Its no secret that backlinks (links pointing to your domain) are very important factor on how google ranks your website in their search results. Most other search engines also value the links to your site also
Here is some free techniques you can employ to help you build links to your site, traffic will be a consequence as well. You don’t have to follow them in any particular order but, the more of these that you accomplish the better job you will have done …
- Write or post something people would want to link to (actually called link baiting).
- Create a resource, something that people would find valuable and will easily point their friends to
- Example: directorycritic is one of the best places to find free and paid directories; people know that and recommended it boldly, sometimes they even link to it.
- Exchange links with like minded blogs or sites, relevant exchanges are usually better but for luck of relevant sites any exchange is good enough, you can look in forums for people that are willing to exchange links; usually there is a dedicated section for that.
- Submit your site to free directories, can use the excellent allsumitter directory submitter to help you with that. If you need lists of free directories to insert in your favorite submitter, you can find great lists at directorycritic.com, onewaytextlinks.com (many more lists exist on the internet, it could take me a whole post just to list them here).
- You can write articles and get them posted on article directories (process similar to directory submissions) and usually you can include a few links on the buttom of each article pointing to your relevant sites. Can find article directories in directorycritic website.
- Post on squidoo.com, create any number of lenses advertising one or all your websites, its very fast and its free try it.
- Post/vote a few of your great articles/posts/pages to the social bookmarking networks, if they are worth something other people will also vote for them and in the process you will get some extra links, can also ask your friends to check them out and vote for them (Digg, delicious, Stumbleupon, Sphinn, Propeller are some of the networks I usually post).
- Include your link in your forum signature, look in the list of directories that allow signature links (+other links) where you can start hanging out and enjoy signature link love.
- If you blog or site has some sort of RSS feed functionality, submit it to RSS feed directories, you should also make available for aggregators that would like to include your content with linkback to the original posts. Here is a list you can start with.
- Participate in blog discussions: most blogs lately allow you to include a link to your blog when you post a comment, some also will add your link sitewide if you are one of the top posters (like in this very blog), find a blog that you like and post a few comments on the articles that you find interesting … be careful if your comments are irrelevant or disrespectful or full of links they might be considered spammy and will get erased.
Please share your favorite link building technique, its OK to link to your website if its offering a free link …