Seo Sunday: Linking

To start out our SEO on Sunday series, I think it's perfect to talk quickly about Linking. I'm not going to go into massive detail, but I am going to share an example of what NOT to do.

Don't ignore or decline an inbound link opportunity.

(Unless it's bad for business of course.)

When I had the concept to do this series, I contacted Steffan Antonas to ask permission to link to him. He responded with a yes, and also a, "let me know when you do - I'd like to join in on the conversation". Now THAT'S what it's about (ok, so it's also about driving traffic....), this new day and age of the Internet. Having conversations, sharing content, sharing information. But I digress.

I also contacted someone else whom I respect in the area of SEO. I've been reading his articles for a few years, I get fantastic ideas from his work, and I find him to be quite knowledgeable and (usually) approachable. But he didn't get back to me regarding my request to link to him.

Don't do this.

Incoming links are SO important to drive up your search engine rankings (= more traffic = more sales). If someone wants to link to you and their site is aligned with your strategic plan?

Do it.

SEO in 3 Minutes or Less.

It seems I've been waiting for this man my whole life. (ok, ok, a few months anyway!) Steffan Antonas. He's explained SEO for the ordinary person. He's explained keywords for the ordinary person. All pertaining to links. The links you use in your blog. HOW you use links. HOW you write links. And just how to use keywords in those links. And a bit about the importance of linkbacks. (Anyone care to link to me? Let's chat!)

It's helped me to turn my thinking around (and I love when I find information, or a quote, or a blog post that does that! That totally re-arranges the pathways in my brain and gets me thinking bigger, larger, grander....), and all it took was a three-minute read. The best thing? I had no idea at all how important it was to have links in your posts. Keywords, yes. Links? No. Now that I do, it will totally change the way I write posts, do business, and increase my knowledge base for my customers therefore helping them to gain an advantage as well.

Fantastic.

To read Steffan Antonas' article, pop by his SEO post and have a look!