There are many types of authoritative links, and different sites require different approaches for getting the link. This post will talk about the process for getting a link from site by using a relationship building process. Certainly there are other sites you may be able to reach without using a process as labor intensive as the one shown below.
But the approach below works, and if your objective is to build your site into a stable authoritative domain, it’s a great approach to use to help you get there. Without further ado, here is a 9 step process to getting authoritative links through relationship building:
- Build a list of authoritative sites that you would really like to get a link from
- Review the content and tools you currently have, or can easily develop. Find the places where you have a good match between your content/tools and authoritative domains. Now you know how to prioritize your campaigns.
- Take your highest priority targets and do some research. Really understand what the site is about. If there is one key individual behind the domain, see if you can find out what their personal passions related to their site are. The best of all world is if they have stated a need or desire for something.
- Make your first contact totally focused on helping them somehow, such as solving that stated need from the prior point. Or point out a broken link on their site. Or point them at someone else’s site on the web that has great resources related to their site. But at the end of it all, simply help them, and ask for nothing in return.
- Do it again, or perhaps even several more times.
- Along the way make sure that they are aware that you have a related site (perhaps the site name is in your signature, for example).
- After you have established a dialog with them, and they are really responding to you, send them an email that introduces your site, and the killer content and/or tools you think they may be interested in. Don’t ask for a link, ask for an opinion, and ask for suggestions.
- Respond to their suggestions. It’s absolute gold if you can get them to suggest some tweaks that are easy to make. After you have made the changes they begin to feel some ownership in what you have.
- The stage is now set, and the exact timing of the link request (if they have not linked to your site already) is a judgement call. But now you are in a good position to make the request.