Backlinks Simplified

——————————————————————
The Backlink Building Secret Of The Pros
——————————————————————

If you've been involved in any form of SEO work for more than a day you know that link
building can be confusing, difficult, and time consuming.

Pay a visit to any SEO forum and you'll find post after post from confused link building “noobs”
wondering about how to create backlinks. In their posts you'll read of their frustration, claiming
that they've “tried everything” … free directories, profile links, article submissions, blog
comments, etc. But nothing works.

Despite all their effort, their sites aren't ranking and they can't leapfrog past their competitors,
so they're hoping someone will be kind enough to share their “secrets” and fill them in on the
missing piece.

Trouble is … those secrets don't exist.

Admittedly there is always some “loop hole”, temporary fix, or “black hat” tactic that works for a
while. Blog comments worked for a while. Forum profiles worked for a while. But the fact of the
matter is this … there are no magic shortcuts, no insider secrets, no hidden hacks, no push
button solutions.

If your idea of SEO or link building in particular involves finding these “shortcuts” by firing out
spun articles to spam blogs or blasting out pointless spammy blog comments in the vain hope
of trying to “trick” Google then you've got two choices:

A) Change your tactics to a more “white hat” approach.

B) Watch as Google eventually comes in, releases
another animal, and destroys your website and your
online business.

This guide is about choice A.

Building amazing backlinks takes work, tenacity, and time.
Simple as that. That's the last thing a lot of people want to

hear though. Thankfully, you're different. You're not afraid of rolling up your sleeves and doing
the work that will build your business for the long haul, are you? If not, then I'll share
everything I know and help you understand the lasting power of Backlinks Simplified.

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How To Build A Ton Of Backlinks
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While building quality backlinks takes time, consistency, and hard work, there are dozens
(hundreds?) of different ways you can build links to your content. Brace yourself, this is a long
list...

1. Submit a guest post to other blogs.
2. Meaningfully comment on niche relevant blogs (in particular, “do-follow” blogs).
3. Start relevant threads in forums and link back to your blog posts.
4. Link to your blog in your forum signature and contribute with quality content.
5. Social bookmarking through

StumbleUpon

Digg.com

, and others.

6. Provide testimonials for other marketers and provide your link when doing so.

Create a quality

Squidoo

lens.

8. Create a quality

HubPage

9. Participate in discussion boards such as

Quora.com

10. Make use of quality blog communities like

BlogEngage.com

and others.

11. Ask and answer questions on answer sites like

Yahoo Answers

with a link to your blog.

12. Interlink your own blog posts.
13. Exchange links with other bloggers in your niche.
14. Submit to quality blogging directories like

BestOfTheWeb.org

15. Submit your blog to top website directories like

SoMuch

Dmoz

16. Find niche specific directories and submit to them as well.
17. Ask your friends with websites or blogs to link to you.

18.

Engage with social networking sites like

Facebook

and

Twitter

19.

Submit RSS feed to aggregators and directories like

RSS Network

Plazoo.com

20.

Make use of quality press releases and submit to sites like

NewsVine.com

21.

Convert blog posts to PDF and submit to document sharing sites like

DocStoc.com

22. Interview leaders in your niche and give them permission to share the interview.
23. Ask other bloggers to interview you.

24.

Submit your blog to blog communities like

BlogCarnival.com

25. Trade articles with other bloggers in your niche (similar to guest posting).
26. Make use of

Google Groups

and

Yahoo Groups

27.

Create a

Wikipedia

page for yourself and your company and include resource links.

28. Submit your blog to .edu and .gov forums and blogs, especially their resources page.

29.

Submit your blog to

Technorati.com

30. Run (and even join) a blog contest to attract more links.
31. Donate to charity sites, and many will link back to you.
32. Create GREAT content such as in-depth tutorials or free training guides.
33. Create SHARABLE content such as “101” posts, “7 ways to...”, hot trending topics, etc.

