Get Backlinks from External Sites:

Creating your own external content can only get you so far. After all, this external content will have a PageRank of zero when first created. Your aim is to have this external content increase in PageRank over time (see The Virtuous SEO Circle).

In the mean time, you're going to have to borrow PageRank from third parties. You can do that by obtaining backlinks from them.

The following lists a wide variety of techniques you can use to get backlinks from third party sites. If you want to add to this list, email me via the form on this page.

Add comments to 'dofollow' blogs:
A 'dofollow' blog is one that doesn't add the 'nofollow' attribute to a link you place in a comment (most blogs will publish a comment you make about a specific article). Look for blogs likely to attract the same target market you're after. Your comment should be sensible, add value to the blog you're posting it to, and provide a plausible reason for linking back to your site. Read this article for a thorough treatment of the technique.
Buy a one-way backlink from a third party:
It's possible to buy a one-way backlink from a third party with high PageRank. Providers of this type of service like to charge a high monthly fee. In my opinion, monthly services end up costing far more than the value delivered. There are one-off services, such as this one, that offer more realistic value for money. The practise of buying backlinks is controversial in SEO circles, and should approached with caution. It's wise to test this type of service before committing significant funds.
Submit articles to third party blogs:
Some blogs accept guest articles, while others may invite you to submit content as your reputation grows. You can use social media (e.g. Twitter) to help forge the right alliances to help make this happen. This article on relationship marketing has more information.
Ask friends and colleagues to link to your site:
Your friends and colleagues may be willing to link to your site from theirs, and ask nothing in return. Provide them with the HTML necessary to ensure you get a contextual link.
Links from Government, Military and Education sites:
Do you know someone who can link back to your site from a .gov, .mil or .edu site? Search engines tend to value links from such sites, and take it to be an indication that your site is trustworthy.
Post in online discussion forums:
Most forums won't allow you to promote your site in actual posts, but will allow you to add a link back to your site in your signature. Most allow 3-4 links in the signature (hint – less is more). You're usually allowed to create contextual links.
Pick forums relevant to your target market. Make genuine contributions, rather than blatant promotion. The key to success with online discussion forums is allowing sufficient time to build your reputation through the contributions you make.
Post in unrelated forums – if you're an expert:
For example, I post in a PHP help forum (I know a lot about PHP). My signature contains a contextual link to a lead generation site. I don't expect many clicks from other members of that forum, but I do obtain SEO value. Be sure to read each forum's rules, and make sure you don't break them.
Article Marketing:
Some article sites (e.g. ezinearticles.com) have high PageRank. See the previous section for links to article sites. If the article is good enough it may get featured by the article marketing site, which gives it extra prominence (e.g. on the site's homepage).
List your site in directories:
These seldom offer contextual links, but some deliver significant SEO value. Most of the useful directories charge for a listing. What you're looking for is a site that doesn't require a reciprocal link back to them. If the site asks you to link back from your own web site, the SEO value is essentially zero. This doesn't mean the listing has no value (e.g. you may get visitors from the directory).
Here's a list of directories with SEO value...
- DMOZ (the open directory project)
- Yahoo Directory (different to Yahoo Search)
- Blog Catalog (integrates with social networking)
- Best of the Web directory
- Go Guides directory
- Business.com directory
- WhatUseek directory
- InfoTiger directory
- Amfibi web directory
- OdysSearch Directory
- The Lesson Finder (for tutorials, guides and lessons)
- Ghetto Search
- FeedPlex
- Scrub The Web (you get a free SEO report on confirmation)
- EntireWeb directory
- The New Web Directory
- The ExactSeek auto-submission free trial
- Amidalla
- Free Index (UK only)
- Qype (a social directory based around a night out)
- Connected Internet directory
- Link Centre directory
- World Site Index directory
- Business IT Online directory
- A Google search for online directories
- A Bing search for online directories
Submit ads to online classified sites:
Internet classified sites often don't require reciprocal links, and some provide SEO benefits. The two things to avoid are...
1. Classified sites with a PageRank of zero (may indicate a site Google deems to be untrustworthy)
2. Sites that don't allow you to enter any kind of clickable link. A search engine bot will only follow a clickable link
Here's a list of classified sites:
- Craigslist Classifieds
- Oodle Classifieds
- Adpost Classifieds (US, UK and international)
- Gumtree Classifieds
- US Net Ads Classifieds
- Ecademy Marketplace (requires membership)
- Viva Street Classifieds
- Local Ads
- FreeAdsCity Classifieds
- The UK Classifieds
- WebLeeg Classifieds
- Adzooks Classifieds
- It's My Market Classifieds
- Best Ads All US Classifieds
- The Classifieds
- US Freeads Classifieds
- Classifieds For Free
- This page lists 94 free classified sites
- Inet Giant offers both US and UK listings
- A Google search for online classified sites
- A Bing search for online classified sites
Press Releases:
Submit press releases for free and include a contextual link back to your site via these services...
- PRLog.com
- PR.com
- 1888 Press Release (also a press release resource centre)
Social Media Portal:
Social Media Portal bills itself as a news and information directory. It's so much more than that, can be used as a way to get links back to your site, and get your message out to a wider audience. When constructing content, think press release rather than advertising.
Video Marketing:
YouTube and other video sites offer you yet another way to link back to your site. See the list in the previous section for links.
Online Business Networking:
Most business networking sites provide you with opportunities to generate links back to your site. For example, LinkedIn allows you to link to your site, blog and portfolio from your public profile page.
Here's a list of networking sites...
- LinkedIn
- Facebook
- Ecademy
- ConnectBuzz
- Naymz
Quickly find relevant sites that accept backlinks:
Finding sites that attract the right people, and that allow you to add your link, can take a lot of time and effort. This tool makes it much easier (and it's free).
More information about inbound links for SEO:
This article offers useful additional information about how to get inbound backlinks for SEO.
Start an affiliate program:
One way to guarantee links back to your site is to start your own affiliate program. Your affiliates receive a commission in return for making sales via a special page you provide. In other words, they have a self interest in linking directly to your site.
Create a useful free resource:
If you provide free information of sufficient quality and usefulness, people will start linking to it. You can achieve the same end with a useful tool. You can speed this process up by finding the best blogs in your niche (based on their PageRank), emailing the owner and asking for a review.

It's useful to know how many inbound links you've actually received.

Google's own tool gives you a few examples, rather than the actual number. This tool tells you the total number, and provides a link to every page that links to yours.

This article contains advanced information about link building, and how to go about it.

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