TRADITIONAL LINK-BUILDING & Blog

OVERVIEW
There are a variety of specific tactics one can use to create links to their blogs. Many of those strategies are outlined in this ebook. However, despite the power of articles, sigging and other strategies, one must still consider some of the traditional means by which they can acquire links.

Links are half of the traffic battle. By taking advantage of some tried and true link building strategies, you can really help your cause.

LINK TRADES
This is one of the original free link-building techniques. You find a site that compliments your own in terms of content and you then send the webmaster or blogger an email inquiring about trading links.
The upside is that it is completely free and can create an opportunity for cooperative and interesting interaction with someone who shares your interest.
The downside is that the success rate is pretty low. Some people will even recommend avoiding this tactic altogether, because you are likely to be ignored more often than a trade occurs.
Trades can be tough because no one likes the idea of linking to a potential competition. Additionally, if you are operating a fledgling blog, you probably have far less to offer your trading partner than they have to offer you. There are also legitimate concerns about honesty in link trading. Many people have been known to agree to link trades only to never put up the reciprocal link or to keep it there only until you have verified its presence.

In some circumstances, however, a link trade can be a good decision. If you find a site that seems like a natural companion to your blog, it is worth floating an offer.

FREE LINKS
There are many sites that will accept and list links without any obligation or only with the requirement of a link back to them. These sites can be a great way to building your backlink totals. Note that this strategy is not particularly different than the link exchanges noted above. However, these processes tend to be automated and are generally more reliable. Nonetheless, one must be aware of the possibility of getting a raw deal.
Screen these options carefully, however. There is little value in a link from a disjointed “free for all” site. Additionally, your blog could be penalized if you reciprocate with a link to a bad neighborhood. Instead, stick to sites that are related to your own and that are of a high enough quality that you won’t feel guilty sending your blog’s visitors there.
You can find sites that offer this opportunity by doing a Google search involving your keyword(s) and phrases such as “add a link,” “add your link,” or “add URL.”
Clearly, you want to amass as many links as possible. However, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you are compelled to offer thousands of backlinks from your blog. First, the design of most blogs is ill-suited for this.
Second, there are concerns about the number of outbound links on your site and how a search engine might perceive them. Finally, there are those will argue that if you have too many outbound leaks, your site could become too “leaky,” leading to visitors wandering from your blog to someone else‘s site.

BONUS TIPS
1. Track your trades! Make sure the other side is holding up their end of the bargain. Check your backlinks occasionally and make sure those who are supposed to be offering links to your site are doing so.
2. Ask for anchor text! A link to http://www.widgetz.com is fine, but it is not quite as good (in the eyes of the search engines) as a text string stating All of the Best Widgets that serves as a hyperlink to your site. This is called anchor text and it can produce better results than a traditional URL link.