February 9, 2010 – Tuesday night began with Ian Lurie, from Portent Interactive, sharing his suggestions on making the link building process as easy as possible.  Anticipate how people might break your links and create 301 redirects.  You should also perform a search query for any non-linking citations and beware of people stealing your content.

EngineWorks’ Kent Schnepp discussed the importance of link bait as a major factor in determining ranking.  When defining your link bait strategy, ask such questions as who your target audience is, where the content will reside and what will have the most impact.  Among the tips Schnepp provided were researching what’s worked in the past, limiting ads and relating to the community you’re trying to reach.

Link automation, although difficult, has several benefits including increased search engine rankings, traffic and sales.  It can also significantly increase one-way inbound links.  Anvil Media’s John McPhee explained how to automate inbound links to make your hard work pay off.  One method is through widgets and badgets, giving you full control over the anchor text and destination URL.

Blu Drobushevich, from Amplify Interactive, noted that utilizing your existing network for links is one of the most overlooked opportunities.  Acquiring such links is important because they are the easiest to obtain and have an immediate impact.  Identify your existing network by creating a list of dealers, sponsorships and other organizations you are a part of.  When approaching your network to request links, keep in mind that a personal touch is more helpful than email.

Search Commander, Inc.’s Scott Hendison ended the evening by sharing successful ways to build links.  Links from the body text of a page is best.  Also, get involved with social linking and identify your backlinks.  Some links matter more than others so consider the relevancy of the surrounding text, the anchor of the text itself and the overall trust of the domain.

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