Here we go….
We are at part 10 of the link building series and things are still in full swing. All of the strategies so far learned (1-9) are awesome to build safe authority links today and going forward. These are all safe, even after the recent Google Panda and Penguin updates. The main thing you have to understand is that using black hat techniques will eventually get you banned and the likelihood of your website appearing back in the SERP’s is slim. These strategies have all been tested and work well. Let’s jump into Part 10…
With this link building strategy, you’re using the power of high authority link directories. These directories work well for several reasons…
First, they’ve been around for a very long time, building credibility, often with high domain and page authority. They are highly targeted with each section having loads of relevant content and links. Next, they are quick and easy, often requiring name, URL, and a short description. Finally, they are highly moderated by the owners, with them manually approving each link after visiting the URL submitted. The point is…
Google loves them because they are exactly what they’re looking for in high quality, high authority relevant websites.
Let’s look at the process…
What Are Link Directories?
Link directories are different than “article directories†because the listings are more to the point. Link directories can be considered straight forward business directories like 411.ca and Yellowpages.com. You simply add the name, URL, and short description…that all! Unlike article directories that require 600-700 words of content, link directories have eliminated the need for content. You can submit your website link to these directories two ways…
First, pay a small fee of $5.00 and have your website added within 24 hours. Some even offer other features with a paid listing like deep-linking, more categories, etc. Secondly, you have the option of a FREE listing that takes 4-6 weeks for approval and you’ll have to add a reciprocal link back to the directory from your website. In other words, you’ll have to link back to the directory from your website.
Personally, to avoid having unrelated links on your website, I would suggest paying the fee and getting listed immediately.
However, when searching for the right “Link Directoryâ€, you should be looking for the following…
Finding the Right Directory
Alright! Here is where everything matters and I’m going to show you a way to find the right “Link Directory†that will provide you the highest ROI. Here are the fundamental things to look for…
Relevancy –
The good news is that link directories, because they are “business directoriesâ€, will have every niche under one domain. They will be split into different categories and you’ll simply skim to the category that represents your website/blog. There are more important factors to look for, which we’ll be discussing below. However,
Make sure the link directory is NOT targeted to a specific region. For example, if I’m a lawyer in Toronto, Canada, then I should target either a local directory or global. No point in linking within a directory where most websites listed are based in India, etc.
Do-Follow –
The most important factor is making sure the link-back is going to be do-follow. Many of the directories offer no-follow and still charge you money. The funny thing is, I was left finding out if there no-follow on my own. However, there is a clever way to find out if the links will be indexed. Install this simple extension in your browser: SEOQuake (available for all browsers). Here what this extension will do…
When enabled, it will put a line through the links that are no-follow on the page. The key is to have the SEOQuake enabled when skimming through the link directory, looking to see if any of the links have a line through them. If they do, you know it’s a no-follow directory, so should go searching for another link directory. Here’s a quick example…
Domain/Page Authority –
This is where you have to put effort because these “two†numbers are the difference between a valuable link and a low quality link. When you have narrowed down a link directory, and know EXACTLY what category your website belongs in, it’s time to do some research to find out the value of the page. Let’s get started…
Grab the URL of the page. At this point, you should be at Link Directory>Category.
Head over to OpenSiteExplorer.org and input the URL. You are looking for the two numbers under: Domain and Page Authority. The higher the numbers, the better and I recommend above 20+ for both. Why? Your link will be placed on this page and the higher the numbers, the more link value is going to be passed to the linking page.
Here’s what you should avoid…
Avoid a directory in the beginning that’s charging $99.99 to get listed. In my experience, you can easily find one with the same PR, DA, and PA for $9.99. I’ve found way better ones and they’ve proven to be highly effective. Next, submit websites of value because these directories are highly moderated and you’ll be rejected for submitting a low quality website. Finally, spread out the link building, even when using link directories, because you don’t want too many coming up at once. You want to make things look natural so Google knows you have an authentic website.
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