I regularly read search marketers preaching the best places to put links or create a link-building strategy, whether in blogs such as this, other sites with high Google Page Ranks, link exchanges, blog exchanges, FFA sites, etc.
While this is, to some extent, a very valid debate, give the guys that write the search engine algorithms some credit.
I’d always suggest keeping the following thought as a priority. The search engines are doing their level best to give their customers – in this case, those filling in the search box and clicking the “search” button, the best and most relevant results. The search engine aims to fulfill the intent of its users. The search engine wants to deliver the correct results to users to solve the issue or answer the question he was searching for.
They rightly want to avoid irrelevant, less relevant, or spammed results.
So, where do you put your links?
Although careful and appropriate link building is very valid, my best advice is to make your site’s content as compelling and relevant to your customers and industry as possible.
And regularly add to it and keep it current.
This way, you won’t have to pay others for links – other relevant sites will WANT to link to your site.
This has got to be the best way to achieve quality inbound links.
And guess what? The massive bonus is that when people arrive at your site, after all the hard work you’ve put into bringing them there, they’ll want to stay there because your site content has value.
What’s the point of spending time and money buying links to bring people to a crap site that provides no value, so they leave as soon as they’ve arrived? You must avoid such backlink acquisitions.
If you need me to answer that one, best get another job outside SEO.