34. Create LINK BAIT content such as about celebrities or about something controversial.
35. Submit your image to image directories and include a link to your blog.
36. Make your blog posts easy to share, and reward people for doing so.
37. Submit your site to any local business directories.

38.

Create quality content on

About.com

and link to your blog from it.

39.

Create

YouTube

videos and submit to video sharing sites like

Viddler.com

40.

Submit quality articles to article directories such as

EzineArticles.com

41.

Create quality content on

Blogger.com

and link back to your site.

42. Offer lots of free downloads on your blog.
43. Update your blog regularly and this will help you gain traction and popularity.
44. Create a podcast and submit it to

iTunes

with a link to your blog from it.

45.

Join the

Better Business Bureau

46.

Make use of online classifieds like

Craiglist

47. Create a Firefox extension.
48. Buy older, established sites with already existing links.
49. Check competitors backlinks and try to replicate.
50. Create a simple software (or convert an eBook to .exe) and submit to software sites.
51. Create Memes.

52.

Create

eHow

articles.

53.

Create an infographic and submit it to sites like

Visual.ly

54. Find broken links and contact the site owner about replacing the dead link with yours.

55.

Take advantage of

Scoop It

and get your content aggregated.

56.

Submit your blog to website feedback sites like

Concept Feedback

57.

HARO

and submit content for backlinks.

58.

Create a small piece of audio and submit it to audio sharing sites likes

Reverb Nation

59. Paid banner ads.

60.

Create good content about your site or niche and post it to Wiki sites like

Wikia

61.

Make a “sponsored” donation on sites such as

Clear Sky Chart

and others.

62.

Submit to

Google Places

63. …

And the list really could go on. While this is a long list no doubt, I wouldn't call it “totally
comprehensive” simply because there are new ways of acquiring links all the time, and I'm
sure you could maybe think of a couple I missed. At the same time though, some methods
stop working, meaning this list will constantly grow and change.

Each method above is, on one hand, pretty simple to implement, but on the other, each step-
by-step process could make a small report all of its own. Naturally if you have any questions
that aren't addressed here, please don't hesitate to ask. Before you go out and begin building
these links though, it's important I go back to something I said earlier.

I'll let you fill in the blanks.

_________ trumps quantity.

So while above you do have several dozen methods you can implement today for great
backlinks, always remember that what's most important is HOW you use (so as to not abuse)
the methods. We are more concerned with 10 quality links than 10,000 poor ones.

So the question then is, what does a quality link look like?

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First, How Much Is Your Link Worth?
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There are a lot of parallels between backlinks and real estate. For instance, not all links are
created equal in much the same way not all houses are created equal. See what I mean?

When it comes to links, the site they come from (their neighborhood), where they are placed
on the site (their location), and the text of the link (the material used in construction) are all just
a few factors that determine the “value” a link has.

Now if you look at the two houses above you'd probably safely guess the one of the right to be
more “valuable”. When it comes to link value though, it's not so easy. Take the Warrior Forum
for instance. I love that place, but you are going to get a TON of CONFLICTING advice. Some
of you even reading this report have certain opinions that I may or may not hold. There's plenty
of room for debate, but what I'm sharing with you here is what has worked (and is working) for
me and my clients.

Additionally... 90% (or more?) of the people “preaching” different SEO strategies have no clue
what they're talking about. It's just something they've heard, but they don't have the experience
themselves. I say that as a warning to (1) be careful who you listen to, but also (2) before you
knock a strategy, try it first so you can know for yourself.

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Building Your “Dream” Link
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My wife loves watching the HGTV show “House Hunters”, though it's really frustrating when
the newly married couple with no money walks in with a “wish list” of a 3 car garage, 5
bedrooms, granite counter tops, and a huge backyard. It's alright to dream, but you have to be
willing to make compromises. As we prepare to start building backlinks, I want to first look at
what a “dream” link looks like. Though it won't be possible to build a link like this every time, at
least it will give a target to strive for.

After all... Quality is always, always, always better than quantity. I feel like I've heard that
somewhere before?

