I always struggle with building incoming links and often sit and try to think of new ways to give my website additional visibility.
One of the ways that I have used, is to type in the optimal keyword, the one that I would give anything to be number one for. And then use the current number one holder to provide me with some much needed information… Who is linking to them.
Here’s how its done:
1. Type your optimal keyword into Google or Yahoo (I like to do it for both)
2. Copy the domain of the first website that pops up. If it is not a competitor or related service try the second option.
3. Go back to Google and type “link:(whatever the domain is that you just copied)”.
This will give you a list of all of the sites that are linking to the website that you just copied. Google tends to not list all of them but Yahoo will provide you with an extensive list.
4. Visit the referring sites and do your best to get linked by them as well.
This can be done by leaving a meaningful comment if it’s a blog or message board. If it’s a directory, write to the owner and ask to be listed as well. In most cases they will oblige because they are trying to provide information to their visitors.
This method is simple and is easy and will give you a good bearing on what your competitors are doing. Sometimes you will stumble upon a gold mine of information that will not only provide you a quality link but a source of information as well.
