Getting Inbound Links to your Site

Mark from the Build a Niche Store Empire series recently posted about getting inbound links to your site, otherwise known as backlinks. In the post, Mark lists some excellent, high quality ways to get inbound links (which the search engines love). Here are a few more ideas that I’d like to add to the list:

• Social Marker (social bookmarking)
  Go to Social Marker and sign-up with the social bookmarking sites it features. Use the tool to submit your main page and any prominent product sub-pages to each of the social bookmarking sites. You should also submit any columns or articles you’ve published on your site, or your blog if you have one of those.You could also use the tool to social bookmark any Squidoo lenses, USFreeAds, or other content you’ve placed elsewhere that links back to your site. This is linking to the site that links to you, with the net effect being a higher ranking in the search engines for your site. The key to social bookmarking is this: Do Not Spam. You shouldn’t social bookmark every page on your site, and you should only bookmark so many per day. If you abuse the social bookmark sites, chances are they’ll ban your account and remove your links, so play nice.
• StumbleUpon Exchange
  Sign-up for a free account at StumbleUpon Exchange. This is a site that allows you to “stumble” other people’s sites, and in exchange they stumble yours. It’s based on a points system that rewards activity and prevents people from taking but not giving back. Over at the Build a Niche Store forum, I posted instructions for using StumbleUpon Exchange, so you’ll want to check those out.
  [Update: apparently StumbleUpon has decided sites like StumbleUpon Exchange are bad, and if you use it, there's a chance your StumbleUpon account might get banned. You've been warned...]
• Directory Submissions
  Download DigiXMAS and submit your site to 150 directories. If you want to submit to additional directories, I’m offering a service to readers to hand submit your site to 550 or 1,100 directories. Contact me if you’re interested in more information on this service.
• Free Classified Ads
  Visit ClassifiedAds.com and publish ads for featured products on your site. The service is free, and you can even upload images in your ads. I’ve had hundreds of visits to some of the ads I’ve placed there.
• SWiK
  If you have a blog on your site, sign-up for an account at SWiK and have it auto-publish your blog’s feed. I’ve been doing this recently, and Yahoo appears to absolutely love the backlinks!
• Comment on Blogs
  Download and install the free CommentKahuna software. Use it to find related blogs to your niche, where you can post comments with a link back to your site. Again, please Do Not Spam, but instead add valuable and insightful comments.
• Comment on Niche Forums
  This is a no-brainer because you’re probably participating in the major forums in your niche already to do market research. So while you’re at it, make sure to place a link to your site in your forum signature. That way you not only get backlinks for the search engines, but if people appreciate what you have to say, chances are they’ll visit your site.

Well there you have it. These are some of the ways I generate backlinks to my site. Combine these with the helpful suggestions Mark posted in his Build a Niche Store Empire series, and you’ll be on your way to backlink heaven.

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Related Posts:

• Submit Your Site to Search Engines
• Social Bookmarking Widgets
• January Mid-Month Progress Update
• February BANS Update
• Build a Niche Store Process Series