How to Get Quality Inbound Links that Google Loves

One of the many ways that Google determines your search engine ranking is through the inbound links to your website. 

Note that it isn’t the number of links you have, but the quality and relevancy of the sites linking to you that matters (in addition to heaps of other factors that Google rightfully won’t reveal).

But what exactly are inbound links? Inbound links are simply sites that link to you, without expecting or asking for a link in return.  It used to be a common practice to exchange links with other sites so that both website owners benefitted from the increased website traffic (and possible higher ranking).

With inbound links, you have to do a bit more “work” to earn a link from another website owner.  Google not only ranks websites in order of authority and relevancy, it also knows which sites are harmful, inappropriate and just plain bad.  If you’re caught hanging around with a “bad crowd” of websites, it could hurt your ranking as well.

Now the question is how do you get good inbound links while steering clear of these “bad neighborhoods”? 

 While Google doesn’t yet have an “inbound link checker” to tell you which links are good and which aren’t, they do have another tool which can help.

Google’s Webmaster Tools section isn’t just for your web designer.  You can find a great deal of information - including an External Link Checker which will show you what sites are linking to you. 

You may discover links from sites whose visitors you may never have considered as part of your audience before. For example, your site about tropical fish breeding may have incoming links from a site selling aquariums and related accessories.

Another way to get quality inbound links is to participate on blogs and forums related to your industry.  Make insightful, helpful comments, ask questions, give suggestions and watch as you become more and more well-known throughout these marketing circles.

One thing you don’t want to do is send out massive link “letters” begging for links from the authority site owner.  How would you respond to receiving an email like that?  Now multiply that response by 100 and you’ll start to understand how the site owner feels.

Remember that there’s a very human need for quality information and reliable sources.  You may have to step up and prove yourself as a helpful, knowledgeable seller or service provider, but the rewards and the credibility you’ll reap are worth the effort!

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