Build Relationships to Build Your Rank – We ARE the Internet

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How many professional online relationships do you have?  Excuse me for being forward, but it seems all too often that we forget that the internet is alive with people not robots.  There are online professionals and entrepreneurs behind every webpage you visit.  One relationship with a successful, like-minded internet entrepreneur will do so much more for you than any blog comment blast or link packet will.

SEO practices can seem so dull and lifeless, and they are if you’re simply building profile links.  These are what we call low-quality backlinks.  High quality backlinks (relevant, contextual, high PR, “dofollow” etc.) cannot be spammed or created automatically with software.  The best way to get these kinds of links is through sharing quality content (with a link in your Guest Blogger Bio).  Let me break it down into two steps:

1. Create quality content
2. Build professional relationships

Take the time to write great content and take the time to build relationships with people you can share it with.  That’s it.  Maybe it seems too simple when it’s broken down like this, but let me add some more perspective:

You can’t sell software for this

No one can sell you this strategy (well maybe in a guide) so you don’t hear it being preached everywhere as the best thing since sliced bread.

It’s not SUPER easy

There’s no getting rich quick, it takes work.  Like all things in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

There’s no faking it

This strategy doesn’t work for you if you’re a schemer, or if you’re just trying to get by.  If you’re intent on creating an online business and entertaining a real business model then this WILL work for you.

The method of link building I’ve been talking about is guest blogging.  Simply get in contact with other bloggers in your niche and propose doing a unique guest post for them.  You can find other bloggers with a simple Google search for your keyword or a keyword in your niche, and clicking on the “Blogs” button on the left-hand side of the results page.

A lot of the more popular blogs might reject you because they get requests all the time.  Something you might want to consider is commenting on their blog for a while before asking for a guest post.  If you consistently write agreeable comments that add value to their posts, you’ll stand a better chance of getting approval since they will recognize your name and have a relationship already built with you.

Another great way to get in contact with bloggers looking for guest posts is to use www.myblogguest.com , a free site for connecting bloggers looking for content with those looking to write content.

It might seem like we’re getting adrift from SEO, so here’s some more perspective:

Why do you practice SEO?  Seriously, why does anyone?

To get targeted traffic from the SERPs.

We build links so that we’ll rank higher in the SERPs and get more targeted traffic.  What if I told you there was a way to get lots of targeted traffic while building links that will get you even more targeted traffic?  Well I already did.  Its guest blogging!

Posting quality content on popular blogs is going to get you lots of targeted traffic the same day it’s posted and provide you with high quality links that will help you rank higher in the SERPs.

Don’t hide behind your computer screen spamming blogs with nonsense comments.  Build relationships and share all that great content you’ve been working on.  It’s a great way to build a solid reputation for your website and your name all while getting traffic to your site.

Ben Jackson is an SEO expert/enthusiast and founder of www.seodiscovery.org.

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