You will be 100x better off building a few “dream” backlinks than you would a thousand poor
ones because these “dream” links will cary SO. MUCH. MORE. “value” and be so much more
effective.

So, let's identify what determines the value, the power, the effectiveness of a link. Let's build
our own “wish list”.

Wish List Item #1: A Link From A High Authority Site.

If you have a medical question who would you be more likely to consult: your next door
neighbor's second cousin who took a health class in college, or your doctor? Simple
answer, right? It's because your doctor has real authority. It's not fake, perceived, or
even weak. Its' real. It's the same with websites. Google views certain sites as having
real authority. Now obviously though your doctor wasn't always a doctor, and had to
build up that authority. Again, it's the same with websites. New sites have no authority,
so you want to ideally find older, more established, more authoritative sites that do.
These sites have authority though not just because they are older, but because they
consistently link to quality content and Google knows this. So if you can get a link on
an authority site, that's a big plus for you.

Wish List Item #2: A Link On A High PR Page.

PR is the “page rank” Google assigns pages on the Internet, and is intended to reflect
how powerful and trustworthy that page is. The PR scale goes from N/A (worthless) to
10 (supreme). There's a ton of debate on whether the PR of a site effects how that site
ranks, and there is no real tangible proof it does; HOWEVER, there is a TON of proof
that the PR of a page DOES effect the power and value of the links you'll find on it.

Let me make an important distinction here though. The PR of the domain itself means
nothing when it comes to the value of your link. The value of your link is derived from
the PR of the PAGE. There is a difference.

For instance, if you write and submit an article to a big article directory with a PR of 7,
it's only the homepage of the actual article directory that has that high PR. The page
on which your articles rests has a PR of N/A. This is not a bad thing necessarily, and
I'm not saying articles aren't effective, I'm just saying it's important to understand your
link is on a PR N/A page and NOT a PR 7. If you go out and buy backlinks, don't let
people scam you with misleading information. Be informed.

The good news though? The PR of the domain is transferred to some extent, so it's not
totally useless. The main idea though is to create that “dream” link, and a “dream” link
has a high page PR. As a general rule: a link on the homepage of a site is typically
where you want to be for the most value.

Wish List Item #3: A Link From A Relevant Niche Site.

Relevant, related sites cary far more value than non. Google is smart enough to link
topics together. For example, if your site is about sewing but you have a ton of links
coming from video game sites, then Google will know something is up. However if your
site it being linked to from a variety of other sewing, knitting, and crocheting sites, then
Google will see you as a superstar and boost your rankings.

Wish List Item #4: A “

Selective”, Non-Spammy, Link.

Google is well aware that some sites give out links like crazy and without much thought
to relevance or helpfulness. Because of this Google pays much less attention to them.
A few examples might be forum links, blog comments, or social media links. It's not
that they are wasted, it's just other sites (like from quality blogs, press releases, or
other authority sites) are much more difficult to get and therefore worth more.

Wish List Item #5:

A Link With Good On-Site Location.

In real estate, it's all about location, location, location. The same is true when building
backlinks. It's fairly easy to slip links into the sidebar or footer of a site, so while these
do carry weight, it is limited. On the other hand, if you can get what's called a
“contextual link” you will be in good shape. An example of a “contextual link” would be

a link like this

which is placed within the context of the content, ideally in the first

sentence or paragraph (though this is usually outside of your control).

Wish List Item #6: A Link Without Much

OBL Competition.

The more links on a page overall, the less “link juice” each individual link will have. So
in theory, a limited number of links is ideal. The good news though is this is only true to
an extent and it's very possible to rank well even with a lot of other OBLs (Out Bound
Links). Just keep in mind that the less links the better.

And The Winner Is...

So in summary, if we wanted to make the “perfect” link it would look something like this...

•

It would be on an authority site, relevant to your niche,

•

The page would have a PR of 5 or more,

•

The link would be contextual, or in the site's actual content,

•

And it would have few competing outgoing links.

