Having battled the SEO war on all fronts (for myself, for clients, for a firm, and most recently, in-house), I’ve learned a lot over the years when it comes to link campaigning. Although I am completely FOR generating content that will get linked to naturally, often time this is easier said than done. If you’re not a link baiting aficionado or if you’re limited by what you’re authorized to do, then you’ll need to get links the old fashioned way and simply ask for them.

Do I want this link? How can I get this link? What anchor text should I target for this link? Is this link actually attainable? Does this link have value? These are all questions I ask myself when looking for suitable link candidates. Answering these questions helps me decide which approach I’ll take (if any) and how far I’ll go to get the link.

Everyone’s best advice is to start by doing an in-depth analysis of your competitors' backlinks. This is exactly where I start my digging, but it’s important to keep track of everything within an excel or word doc; otherwise, what’s the point? Not only will this keep you organized, but you’ll be creating a link map of your entire industry as you go along. Soon enough, you’ll have collected a large list of related websites. These will be your link prospects.

Note: I also use - http://*.domain.com - to get a broad view of where my competitors are being mentioned (utilize absolutely every tool you can).

As you visit the sites your competition is linked from, keep a sharp eye out for “add url” or “recommend a site” links. Sometimes it’s as easy as filling out a form and clicking send. Other times, you’ll have to do some creative digging. For example, there was a educational research page I wanted to get my site listed on but there wasn’t any contact info or an “add url” sort of link…that I could readily see, that is. As it turned out, the “add url” link was buried within the list of research links on the page. I was only able to locate it after utilizing “find:addurl.” This approach also works on some online contact forms. Rather than using the form to send your link request, you can search for an email address by “viewing source” and then using the “find:@” command.

Organization is Key

Once you’ve got a healthy list going, stay organized by grouping your list of link prospects into different sections.

These can include:

• Authority links (.edu, .gov, etc)
• Directory links
• Blog links
• Newsgroup links
• Social Media links
• Forum links
• etc

Depending on the industry, your list can even be further categorized. For example, if you’re an “energy” related site (like me!) you can have headings such as:

• Oil and gas sites
• Petroleum sites
• Alternative energy sites
• Solar energy sites
• Energy stock sites
• etc

Organizing your list this way helps determine which anchor text you’ll be targeting. Presumably, you’ll be using your “oil/gas” keywords for the oil and gas sites, your petrol keywords for the petroleum sites, your energy keywords for the energy sites, etc. This also helps you determine which page you’d like them to link to. Perhaps you have an inner page that is more suited to their specific content than your homepage. Having backlinks that point to your inner pages are just as important and often are harder to get. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to do so.

Once you’re organized, you’re ready to roll.

But wait! The biggest mistake you could make at this stage is to contact every single site on your list all at once. It’s important to first come up with an approach and try it out a couple of times before you decide it’s a keeper. If you email 5 sites and get less than a glowing response, you’ll know that your approach could be better. In that case, you can brainstorm something else and email another 5 prospects. Doing it this way, you’ll eventually generate an approach that works and you won’t have wasted your entire list of link prospects on one bad pitch. Keep in mind that what works for some, won't work for all. An approach that works for ecommerce sites won’t necessarily work for blogs, and an approach that works for .edu sites won’t necessarily work for obtaining .gov links, etc.

Being “Sneaky” is Sometimes Required

Once I’m ready to begin actively campaigning, one of the most common problems I run into is lack of contact information. This can make opening up the lines of communication extremely difficult. For this reason, sneaky tactics are sometimes (often?) necessary, both in finding the info you need AND getting that link.

For example, there is a prominent blog that I was salivating for a link from. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate a single shred of contact info…anywhere. Since the blog owner’s name is published after each post, I Googled it and found him on LinkedIn. From there I invited him to join my network, telling him I was a big fan. (A fan of getting a link, that is! Shhhh!) It took roughly 2 weeks, but he finally obliged. After a few emails back and forth, he included my site within a related blog post. Mission accomplished! Even better is that I now have the ear (and personal email) of someone who is an icon within my industry. He’s actually emailed me a few times requesting verification about data he was about to post!

