Building Quality Inbound Links

One of the most important factors in determining a site's PageRank, as well as overall ranking within Google's index, is the quality of incoming links. Today, we look at some tips from insiders across the web on how to go about building a quality incoming link structure.

Bert Decker's Top Ten (Best and) Worst Communicators of 2006 to refresh your memory on some good examples. Ah, the art of the sound byte; it's finally crossed over into the online realm. Boldness of speech, misplaced or not, goes a long way in getting people to link to your content. Make outlandish claims (at least try to back them up, though), call out companies and individuals if you don't like what they're doing, and don't be afraid to rock the boat. Or, as my colleague Make people laugh. Everyone loves a good laugh. Think about the vast majority of e-mails and links that your family and friends have forwarded to you recently. The likelihood is that they were something that made you laugh or at least smile. A good example would include the Evolution of Dance or the old Numa Numa video (still a classic in my mind). This goes hand in hand with the previous point. If you're going to have the guts to make controversial statements, you have to be willing to not take yourself so seriously. Before the website's recent "change in direction", Web Design Library gives this warning to site administrators: Avoid Link Farms and Exchanges. Link farms are designed to allow people to submit Web site links so that they can increase the number of links leading to their Web sites. The problem with link farms is that they usually accept links from anyone, which means that the quality of the links on these sites is very low. Links to computer repair shops may be published next to links leading to clothing retailers. Another problem with link farms is that you cannot control the links displayed. If there are adult sites or other questionable material linked to from the link farm or exchange, you run the risk of having prospects associate you with that type of Web site. Knowing how to keep your links high in quality and relevance can help you achieve the best results from your link-building efforts. Again, don't take the quick fix. In the long run, your site's reputation, as well as it's ranking within the index, will suffer more than prosper from questionable link building tactics. Content issues are key, but are there other methods when it comes to bringing in links? Brian Hawkins of Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl Joe is a staff writer for latest ebusiness news.