This is what we're striving for, but let me make one thing clear: it won't always happen. We're
not striving for perfection across the board. Instead, you want a “baseline” of 10-20 “dream”
links (or as close as you can get), but the rest of your links can be from more diverse and more
easily attainable sources. After all, if “dream” links were so easy to come across, everyone
would have them. Make this your goal for the first 10-20 links you build, but again, feel free to
diversify for those that follow.

A word of warning though: not every link will be a perfect “dream” link, but there are definitely
certain kinds of links and link building practices you should avoid at any and all costs. That will
be the focus of this next section...

——————————————————————
How NOT To Build Your Backlinks...Ever!
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SEO, and link building in particular, is simple in one sense, but difficult in another. I mean, if it
didn't take any thought and could be done haphazardly, then everyone would be ranking for
everything and anything and Google would be chaos. There is definitely a bit of “elegance” to
link building, and one of the easiest ways to learn how to do this is to see what NOT to do.

In fact, you could almost look at like this: Do anything you want, so long as you don't do these
nine horrible, no-good, awful things.

Warning #1:

Don't Build Links Too Fast.

During the first couple of weeks your new site is up, keep link building to a minimum.
Don't register a domain, throw up a site, and blast it with 1,000 backlinks and expect to
rank. How do I know? Well, just trust me.

Warning #2:

Don't Build Links Inconsistently.

This is where you build 1,000 backlinks in one day, instead of 100 links every day.
Here's the rule: consistent link building brings consistent ranking. The two “do not do”
rules above are actually two of the most important. Here is a sample schedule you can
adopt:

Week One: Do nothing but build 10-20 as-close-as-you-can-get “dream” links.
Week Two – Four: Build 10 links a day from a wide array of diverse sources.
Week Four – Forever: Build 20-100 links a day or until you rank well.

All of this can be automated with tools or paid-for services. With all this said though,
here is the MOST IMPORTANT thing I can teach you about the rate of link building:
Whether you build 1,000 a links a day or 10, make sure you do it EVERY DAY. The
worst thing you can do is be inconsistent and have “link spikes”. You want to be as
consistent as possible.

Warning #3:

Don't Limit Yourself To Only One Link Type.

Blog comments alone are not going to do the trick. Social media links alone are not
going to do the trick. Spun article submissions alone are not going to do the trick.
Variety is the spice of life, and trying to stick to only one backlink method or type will
get you no where in a hurry.

underwater kickboxing lessons

Why is this so important? Ultimately because we want it to look natural, like other
people are building our links and it's not us trying to “game” the system. If our site was
growing naturally it would have links coming from all different types of sites and a wide
variety of sources. We want to mimic this as much as possible.

Warning #4:

Don't Forget To Build A Strong Foundation.

We're talking here about those “dream” links. You want your first 10-20 links to be the
best and in every way possible, the closest to your ideal, perfect, dream link.
Forgetting this won't get your site penalized by Google, but it very well may get it
ignored by Google.

Success in Google is a lot like success in a relationship. You need to make a solid first
impression and then prove that you are dating (or in this case, ranking) potential. You
can't just ask the girl to marry you, you have to start slow. I'm all about amassing a
boat load of backlinks, but building a strong foundation is … well … foundational.

Warning #5:

Don't Fail To Mix Up Your“Anchor Text”.

If your site is targeting “underwater kickboxing lessons” and ALL of your links look like
this

then you will fall victim to the recent Google

updates of Penguin.

You want to mix up that “anchor text” to not only include your “main” keyword phrase,
but both related keywords (like “

learning to kickbox

”), random keywords (like “

click

here

”) and even simply your URL address itself (like “

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=l2FPJcj-Wfg

”

Here's a good breakdown to keep your site “Penguin Safe”:

•

20% Main keyword (underwater kickboxing)

•

30% Main keyword variations (learn kickboxing, best kickboxing training, etc.)

•

20% Random text (click here, more info, etc.)

•

20% URLs (your actual domain or page URL)

•

10% Related keywords (best fighting styles, MMA skills, etc.)

