Backlinks (or back-links (UK)) are incoming links to a website or web page. The number of backlinks is an indication of the popularity or importance of that website or page.
Wikipedia
In a perfect world your blog would get backlinks on it’s own merit. Some other blogger reads what you have to say and points a link your way-they may like what you have to say or hate what you have to say-a backlinkis backlink. I try to point to two other blogs when I write a post in a passive attempt at getting reciprocal links. Sometimes I get a backlink, sometimes not.
The trouble with this method of getting backlinks is that you need to some way to check backlinks. Technorati has always been a favorite place to check back links-it tells me I have 127 blog reactions. Which is cool, but when I look at Web Tools Back Link Checker it tells me I have 1,054 backlinks. I’ll be honest and say I have no idea what this means.
But I do know you can build links and you can exchange links with other bloggers. Blogcatalog is a good place to join and find advice on link building and find link exchanges as well. But I found that I quickly grew tired of this kind of reciprocal linking-you join a join and add your link and then you link to everyone else and check back from time to time to see who else you need to link to. It takes a bit of time, but then, all the backlink methods tend to take a bit of time.
Entrecard-the best loved/most hated blog promotion tool-has generated a lot of link love for me and I have done next to nothing to get these backlinks. I put my Entrecard Widget at the top of the page and accept anyone that wants to advertise there. There are a number of lists on Entrecard blogs about their favorite blogs, easy card drop blogs, highest card dropper blogs and so on. My blog shows up on one or another list from time to time.
Blog comments have turned into a pretty good backlink tool. There are two No Follow search engines-that I know of-and likely more will be showing up. Do Follo was the first one that I found and I use it from time to time. BacklinkSpot is the other U Comment/I Follow type of search engine. Both seem a bit limited on content at the moment-you will get the same blogs for many searches. Leaving comments is easy link building, so I can’t complain too much.
But I am pretty lazy on the link exchange front and the commenting on Do Follow blogs front. Nor do I buy backlinks, though I have thought about it. Google doesn’t seem to like for you to buy links, they want them to come naturally. Which brings me to my own method of search engine ranking, write about trendy things and try to catch the occasional buzz wave. Once you have a good spot on Google-getting into the top ten is possible on many topics simply by pounding the keywords-then people will read you and point links at you.
So why do you need to find backlinks? It’s one more way to keep score and improve your search engine rank. The better your search engine ranking. the more people will stop by your blog. Whether you are doing a bit of search engine marketing, or just want more readers, seo helps. The text link is easy enough to do on your own-link to another blog using their name or their blogs name, or if they are all about making money online, link to them with that text link. Don’t just say look here, unless you don’t want the topic of the blog link to reflect your own blog. But since it about getting cheap links, you should be linking for keywords.
Some experts on seo ranking think one way links are better than link exchanges. That’s more of a real measure of link popularity-if they link to you without your having to ask for it, either directly or indirectly. The more backlinks you have the better seems to be a common thought, but not all links are created equal. Links from high Pagerank blogs are better than links from zero pagerank blogs. But I don’t worry too much about it. If a blog with a zero pagerank hangs around long enough their Pagerank will likely grow. And once it does, there is your backlink waiting to be noticed again.
Nickoo Shore just advises creating your own Link Love Do Follow list. RSS Pieces advises joining as many directories as you can-a good idea.
