Best Ways to Build Links to Your Website

Backlink building is 100% needed if you want to grow an online business, blog, or general website. When you first start, it can be very confusing, though. There are all of these strategies and angles to take, but which is the best? How do you scale it? Are there tools to help? That's just some of the things that I'll be covering in this post.

Guest blogging

Guest blogging, or guest posting, is a pretty simple concept and strategy to pull off. I recommend it for every internet marketer and there's nobody that can't benefit from it. Not only will you get valuable backlinks to your site, but it also allows you to network with other website owners, creating further opportunities in the future. I have people pitch me all of the time for guest posts, and I have grown websites to authority status through mostly this approach. So, let me tell you a few things.

Always read the guidelines

Websites that allow guest posts will have strict guidelines that you must follow. You also need to follow them when you give them a pitch. These rules include things like word count, topics, and rules about linking. They might allow you one link in the biography, or links within the body of content. Both are fine, and I wouldn't worry too much about one or the other.

How two find guest post opportunities

Take a trip to Google and use the following search parameters:

• A keyword followed by "guest post"
• A keyword followed by "guest post guidelines"
• A keyword followed by "become a contributor"

This will easily allow you to find tons of guest posting opportunities. You can replace the footprint at the end with other common phrases related to guest blogging. Pitch them one at a time, or even better, place them all into a spreadsheet to message in succession. 

Writing a guest post is the easy part, just take your time and follow all of the rules. Did you know that nearly 50% of all searches start from a search engine, too?

Blog commenting

So, here's the deal with blog commenting. It shouldn't be a main strategy for your linkbuilding campaigns, but it's a nice idea for supplementing links. It allows us to expand our link profile and it make it appear more natural. Just like with guest posting, you can look for similar parameters on Google:

• A keyword followed by "leave a reply"
• A keyword followed by "leave a comment"

The key is to be a productive and thoughtful commenter. Don't leave generic replies like "cool" and "nice post". Those will get deleted or marked as a spam faster than Buzz Lightyear.

Instead, leave a comment that touches upon what the article speaks about, and mention what you learned. Ask a question, and reply to other people if you'd like, as well.

What not to do

As great and effective as link building is, it's also wise to understand what you shouldn't be doing in terms of SEO. Here are some of such things:

1. Buying backlinks: Don't do it ever. Google tracks link farms and slaps all of the websites involved at certain points with one big swoop. It can be great in the short term, sure, but do you want your site years from now? If so, don't do it.
2. Impatience: Be patient! Rome wasn't built in a day, after all. Build links consistently through strategies that you refine and you will be rewarded over time. It doesn't matter if your competition is buying links or using a PBN, they will get penalized sooner or later, and you'll come out on top.
3. PBN: Private blog networks are websites owned by one individual or company, but disguised as separate entities. Owning many websites is not an issue, but when they are thin and irrelevant, and linking to one another; that's a big problem. Avoid doing this, but don't shy away from helping the internet become better by launching more useful websites.

How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy

42% of B2B marketers are confident in their ability to market content, are you in this group? Whether or not, you need to have a solid plan for developing a content strategy. The roots create the fruits as they say, after all. That's what you'll be learning about today -- developing a content strategy for any industry.

Who is your ideal client?

The first step in developing a content strategy is considering who you're targeting to begin with. Is it SaaS companies? SME's? Construction companies? Get as niche as possible to make the best out of it and to make yourself into an authority about that market. Draft a buyers persona, which is a rough idea of the demographics and values of who you're looking to work with. Create posts around the questions and things they would be interested in, and you'll attract them to your business. Plain and simple.

Create a content calendar

Staying organized is the name of the game. If you don't know what your writing or when, imagine how disorganized you're going to be. To speed up your marketing results and to make the process more fun, create a calendar. It should have rows for:

1. Topics
2. Publishing dates
3. Resources and notes
4. Keywords to target

Feel free to add other rows like word count, tone, etc.

Pump out the content!

Start writing blog posts at least once per week. The more the better though. Three times per week is ideal, and everyday is incredible. It might take a team from Upwork or iWriter, but it's doable. The more content, the faster you rank and the more inbound clients you'll get. 

But don't stop there. Repurpose your content into YouTube videos, infographics, slideshows, and other formats. Get these onto platforms like Linkedin, Visually, and Pinterest. It allows you to generate more traffic easily.

Blog posts should have a high word count, as it's been proven to achieve higher rankings and pack more information. Include videos, images, and graphics when you can. Hiring a graphic designer can save you a lot of time here. 

Real Estate Agent Marketing Tips

Are you a real estate agent? Did you know that 33% of home buyers will purchase their home through an agent? That means your marketing needs to top notch to beat the competition and get more clients. Here are some marketing tips for real estate agents to just do that.

Get your social media in good shape

It's 2018, you need social media accounts. Everyone and their grandma is on Facebook, and you need to be, too. Create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. All of these platforms are great for building a brand, growing an audience, and also showing off homes you are selling. Use relevant hashtags, especially on Instagram. You'll definitely get potential buyers reaching out to you once you get the ball rolling. Follow users in your city and many will follow you back, as well. Linkedin is another platform you should start using to grow your reputation in the industry.

Real estate SEO is a thing

Don't think just because you're into the real estate market that you can get away without any SEO. Obviously this means that you need a website first. Use services like Bluehost or Hostgator to get a WordPress site up in minutes. Buy a theme for around $50 and take the time to add photos and customize it. Then, add keywords like "Toronto real estate agent" for example. It should be around your city and exact services. You also need to be posting consistent blog posts for Google to recognize your website and to rank it higher. Reach out to other real estate bloggers and ask if you can post on their site. This typically gives you a link back to your site, helping further improve your SEO.

Get involved in events

Nothing beats good ole shaking hands and getting your face out there. Look for local networking events through Eventbrite or Meetup. Print out some business cards and start chatting up other real estate professionals. You never know what opportunities are awaiting and referrals you might get. If you have the chops, do presentations and talks. This makes you look like a true leader and can easily help you land more clients.

Why Small Businesses Need a Website

It doesn't matter what market you're in or what audience you serve, a website is necessary to succeed. It helps achieve so many things and will make your business goals a reality much sooner than if you didn't have a website. 51% of small businesses use a website as their main marketing tool, do you? Here are some reason why small businesses need a website in 2018 and beyond.

It helps generate leads

Finding new customers is the toughest task for 66% of small businesses.

Having a website allows you to passively get new customers, as it acts as a way to advertise your products/services. Ensure that you use tools like Google's keyword planner to find relevant keywords to optimize your SEO. Place these in the title tags and meta descriptions of your website. They should be related to your city and services to maximize the effectiveness. For example, you could do "Niagara Falls web design". Posting regular content will also help boost rankings, traffic, and ultimately get your small business more leads. Include a contact form and a lead magnet like an e-book to make your lead gen even stronger.

A boost in trust

Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. They'd like to get your service, but they can't find your website or any detailed information about you. You only have some contact information around and social media accounts. That's fine, but if you really want to be credible and build trust with users, you need a website. A professional looking site makes your brand look better and shows that you invest into your company. By increasing loyalty and retention, you're also going to earn more revenue.

It opens the door to more opportunities

A website is so much more than just a way to reach new customers and build trust, though. When you own a website, you can sell more products like courses and e-books for example. This means that you create extra income streams and easily pivot into new markets. Otherwise, this would be more difficult to pull off and you'd need to invest into different services. A website paired with something like Google Analytics also means that you can collect data to discover new target audiences, popular products, and similar things.