Don't worry too much about the percentages. This is just a sample breakdown.
Personally, I focus my “dream” links on my “main” keyword phrase, and for all other
links I just mix it up.

Warning #6:

Don't Have Too Many Low Quality Links.

What I mean here is links without any PR, and from irrelevant and unrelated sources. If
all you have are these types of links, then you shouldn't expect much results. I said it
earlier, but it's so true: when it comes to link building, think quality over quantity.

Also, avoid “dirty” links, which are links from sites with adult or “mature” content. Be
careful when you buy links that your site is not being blasted on these sites as it will
get you penalized in the Google search engine.

Warning #7:

Don't Have All Links From One IP.

If you're not technically inclined, don't let this intimidate you. The main idea is when
you buy backlinks or build them in bulk (especially if you're using software) you want to
ensure you're using different “proxies” to mix up your IP address. This basically covers
your tracks and stops Google from banning or penalizing you.

Warning #8:

Don't Settle For Poorly Spun Content.

There's a big debate in the SEO world about “duplicate content”, which creates a lot of
misconceptions. Take a news article for instance. It gets published and re-published all
over the Internet thousands of times over, and its links are not penalized. However, if
you're going to resubmit an article you own over and over, it is important to “spin” that
content by at least 80% so as to make it somewhat unique.

Quality over... I think you get the point, right?

Warning #9:

Don't Post On Penalized Sites.

This is something you have to be careful of when buying backlinks as some “link
networks” are for one reason or another “banned” or otherwise “penalized” by Google.
It's impossible to list all penalized sites or networks here (and it changes too often
anyway), but just know when you buy links you ought to do a little homework on where
they are being posted.

These tips are so important because you don't want your site to be “slapped” or penalized in
any way. There are about 101 things that can get you in trouble with Google, but if you pay
attention to the big-idea tips and warnings above, you should be in good shape.

Let me wrap this section up by saying this: Don't over-think it. Strive for the best links possible,
and most importantly, just make it look “natural”. Follow the advice above, especially about
how, when, and how fast you build your links, and you will be just fine. Yes, Google has
impossible-to-crack algorithms. Yes, there have been some major updates in recent months
and years. And yes, there are more updates to come. But if you keep it natural and focus more
on quality than quantity you will do quite well.

——————————————————————
Different Link Building “Buildings”
——————————————————————

Let's make another “backlinks are a lot like real estate” parallel, shall we? Here we go...
Backlink strategies are a lot like houses, each with a different design, floor plan, and purpose.

It's important to understand these different backlink “structures” so that (1) you can effectively
build your own, and maybe even more importantly, you can (2) know what you're getting and
why you're getting it when you purchase different backlink building services. Now, when the
“gurus” throw words around like “link pyramids”, “buffer sites”, and “links wheels” you'll know
exactly what that's all about.

First, let's talk about something called “Link Juice”. Check out the diagram below...

This is foundational to all the different types of backlink structures; everything from pyramids to
wheels to backwards, triangle spinning squares with inner and outer circle lines.

OK, that last thing doesn't exist.

The idea though is when site #1 links to site #2, site #1's “link
juice” funnels down and benefits site #2. For example, 1,000
links go to Website A, then Website A links to one of my
domains. When this happens, a certain portion of “power” or
“juice” from those 1,000 links to Website A will transfer down to
my site. Not completely, no, but it certainly helps a great deal.

The Buffer Site

This brings us to what is called a “buffer site”, and
it looks something like what you see to the right.

One common question people ask is “Why don't
you want to send all of your links to your main
site?” The reason is simple. It doesn't work and
Google doesn't like it. It doesn't make sense for a
brand new site to get thousands of backlinks
overnight. This almost always triggers a Google
“slap”.

Remember our last graph, the one about “link juice”? Well, this is the practical application of
that principle.

While it usually doesn't make sense for a brand new site to get thousands of links overnight,
we still benefit from the thousands of link passed through the “juice” of a “buffer” site, and do
so without any of the risk.

