Online competition is the norm of today’s web-based world. With so many sites and users online, it’s hard to see through the clutter and to implement a necessary process for quality relationship building. But, in this current landscape, generating links, connecting with others in your space and utilizing a link building process is a key consideration for long term survival online.

Success of any kind of online business will be impacted by the visibility and ranking of specific search phrases across many platforms, from organic search results, local search, video search, news search and in social network platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Additionally, for every web property, presenting an engaging user experience once the visitor finds you, becomes a full-time job as well. It is thus advisable to create an easily navigable and conversion-driven website. Make them want more, and to bookmark and share you web site.

Are consistent, top natural search engine rankings possible?

You can and will get high SERP (search engine results pages) positions, if you focus on the right approach for link building. Google’s PageRank link analysis is well known (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank). Quality links are achievable by means of organic methods and in developing partnerships in the community you operate in (niche market). It’s should not be an automated approach, but a personal one.

The more you build the relationships (offline and on), and the more quality incoming links a webmaster has to their site, the faster you will show up in searches, and stay there. These links will also receive direct clicks, and generate more traffic back to the web site. They will show up as referrers (incoming links) in your web analytics.

There is no short cut to success, however. If considering an SEO company to help you, don’t get fooled by those who offer fast visibility, as there are no guarantees. Once a company is selected, you must develop good relationships, work closely together, and even expect to lose money at the beginning of a campaign. But, each campaign and marketplace is different. Make sure to include good tracking and baseline reporting (rankings, traffic, conversion numbers) before starting, and measure as you go.

What Can Webmasters do to build Quality Links Using a Social Web Approach?

1. Work on getting links from quality websites within your niche. Instead of mass submission to directories, research and contact fellow bloggers, journalists and websites that you could offer something useful to. Their readers will love it. You can even offer to guest-write. And, as you think about your own readers, what would they like to see as links you could add to your own pages? Don’t be afraid to link out. You should also develop short “how to” videos, upload them to YouTube, and share freely. Don’t make it sound like a sales-pitch though, keep it short.
2. Submit quality content in the form of articles to the free, highly searched article directories. There are many article directories available where a person can submit work. EzineArticles.com, Suite101.com are considered top destinations, and you should build up your profile there, and share it. Use Twitter and Facebook to distribute. For more advanced sharing and tracking, try Hootsuite.com
3. Link with popular websites within your market, that already has traffic. You can research some of the traffic metrics from Alexa.com, and Compete.com. See if it makes sense to pursue links from your findings. Make sure they don’t try and sell you on anything you don’t need. No spamming allowed, of course.
4. Improve your own website. Adding and updating links internally to pages you want to elevate, can work well. PageRank (Google’s trust-voting-system of links) flows from page to page, internally and externally. Consider reviewing your web analytics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_analytics) for pages that are already driving some traffic, view your rankings for page 2 listings, clean up your content, add some more, add that video, add social buttons, and get more links, and you’ll likely get a page 1 placement. Try setting up a contest for a viral distribution. Repeat.
5. Upload and publish content regularly. Content is not just web pages (HTML), but business white papers, videos, special software downloads, audio, images and more. If you don’t have a blog (WordPress.com) already, what are you waiting for? You can write a topic 2-3 times a week to start. Use sites like Elance.com to get help writing. Outsourcing to the English-speaking Philippines can work for you. Try Craigslist Manila and onlinejobs.ph for some great resources, and don’t be surprised to get a quality worker for around $300.00/mo for a full-time person. Get your own domain, and host the blog there, that is preferred.

In Conclusion:

Paying attention to this relationship link building can prove very beneficial for an owner or webmaster who wants to generate quality transactions online. It will pay off over time. Just don’t quit.

Final Tip: Register with several forums (Google & Yahoo Forums) and research to understand the latest updates on the subject matters in your niche. Track activity via Google.com/alerts. The system automatically sends you the change information directly via email, or into your favorite RSS reader. Forums are also important in building relationships and visibility/links for yourself.