrote a short guide on basic link building tactics that every member of your organization can read and put into practice.

Let's start with the fundamentals...

What is link building? The type of link building we will be discussing is the acquisition of backlinks, or InBound links, through manual submission and/or request. Link building is an important part of Blue Archer Internet marketing campaigns.

What are backlinks? Backlinks, or InBound links, are links that point to your website. Each link pointing to your website is like a vote. The more backlinks--or votes--the more likely it your website will rank in search results.

Why is link building important? Link building not only increases the number of links pointing to your site, but also builds your website's credibility and importance.

Any member of an organization can participate in a link building campaign. The first step is to brainstorm a list of potential link partners. The following questions may help the members of your organization to populate a list:

1. Do you have friends or relatives who own businesses?

2. Do you belong to any professional networking groups?

3. Do you have a relationship with any local or regional businesses?

4. Are there any websites that you visit frequently as a contributor?

5. Are there any hobbies or activities that you excel in or are known for?

6. Do you participate in any community projects?

7. Are you a member of social networking sites, such as LinkedIn?

You may notice that many of these questions seek to point out established relationships. Link building on the personal level is based on building relationships, not necessarily links. First, contact those with whom you have already established professional or personal relationships. Then, reach out to those with whom you would like to build professional relationships. The last step in the process is to ask for a link.

If you are a client and would like to read more about link building or take a look at a link request template, please contact me.

Elizabeth Williamson
Marketing Specialist

Pittsburgh Web Design