Another time, I was tracking a blog and patiently waiting for my chance when the blog owner posted about basically “disliking” my entire industry (news/media). She felt very strongly that the news wasn’t worth watching anymore because it all had a negative spin. Where most would see a lost cause, I immediately saw opportunity. My approach included contacting her regarding her thoughts and, for the most part, agreeing with her opinions. I then asked if she might have a look at our site and offer a review of how we could improve our coverage. I didn’t ask her to post the review to her blog, but she did anyway (everyone needs fresh content). Once again, mission accomplished.

My point is, if you’re comfortable with being somewhat sneaky and sometimes having to “stretch” the truth, do it. As long as no one’s getting hurt in the process.

Keep track of your progress.

Once you start getting responses, try color coding your results (such as green for “link obtained," red for “no such luck,” purple for “email was returned,” blue for “no response,” etc) as you record them. Keeping impeccable track of your linking progress not only helps you determine your rate of success and helps with tactics, it also serves as something tangible for you to show your boss!

Be sure and record the date you contacted the link prospect, how you contacted them (email, online contact form, comments post, etc), what approach you used, and any other relevant info you can think of.

After a few days your list will presumably look something like below (this is only a wee portion of my latest campaign):

 
Oil and Gas:

oilweek.com/ - emailed Oct 18 – pitched the oil rally video. NO RESPONSE.

oillinks.ie/html/links.html -- emailed Oct 25. LINK OBTAINED.

survivingpeakoil.com/links.php  - emailed Oct 25. EMAIL RETURNED.

Oilfield Companies:

kalpub.com/industrylinks.html - requested via OCF Oct 17. NO RESPONSE.

claymorefieldservices.com/ - emailed Oct 27. LINK OBTAINED.

mostardirectional.com/industrylinks.html - emailed Oct 27. LINK OBTAINED.

Organizations:

davidsuzuki.org/Links/ - emailed Oct 16. LINK DENIED.

climategroundzero.org/ - emailed Nov 13 through OCF using a version of Rand's link request email template. LINK OBTAINED. (Thanks Rand!)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_energy_topics – Oct 16. LINK ADDED and sticking. (Note: nofollow means don’t follow, not don’t count!)

News/Media:

fortmcmurraytoday.com/ - requested via OCF Oct 18. Plugged “oil rally” video. NO RESPONSE.

topix.com – Applied to become editor oil/gas & energy cat. Oct 25. LINKS OBTAINED.

mediamag.ca/index.php?option=com_magazine&Itemid=419 – emailed Oct.13. LINK OBTAINED.

Canadian:

choa.ab.ca/links.html - emailed Oct 19. LINK DENIED.

vivelecanada.ca  –  emailed Oct 19. Plugged our “Alberta oil rally” video. LINK OBTAINED.

petro-canada.ca – emailed re: Petro-Can President interview video Oct 30. NO RESPONSE.

aeri.ab.ca/sec/links/links_001_1.cfm - emailed Oct 30. Pitched video interview with Stelmach - LINK OBTAINED.

landsolutions.ca/links.html - emailed Oct 27. LINK OBTAINED.

My actual list of link prospects runs 8 pages long and my success rate, although not stellar, is definitely improving. I also add to the list whenever I come across a page or site that’s related to mine. And being an editor of related categories at various directories helps me stay informed of up-and-coming sites within my industry. My list therefore keeps growing….and growing…and growing. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to publish my very own directory!

There are plenty of different ways to embark on a link campaign, and I’m sure everyone has their own different style. I realize, to some of you, this may seem a little like "Link Campaigning 101," but I sincerely hope a few of you find the opinions and strategies expressed within this post to be of some use. Best of luck in your linking endeavors!

P.S. If I don’t get booed off the proverbial stage, I plan to post more about specific link request strategies that have worked for me. Maybe they’ll work for you too.

Life is a search engine. We are the content.