You see, that's the real issue here. You can point all of your links to your main site, but there is
always the risk of getting penalized. This way you can protect yourself by creating a “buffer”.

Now there are several different ways this is applied, the first of which is the “pyramid”.

The Link Pyramid

It's quite simply a “pyramid” of links that looks something like this...

It's also a foundational way of transferring that
valuable “link juice” we've been talking about.
Here is how to do it:

Step One: Make a quality website with great
content on the domain you'd like ranked.

Step Two: Create additional quality content on
sites like

Blogger

and then

link back to your site from this new content.

Step Three: Create additional links of any kind pointing to the content you created in
Step Two. The best links to use here are social media sites, wiki links, high quality blog
comments, and so on.

Step Four: You can build it out further by creating even more backlinks to the content
you created in the previous step. The best links to use here are your forum profile
links, social bookmarks, and lower quality blog comments.

Google is certainly very aware of this strategy, so your focus should be on higher quality links
as opposed to some of the lower quality gigs you might find on

. Personally, I would

build 3-5 quality Wordpress blogs with unique content that links back to my main site and then
build 50-75 Web 2.0 sites from the likes of

Squidoo.com

YouTube.com

, or

eHow.com

. Then I'd

build even more links like quality blog comments back to those Web 2.0 properties. You can
use something like

SEnuke XCr

(or other tools) to automate this.

The Link Chain & The Link Wheel

The “link chain” and the “link wheel” are very similar. Let's discuss both and highlight the
differences.

Similar to a pyramid, the “chain” and “wheel” both involve transferring link juice to other pages
in order to make them more powerful. What happens in a “chain” is every time we create a
page on a bigger site, we not only link to our main site, but we also link to another big page
we've created on another site. This new big page ALSO links to our main site, and then again
links to yet another big page.

This can go on, and on, and on indefinitely.

The end result is all these sites keep
transferring link juice not only to your
main site, but also to the next big site
and then the next, making each link in
the chain more and more powerful as
the chain grows. If you did a chain of
25 sites for instance, the links near the
end would be quite potent.

Now here is an important tip: don't
ever, ever close the chain. This will set
off Google alarms and get you
penalized in no time. If you notice the
image just above and to the right, the circle is closed. This is just an illustration though. When
you actually implement the steps for yourself (or when you buy a “link chain” from some SEO
provider), be absolutely certain it is left “open”. In other words, (referring back to the image
above), you wouldn't want to link Wordpress with Blogger. At some point in the circle you want
to “break” the chain so as to leave it more natural. I've heard it phrased this way: only link
forward, never backwards.

The real question though is How do we do this?

It's actually somewhat similar to creating a link pyramid.

Step One: Create quality content on a site like

E-Zine Articles

, or

Blogger

Step Two: Create another page on another similar site, article directory, or Web 2.0
site.

Step Three: Link the first page to your main site, and to the second page you just
created.

Step Four: Repeat this same process by creating new sites and linking both to your
main site and to the most recent site in the chain. For instance, link your 2

page to

your main site and a 3

page, and link the 3

page to your main site and a 4

page.

Just remember, to never “close the loop” and link your 5

page (or whatever) back to

your 1

Admittedly, this is time consuming because of the manual creation and submission of content
to the bigger sites. Still though, it's very effective.

Similarly, you have “link wheels”. A “wheel” is virtually identical to a “chain” expect it DOES
close the loop. The final site in the chain links back to the very first site, thus making it a
“wheel” of links. The BIG difference is that in order to make this safe you cannot link every site
back to your main site like we do in the “chain” above. In fact, I recommend you only link to
your main site once in the “wheel”, maybe twice.

Let me say it again: Don't make a link chain wheel (with every site linking both to the next site
in a closed loop AND to your main site). In other words, pick one or the other, either a “chain”
or a “wheel”. Doing both in one is dangerous and will get your site penalized and you may
even be struck by lightening.

How do you do this?

