If you work in the field of SEO, you probably understand that Google controls everything. We constantly bend to its will and try to outthink it at every turn. Just as space travel is unpredictable because we haven’t yet experienced much of it, SEO is also a largely new frontier and we seldom know what to expect from our environment. Our environment, of course, is Google. But what if Google didn’t exist? Where would we look for sites? How would we get links? Your brain is probably boiling over with great ideas right now, and that’s the point of this whole thing—if we eliminate Google from the equation entirely, those paths that we come up with are almost completely organic.
Google is extremely popular with both the general public and with SEO professionals, but it often locks us inside of a box. At some point we’re not exploring the web on our own, and instead we are relying on an algorithm and some web spiders to explore for us. We can break out of this box and choose our own destination in a natural, organic way. Considering the question “what if Google didn’t exist?” is a great way to answer the question “where can I get more links?”
Playing “what if?” is a fun, but sometimes dangerous, game. It’s easy to get stuck down in the mire of negativity and use “what if?” to fuel your own pessimistic fire. If you use it correctly, however, “what if?” can be a great catalyst for ideas and innovation. For example, think about the popular post apocalypse genre of fiction, where a shovel might become the protagonist’s best weapon, best tool and best friend. Similarly, in a world without Google, a message board buried somewhere inside of a mediocre site with low domain authority might become an excellent research tool. After all, if all of these people are willing to brave an underwhelming site just to talk to each other and share about a topic, that means they’re passionate about it. Passion leads to great info, great leads on new sites and useful links. Google does exist, of course, but thinking outside of that box produces some interesting results.
I have previously written about the backlinks that really matter for Google: the ones which come from authority sites. However, many, many webmasters and bloggers claim that one should get all the backlinks they can, no matter where they come from. In their opinion, Google won’t ignore discounted links even when they aren’t as valuable as the authority ones.
What are discounted links anyway?
There are three basic ways to look at it:
1. A discounted link would be one that comes from dubious sources, i. e., obscure pages that don’t have a strong reputation among Internet users. (more…)
Google love — i.e., good rankings that lead to abundant traffic — is what most webmasters and bloggers struggle to get. And I’m sure that most of them have already learned what it takes to achieve it: they must ensure that their blogs and sites are good resources which will benefit web surfers in some way, hence generating the backlinks that Google values so much.
Since most — if not all — webmasters and bloggers are aware of this, why so many insist in using “dirty tricks” to build links? (more…)
Have you realised that a good, eye-catching site design can be a great ally in your link building efforts? Let me show you how to go about this.
Why you could use a beautiful design for link building
People just love beauty. It’s a fact. Not that you should feel miserable if your site doesn’t look that good. Content still matters and always will. However, when you have a truly good-looking site or blog, many people will want to share its link with others regardless of the content’s quality. Besides, there are many sites which specialise in linking to beautiful pieces of web design.
A beautiful design will certainly create backlink opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise. (more…)
I bet you have read several articles on how to build links by leaving comments on do-follow blogs. But you must know that the vast majority of blogs have the “no-follow” attribute appended to all links left in their comment areas, hence hindering them from passing link juice.
Should all those blogs be ignored by you? Of course not! There’s a way to use them in your link building campaigns and I’m going to tell you what it is: leave several good comments on several no-follow blogs to get noticed by the bloggers and their readers.
Yes, it’s that obvious. And if you don’t have any spamming tendencies, you’ll find it very easy as well. (more…)
All over the Internet you can find guides and tutorials that will teach you how to make money by creating and selling eBooks. This looks like a good idea indeed. However, what I’m going to suggest is that you create a good eBook and… give it away. Yes, it means you won’t make money immediately. No, it doesn’t mean you won’t make money later.
Why should I offer my eBooks for free when I could be selling them?
There’s a good reason for this: by giving high-quality info away you’ll generate backlinks for your site or blog. (more…)