Backlink Sources for SEO

Getting backlinks is one of the most difficult parts of SEO.  Most websites aren’t willing to hand out links to anyone that asks, especially if they are a reputable site with good PR.  You’re probably not going to be able to gain very many links as a new site, so you’ll prett much be on your own as far as building backlinks.

There are a few ways you can create your own backlinks, without having to rely on the charity of other webmasters.  You can get links from other websites without waiting for the site owner to give it to you, and you can also build your own.

Blog Comments

One way to get backlinks from high PR websites is to comment on blogs, remembering to put your URL in when you leave the comment.  Don’t put a link in the comment itself, just put the URL in where it will hyperlink your name.  You should be sure to make your name a keyword phrase rather than your own name, because the anchor text used to link to you is important.

You should know that not all backlinks from blogs will count.  Most blogs have their comment links set to “nofollow” by default.  That means the search engines won’t follow those links.  You should make sure to look for “dofollow” blogs.  There are tools you can use to find these, just search Google for “dofollow blogs” and you will find a number of resources.

Web Directories

Most directories are pretty low quality and aren’t particularly relevant to any specific topic, but there are  few exceptions.  DMOZ.org is a very popular directory that has great PR and is a very beneficial backlink to have.  It is also notoriously difficult to get into, but you shouldn’t let that keep you from submitting.  It’s free and only takes a few moments.

The Yahoo directory charges a lot of money for commercial websites to be listed, but it can be worth it if you anticipate your site being very popular and/or profitable.

Niche website directories may not have the high PR of Yahoo or DMOZ, but if they are highly related to your niche the relevancy can be especially beneficial.

Squidoo and HubPages

Squidoo and HubPages are two websites that you can use to build your own pages online for free.  You can put up simple pages in your niche and use them as a source of backlinks for your main website.  Since they have good PR and authority, you have the added benefit of the pages potentially ranking well and bringing you extra traffic.

Other Sources

There are many ways to get backlinks.  You can buy links on websites for a few dollars per month.  You can exchange links with other webmasters in your niche.  You can write articles and submit them to article directories, or offer to write articles for high PR blogs in exchange for a link.

If you’re willing to get creative, you can find sources your competitors wouldn’t think of.  That could end up giving you an edge that they don’t have, which might propell you above them in no time!