Links from Directory ListingsAmong the best back links to get are links from directories that are rated highly by search engines. You do this by getting your website listed in those directories, each with a link back to your site.
The best directories to list at in this respect are The Open Directory and Yahoo! Directory. They also have the highest PageRanks among the directories, at 8 and 7 respectively.
For the explanation of why links from such directories are viewed so favorably, and how to get listed at them, see Get Directory Listings at the Search Engine Optimization page.
If a directory accepts your website, it will list it in the category that best fits your site theme. That way, you will likely get free targeted website traffic as well, from people interested in your topic.
Links from ArticlesDistributing free articles is a great way to build backlinks to your site, as well as build the site’s authority status. Here's how it works.
First create a short original article about your niche topic. It doesn't have to be long -- 400 to 800 words will do. Your article should not duplicate your site content; keep that completely unique.
What some people do is, they write content for their own website so as to control its quality, but outsource writing of articles that they want to distribute. You can get articles ghost-written quite cheaply, for $10 upwards per article, depending on its length.
There are freelance writers at sites like goFreeLance and eLance, but look at feedback from other customers before picking one.
Then submit your article to a few article directories, with links back to your site in the bio-box or somewhere suitable in the article. Make sure the articles are related to your site -- the key to getting traffic is quality backlinks, that is, links from relevant sites or content.
Some directories allow backlinks to be placed in the article body itself; others only allow it in the bio-box. Most stipulate the maximum number of backlinks allowed, usually 2 or 3. Read the guidelines for each article directory before you submit your article to it.
For each article directory that accepts your article and publishes it, you get a one-way link back to your site. The higher the rank of the article website, the better the quality of the link.
In addition, and which is what you're aiming for, good articles will be picked up by webmasters looking for content, and reproduced on their websites. And for each one that does so, you get an extra link back to your site.
That's because articles in these directories are contributed on the basis that anybody can use them as free content on their own websites, subject to a few conditions. These include not making any changes at all to the article, acknowledging the source and author, including the full author credit, and making all links active.
You don't have to write a lot of SEO articles (so called because they are written for Search Engine Optimization purposes). A few articles, well-written, can generate a fair number of links to your site over time. These not only improve your search engine ranking, but also increase targeted website traffic, as viewers who are interested in your subject come through the link. Not forgetting that really good articles get picked up by better sites, that in turn contribute good quality links.
(To find out how many backlinks an article gets, pick out a unique phrase you used in your article that you don't think is present in others, then do a search in one of the search engines with your phrase in quotes, like this, "this is the unique phrase". The results will show the number of pages found with that phrase.)
Here's a list of some article directories:
(Not arranged in any particular order of merit except for first 4. Right-click on any link to open in new window.)
* PageRank as at April 2008
Try to submit each article to at least 15 directories, including the first 4 above -- those are a must! When choosing directories, one that focuses on your topic is a better choice than one that is general.
