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Buidling Website backlinks
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25-01-2012 11:40am#1Ok so my husband has set up a website, and we know it has the ability to do well, but we cant afford to keep paying for google adwords, we need to come up naturally on the google search engine. So he's researching backlinks, which aparently google recognise more if you have good quality backlinks. So here's my question, what are quality backlinks and how do you go about getting them? We are both newbies to the website area, my hubbie just had a great idea for a website, but no web background, so we really need an idiots guide. He is constantly working on the blog to try and increase traffic to the site, which has helped a little bit, but we are by no means coming up top of search page. We know not to go near companies who you pay to do it for you, we were warned that google recognise this and do you no favours for it. ANy advise (without the jargon as i just wouldn't understand it) would be greatly appreciated.
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Ok so my husband has set up a website, and we know it has the ability to do well, but we cant afford to keep paying for google adwords, we need to come up naturally on the google search engine. So he's researching backlinks, which aparently google recognise more if you have good quality backlinks. So here's my question, what are quality backlinks and how do you go about getting them? We are both newbies to the website area, my hubbie just had a great idea for a website, but no web background, so we really need an idiots guide. He is constantly working on the blog to try and increase traffic to the site, which has helped a little bit, but we are by no means coming up top of search page.
Hi there,
What I would say to you is - diversify your efforts. Firstly, Google AdWords can be expensive, but there is the question to ask there - are you doing it right? Have you been tracking your ROI from AdWords? If not, you may have been spending money without seeing the return you could have had (or could still have). It does depend on your industry too, and how competitive it is.
Secondly, on the topic of backlinks, this is another 'it depends' area, as it depends on how competitive your sector is and how much competition you have on Google for the key terms customers would use to find you. There are a number of different ways to get links to your site. Here are some tips:
-Develop relationships with other website owners/business owners, and other people. If they find your product/service interesting, they will naturally link to you, mention you online, and share your content.
-Participate in forums and discussion boards. Boards.ie is just one, and it allows you to add a signature to your profile, which will automatically get you some extra traffic.
-Comment on blogs, guest-post on other blogs, and be seen as an 'authority' in your niche/industry. This, again, will help increase your visibility online and enhance your rankings as people are attracted to what you are saying/doing, and share with others what you are offering/saying.
-Create useful content. As I said above - diversify your efforts. Could you create videos/podcasts/manuals/ebooks/white papers relating to your service? Giving useful content away for free is often a great move. People love free stuff, and will likely share it with others or alert them to its existence - again more exposure for you online.
-Optimise your website. It goes without saying that you should have all the best pratices nailed down in regards to on-page optimisation (optimal title tags, meta-descriptions, etc). A lot - or most - websites you come across won't have this sorted however!
Hopefully that helps get you thinking. Remember it is an ongoing process and it will take time to see results.We know not to go near companies who you pay to do it for you, we were warned that google recognise this and do you no favours for it. ANy advise (without the jargon as i just wouldn't understand it) would be greatly appreciated.
Not completely accurate and there may be some misconceptions at play here. Paid link-building is something that is best avoided by and large - natural methods are king in Google's eyes. However, this is not the same as paying an SEO company or consultant to work on your SEO - which may include working on your backlink profile - and which is obviously perfectly acceptable.
Just to clear that up
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Hi Yvob - I setup one of the first seo/internet marketing companies in Ireland. I've been selling online exclusively since 2001 and I setup my first website in 1996. I've worked for many of the biggest companies in Ireland (Indigenous and foreign). I work in SEO, PPC and all forms of Internet marketing. I'm not touting for business, just trying to help!
The good news is that there are many online business owners who are people just like you. I'll answer the points in your post but if you look at the end I'll point you in some helpful areas.Ok so my husband has set up a website, and we know it has the ability to do well,
Well, the reason you think it could do well is always the starting point that you need to come back to. This is a tough question. "Know it has the ability" and "Want it to do well" are often seen as the same thing. You can only know something if it's been done before. Otherwise its a punt and its really important to separate the two.
Lets say you said that you know that if you drop a glass bowl from 4 foot onto a tough floor it would break, you'd know that you wouldn't have to get involved to ensure it happens. You don't know that the site will do well but you will have to get involved. I'm not being pedantic, I'm trying to head off a fundamental issue that I've seen 100 times.
