Link building is changing.
Up to now, link building had a few automated techniques we could rely on: Content spinning, directory submissions and blog syndication are all good examples. But these techniques are losing their oomph. Search engines are getting better – or at least more random – at filtering out links. You never know when all 100 versions of a spun article are going to end up worthless, link-wise.
Plus, it’s easier than ever to ‘capsize’ someone’s site. If they have very few incoming links, and we start creating thousands of them using automated content generation, we could end up getting them penalized for link spam.
So link building is changing. A lot.
Lots of people will tell you about their great link building systems. Here’s the thing, though: If their system is so great, why are they sharing it? I know if I had the 100% successful link spamming technique, I wouldn’t share it. I’d use it to rank #1 for a few dozen phrases and make lots of money. Folks with ‘instant success’ or ‘automated’ systems are lying to you.
There is no easy way to build links.
On the other hand, links are acknowledged to be at least 50% of the success in any SEO campaign. Onsite SEO is all about removing obstacles and classifying content. Link building, aka offsite SEO, is all about accumulating citations that build authority. Without authority, you have a really nice site that no one knows about.
Link building is about execution and consistency. It’s also about building relationships before you need them.
You need to set a routine and stick to it, whether you’re on a linking campaign or not.