6 Ways to Use Links to Get More and Better Website Traffic

6 Best Sources of Incoming Links

What is the single best way to increase website traffic? By increasing the number of other sites that link to your site.

Incoming links are important for two reasons. First, because if the link is from a site that attracts your potential customers, it can bring you quality, qualified prospects. A recent study found that, on average, 40% of website traffic comes from bookmarks and links from other sites. And, second, because Google uses the number of incoming links and the relevancy and authority of the sites that link to your website to rank your site. The more and “better” links you have coming into your site, the higher you are likely to rank for specific search phrases related to your site.

What are the best sources for incoming links? Here are the six I use:
1. Directories. If you can afford $299/year, you can buy a directory listing at Yahoo. That will give you one link that Google considers “authoritative.” You should also submit your site to DMOZ.org, which is free. Beyond that, submit your site for inclusion to trade and business directory sites and directories that are specific to your city or state (if that represents the extent of your market).

2. Press Releases and Articles. There are a number of sites online that can be used to distribute press releases and articles. Some of them are even free. Make sure that your press release or article includes a link to your site. If possible, link to an internal page that includes more information relating to the article topic.

3. Social Bookmarking. The first step is to create some content for your site that your visitors might consider valuable and/or interesting, of course. After that, bookmark it yourself on sites like Digg, Reddit.com, Delicious.com and others, and add a “Share” button to the web page to encourage others to bookmark it, as well. Each of these bookmarks creates an incoming link to your site.

4. Blog Comments. Use Google Blog Search to find blogs that attract your target market. Then, make comments on the blog postings, identifying yourself and providing a link back to your website.

5. Social Media. Get your own blog, Facebook profile, Twitter account, etc. Google is now indexing all of these, so they do expand your Web real estate. Make sure you include lots of links back to your site on any of these properties. You can also syndicate your blog through RSS. In the case of some syndication services, each time you publish a new post, you will get another link.

6. Video and Image Postings. Post your videos on YouTube or Photobucket (which also hosts photos), or your photos on sites like Flickr or Picasa. And, include a link to your site when you do that.
Building links to your site is one of the most valuable things you can do make your site successful. It isn’t difficult, but it can be time-consuming. If you want help, give me a call or email me for assistance.