Step One: Create a link chain, but DO not link to your main site.

Step Two: Link ONE of those sites in the chain to your main site, and link your last site
with your first.

I personally do this with only 3 to 5 Wordpress blogs or other Web 2.0 sites. In this strategy,
small chains or wheels work the best.

Let's talk now about something called “Tier Linking”.

Tier Linking

Tier linking is potent and powerful. Admittedly, not as much as it used to be, but still, it's
effective enough to boost your site, even with tougher competition. Basically, you build a tier of
quality links to your main site, and then you make a second tier of less quality links that points
to the first tier. It's pretty much creating a bunch of separate link pyramids all pointing to your
main site and then even pointing to each other.

Here's how to do it...

Step One: Create quality content on sites like

E-Zine Articles

, or

Blogger

and then link to your main site. This will be your first tier. You can link them in

a chain if you like, just not a wheel. Don't “close the loop” in this case.

Step Two: Create mass links from tools,

or other mass link service

providers that link only to your first tier sites.

Step Three: Rinse and repeat.

Honestly, this is your “bread and butter” linking strategy. It's fairly easy, and it works even for
tough keywords.

Social Tiered Linking

One variant of this strategy is called “social tiered linking”. It's exactly the same as the above
tier strategy, only you use social media platforms like

Facebook

Twitter

, and

YouTube

instead.

Google is all about social right now simply
because it's how people naturally build and share
content (or in our case, links). So we should use
this to our advantage and create social pages,
using them as our various tiers.

For most niches I would create a YouTube
channel and make a video (as simple as just
screen capturing a powerpoint presentation). Also,
I would create a Facebook page, a Twitter page,
and a Google Plus page. On these pages, I would
link to my main site in the obvious areas such as
the Facebook details section or in the YouTube
video description. Once I've done this, I'd buy
“views”, “tweets” and “likes” for these new social
sites. For this, check out

This works extremely well, especially when you combine Tiered Linking with the Social Tiered
Linking variant we just discussed. Extremely well. Just try it.

Viral Linking

Viral linking is when your content goes “viral”, spreading like wildfire literally overnight. It's that
cute cat video that gets 2 million views in the first few days. You know you've seen it. This is
what you hope for with most every piece of content you create, though there's not much you
can do about it.

Or is there...?

Is there a way to force your links to go “viral”?

Think about it for a second: If you built a new
site and it got hit with 10,000 backlinks
overnight this would seem totally unjustifiable
in Google's eyes, unless...

It was going viral.

These viral sites never get penalized and
instead show up in the search results immediately. Obviously, Google makes allowances for
this, otherwise Google itself would become irrelevant.

I mean, if you couldn't turn to Google to watch the cute cat videos or read the latest viral post
about some celebrity scandal, then why else would you use it?

So we want to imitate a site going “viral” by doing the following...

Step One: Create your “base” links using Web 2.0 and other social pages, pointing
them back to one of your “buffer” sites (refer back to earlier in this guide for an
explanation).

Step Two: Wait 2 weeks.

Step Three: Imitate a site going viral on Facebook and Twitter by blasting it every 2 or
3 days with 100 – 1,000 “likes” and “retweets”. For this, check out

Step Four: As you do Step Three, match with 100 – 1,000 links a day. Yes, this is a ton
of links (and it goes against some of the advice we've already given), but it's justified
by the social signals.

Step Five: Google will potentially see your site going viral and believe the links are
being created as a result, thus rewarding you with increased ranking.

This works really well, but let me offer a word of warning: You will get penalized if you mess
this up. It is for this reason I recommend you experiment with a “buffer” site first, before trying it
with one of your main sites.

To Sum It All Up...

Let me offer you a quick recap here of the different link building strategies and structures we've
reviewed so far. Understanding the concept of “link juice” and “buffer sites” you can build...

•

Link Pyramids,

•

Link Chains,

•

Link Wheels,

•

Tiered Links,

•

Social Tiered Links, and

•

Viral Links.