AdWords show at the exact same time as organic results, to the exact same people. If you want to pretend that your clients don't click on AdWords, then you're not fooling me or Google, you're kidding yourself. If your site isn't selling in AdWords, why would it sell at number one in organics? I've never seen a site sell in organics and not sell in AdWords but I've seen plenty that sell in neither. If you click on an AdWords site - you're guaranteed that they are alive and trading. The problem is, that you haven't worked out many parts of your sales process. Products have a sales cost. Insurance premiums, bin collection services, mobile phone contracts, all have enormous commissions because it costs money to make a sale. Retail outlets pay a fortune to be in shopping centres, Grafton street, places where there is traffic. There is no such thing as free business - it all costs somewhere.but we cant afford to keep paying for google adwords,
Either one or some of the following:- Too broad a search pattern
- Too narrow a search pattern
- Wrong keywords
- Website is not converting: trust, usability, speed, UX
- shipping costs, pricing or other issues
- low/no demand at price given
Our best projects are clients who want to double their AdWords spend. Lets say your product sold for €20 and each sale cost only €2. Wouldn't you go to the bank and get a loan for €2million and turn it into €20 million? Whats wrong with paying for marketing?
Here is something worth learning: the cream doesn't rise to the top on its own. the iphone didn't do well just because it's a great phone: it was expertly marketed. They had a complex business model. Did you know that initial operators paid for the phone AND paid a % of the bill cost AND apple take between 30% and 70% of sales of songs, books and apps? No wonder they have more money than the federal reserve. It's capitalism, not communism. There isn't a central committee that decides on the best product and we all line up. The Sony Betamax was technically better than it's counterparts but it died. MS-DOS was nowhere near as good as Unix but look at Microsoft.
no you don't. You need to come up everywhere.we need to come up naturally on the google search engine.So he's researching backlinks, which aparently google recognise more if you have good quality backlinks. So here's my question, what are quality backlinks and how do you go about getting them?
A backlink is (normally) a result of a relationship or referral between too sites. Natural backlinks are ones that occur naturally (i.e. aren't fostered). Quality links is a (attempt at) way of measuring the influence of those links. So a link from a very popular site is important as it means more people will follow through with that. Examples would include your local newspaper, a directory, suppliers, business partnersWe are both newbies to the website area, my hubbie just had a great idea for a website, but no web background, so we really need an idiots guide.
Googe have a great SEO guide which you should read. The web is the ultimate empowerer of everyday people.
I created a slideshare last year to help:
http://www.slideshare.net/PrimaryPosition/how-to-create-an-internet-marketing-strategy-8484571He is constantly working on the blog to try and increase traffic to the site, which has helped a little bit, but we are by no means coming up top of search page.
Working on the blog. There's a big difference between long work and hard work. Moving a pile of bricks from one side of a garden to another is definitely hard work but it doesn't necessarily add value or make it profitable. What is the point of a blog: If the answer is to get free traffic then you're in trouble. Its not about working hard, its about engaging. How many other blogs do you read? Do you comment? do you get comments? are you discussing, debating or being insightful. If its just words on a page...Why would people read it?
(I'm not saying it isn't a brilliant blog, I'm just going on what you're giving me)We know not to go near companies who you pay to do it for you, we were warned that google recognise this and do you no favours for it. ANy advise (without the jargon as i just wouldn't understand it) would be greatly appreciated.
Google engages with SEO companies all the time. But it is a quagmire. Unfortunately, I'm sad to report, that with the growth of the web, the growth of bad SEO (Blackhat) practices have been enormous. I can remember when there were less than 100k pages for SEO. Now there are 1000's of millions. SEO Ireland alone = 64 million. Too many are have-a-go-heroes.
Research, research, research. Try the IrishWebmasterforum.com too. There are great communities of online business owners just like you. Twitter is really good and so is LinkedIn. Google is really good, so are forums. But take some things with a pinch of salt. Just because it's on the web doesn't make it true.
There are lots of business networks and communities - Plato, Open Coffee, Barcamps, Chambers, BNI, Enterprise boards etc - join them and get involved and be patient.
Best of luck and I hope you re-post!0 -
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