Updated: December 22, 2015
As you build links for your website, you cannot forget to build relationships with those you’re working with. You can build relationships with site owners, those who blog, business owners and/or anyone else who is associated with a given business (or website). The most important thing is to remember is you shouldn’t request a link without putting in the effort to get to know the owner(s).
There are two distinct ways you can build a relationship in order to gain links. You can start from scratch or you could utilize an already existing relationship.
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Building a Relationship From Scratch
Starting from scratch is the hardest way to link build. This is because you have no idea of any specifics, such as what your starting point should be, who should be your contact, what the best way to contact them even is and how best to distinguish yourself from the plethora of other people reaching out to them every day?
Your first must locate who you’ll need (or want) to network with. In order to do this, you should make use of online tools such as Followerwonk—a website that lets you analyze and search for Twitter users. Followerwonk can allow you to find industry experts whose input on your site could in turn make you a valuable resource for others.
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Building a Relationship with Someone You Already Know
Building a stronger relationship with someone that you already know is much easier than building one from scratch. However, many businesses neglect to utilize their physical relationships and turn them into online relationships as well. Since you already have an established relationship with these companies/people, then you already have access to their contacts—so this part is easy. You just need to write down their details. Your next step is to contact them and see if they’ll be willing to add your name to their own websites.
At the same time, you should also compile a list of all of the people you’ve worked with digitally. There are several resources available to you to check your backlinks to make this job easier. You should then do some personal analysis. For example, you should make sure that your page has the most up-to-date links and that everything (including your content) is still relevant to your business. You also need to make sure that your links do not end up coming up as a 404 error.
Now that you have an idea about how to build relationships in order to link build, read here to get an idea about other ways to link build.
Building new relationships and adapting existing relationships are only two of the ways you can start a link building campaign. You need to remember that fostering relationships takes time, so don’t expect immediate results. For more information about link building or building professional relationships, visit SEO-e.com.