10 Easy Ways to Get More Links to Your Website

Here are ten easy ways you can get more links to your website.

Comment on High Traffic Websites: One great way to not only boost your website rankings but to also increase your visibility and get additional traffic to your website is to post  meaningful comments on blogs and websites that are relevant to your website’s products/services.

Specialized Directories: Use the search engines to find trade associations and product directories that you can be listed in.  One example is http://www.diaperpin.com for cloth diapering websites. You can find good, targeted directories by searching Google.  For example, try this:  “product name” directory.  For example:  “cloth diaper” directory or “website design” directory

General Directories: General directories such as http://www.dmoz.org and http://www.alexa.com are free to request a link from.  You may want to consider paid directories on individual basis.  Their value for you will depend on your particular business and the type of traffic the directory generates.

Other Directories: Look at local directories such as http://local.yahoo.com and http://cityguides.msn.com as well as small business directories, environmental/ethical directories, and other similar sites to request listings on.  Also check the websites of the retailers/wholesalers you purchase from, the shopping cart or web host you use, and other businesses you work with.  Many offer directories of their clients or retailers and you may be able to pick up some links and targeted traffic by being listed.

Article Marketing: Submitting articles you’ve written to article directories can be a great way to get links back to your website.  Anyone who publishes you article will link to you in the resource box.  My favorite article directory sites are http://www.ezinearticles.com and http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shopping Websites: A very popular way to shop online is with the shopping directory and product comparison sites like Google Base and Shopping.com.  Are your products listed there yet?  It’s easier than you might think to get added! Google Base is a great place to begin.  Formerly named Froogle, it’s a popular, free, easy to use comparison shopping website from the geniuses who brought us Google.  http://base.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=59260&hl=en
Many popular carts offer a built-in system to upload directly to Google Base, so check with your cart’s support team or site owner.  You can also upload your items one at a time or using a spreadsheet: http://base.google.com

Review Products & Services: Take a few minutes to write honest testimonials for other small or home-based businesses and email them.  They are likely to print them on their websites and be willing to include a link to you (I do this if someone sends a testimonial about my ebooks or services, I link to their sites and they get some free promotion).

Blog: Start a blog!  It’s a great way to get search engine traffic as well as build a sense of community with other bloggers and to help your visitors get to know you.   Be sure to use your Blogroll feature, turn on your RSS and pings, and use social bookmarking plug-ins on your blog.

Social Networking Pages: Websites like MySpace, Facebook, and Ryze that allow individuals to connect with others by sharing their interests, opinions, photographs, and whatever parts of their lives they choose.  Take some time to explore a bit and see which sites are a good fit for you and reach your target market.

Links from Other Sites: Create a “Link to Us” page and offer visitors both well-written text links and a selection of banner ads to use.

Pick one or two of these ideas and get started!  More links to your website means more opportunities to be found, and it will help boost your search engine rankings, too.