With all the changes we have seen from Google – Panda, Penguin… who knows, Raccoon may be next – the face of ranking in the search engines has certainly changed. No longer can site owners rely on keyword stuffing or overwhelming their site with spammy looking content full of outbound links. Google now looks for fresh, new content that is relevant to the search rather than being simply based around a keyword someone types in the box. Does that mean SEO is dead?
Absolutely not, but that is a discussion for another day. While the emphasis on keywords may have gone down, backlinks continue to hold power over your ranking. Keep in mind that even backlinks have changed in that not all are given the same weight.Backlinks from known spam sites can be more harmful than helpful.
TIP: Beware Sites or Plugins offering Massive Numbers of Backlinks! They typically rely on Black Hat methods which can end up getting your site blacklisted. That being said, what sort of sites should you be targeting when it comes to gaining White Hat backlinks? Whether you like to write or not, the truth is that article directory sites still offer a great means of building backlinks as well as helping to increase your branding as being knowledgeable in your field.
So how does this process work? You write and submit your articles on your topic of expertise or business nature to popular article directories where eZine publishers and readers are looking for the information you provide. Leveraging your backlink building efforts on article writing can be rewarding, if done right. It also offers a twofold benefit in that you are both helping to drive traffic back to your site and demonstrating your expertise about your business through the articles you write.
So, how can this method in effect build quality backlinks? The answer: the resource box you attach to your articles. In your resource box (also known as bio box), you include a brief detail about yourself and your site along with its URL. Keep in mind that you should tie this URL to your mailing list’s landing page so that you can also capture your visitor’s name and email address. This will help you to build your mailing list at no cost as well.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “How do I know which article directory sites I should use? Which ones does Google offer the most weight?” There used to be many out there that were just fine to use with Page Ranks of 1-2. Now however there are definite sites which are viewed as repositories of higher quality articles. Squidoo, Ezine Articles, and Hubpages all have a better chance of increasing your site’s rank through backlinks than others. One thing to make sure though is that you are still adding quality articles to these sites. While Google might consider the backlink that is embedded on the page, people who run across your articles are not going to inclined to click on the links if the quality is too low.
Want to know more about how web content can make or break your site rank? Leave your comment below or contact us today. We are always happy to answer any questions!