I've made a few observations along the way about what is working for me and what I
personally prefer, and now it's up to you to get out there and start building those links. Check
out

as well as the list of 60+ resources I've listed above. Use them strategically in

one of structured ways I've outlined above. Experiment. See what works for you in your niche,
as not every niche is the same.

The good news though is if you create that “buffer site” you can afford to mess up and not
have your main site penalized. Pretty cool, don't you think?

Now, go have fun.

Here is what is most important though: don't just go out and randomly build backlinks. This is
one of, if not the most, important piece of advice I can give you. Pick one of the “structures” I
listed above and FOLLOW THE STEPS PROVIDED. Use the multitude of resources and
services available, but... Don't use them all, and don't use them randomly. Pick your strategy
(whether “chain” or “wheel” or whatever) and just follow the step-by-step instructions listed
above.

——————————————————————
In The Beginning, There Was Content.
——————————————————————

It all begins with content. Create great content. THAT is how you get backlinks. People will
naturally, organically, intuitively, and willingly share your stuff and link back to you if you create
epic content.

But it doesn't end there, as many people do create great content that never gets found.

——————————————————————
In The End, There Was Relationship.
——————————————————————

If I could encourage you in but a couple of ways as we near the end of this guide it's in this…

Create great content.

Build great relationships.

I've heard it said we've now entered the world, not of “link building”, but of “link earning”. You
earn links when you not only create great content, but you build relationship and network with
other site owners and market leaders in your niche.

So, how can you create great content? It starts with an idea (or at least a cute picture of a little
kitten). From there, put pen to paper and start writing. Do your research and “flesh out” that
idea by seeing what other great content is already out there. Find as many ways as possible to
add value and contribute with no strings attached. I know, I know, this sounds a bit too over-
simplified, and maybe it is. But I don't think so. I think it's incredibly simple. The hard part is in
actually doing it. Not every piece of content you create will be a knock out of the park; as well it
shouldn't be. You should distinguish between your “every-day content” and your “premium
content”. Your “everyday content” will be just that, quality but regular content. Your “premium
content” on the other hand is created with an extra attention to detail, value and creativity and
is intended to either add massive value or just get people talking in some way.

So, what ideas do you have? What ideas are already out there that you can improve upon?
Who are the leaders in your niche and what content are they creating and sharing? What can
you learn from them and how they're operating?

Remember, great content gets shared, so what steps can you take today to begin creating?
Yes, it takes work and time and energy and effort, but it will build a much better and more
stable business and deliver much better results in the long run than any “black hat” approach.

Additionally, how can you build great relationships? The answer? On purpose. It doesn't just
happen. First, find out who the leaders are in your niche. On one hand, see where and how
they are building their links. Do a little research into their site and see what you can learn. Try
to replicate that. But more than just replicating their success, seek to ADD to their success.
Reach out to them with the attitude of a giver and not a taker. Ask them, “How can I help you?”
Why? Because out of these relationships will potentially come something greater than a
backlink, and that's a partnership.

Backlinks Simplified Comments or Questions

——————————————————————
What's Next?
——————————————————————

We've reviewed a number of very important backlink building strategies and structures,
covering both method (such as places you can build links) and principle (the WHY behind the
WHAT). Let me sum it up this way though. If you...

•

Create great content,

•

Make that content easy to share, and

•

Promote that content using social networks,

You will naturally attract great backlinks.

The question now though is, What Next?

Well, have you created a great piece of content? If so, how can you make it better?
Have you make that content easy to share? Do you encourage people to share?
Have you promoted that content? If so, what backlink strategy will you use?

My hope is that this guide has made the essential step of building backlinks a little easier. It's
not that there won't be work involved. There will be. But now hopefully you have a game plan
and some important foundational ideas that will last through 2013 and beyond.

If you have any questions though, please don't hesitate to drop me a note at my blog below. I'd
really love to hear from you:

Happy building!

P.S. - Seriously, if you have ANY questions, drop me a note via the comments link above. I'm

here to help!