We’re continuing our look at Inc. Magazine’s great 25 Tips to Jump Start Your Business series.

As anyone who reads our blog regularly knows, SEO is one of Lorraine’s favorite topics. While there are many elements which contribute to SEO, one of the most important measures for your website is how many other sites link to it. Links, from credible sources  to your site are an indication that your website is trustworthy and contains good content. The more links, the better.

Check out these five great tips for getting serious “link love” for your site:

  1. Give stuff away: There is not a person on earth who doesn’t love something for free. If you gift it, they will come. Consider a free e-book download, an app, or some worksheets that other people might find useful. Once people hear about the great swag, they’ll link back to your site.
  2. Share useful information: This is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Not only are you adding value to to the world with a useful article or how-to guide, you’re also establishing yourself as an expert in your field.
  3. Connect with your community: This is crucial. You can (and should!) be in regular contact with both your local, geographical community and your industry community. Sponsor, or at least help promote with your social media, local events, and add value to your industry community by sharing great articles.
  4. Reach out to the blogosphere: Don’t be afraid to get in touch with your favorite blogger to offer praise, constructive criticism, or ideas for posts. Offer a product for them to review, or inform them of some big doings in your industry. Just make sure that the blogger would actually be interested in what you have!
  5. PR: Sometimes, the classics work. When you send a press release, your “boiler plate,” or the standard text about your company at the end of the release, should always include your Web address and blog address. Always! Then, when you post the release to an online source, people can see and visit your site. Just another way of spreading your posts out into the world.

It takes time to build the links, but if you are work at it, even a small business site, an have thousands of inbound links.  According to Website Grader, Roundpeg currently has more than 4,500 inbound links.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design company.