I seem to be forever writing about “link building” practices which are becoming irrelevant or even counterproductive. And if any of you read other online marketing writers, you’ll know that there are even more failing techniques than I mention here. “Guest blogging” and “Article Directories” are two long-established methods of getting links which appear to have become discredited recently. So what still works?
The consensus seems to be that we need to stop thinking about manipulating Google, and instead, we should invest our energies in creating content which will attract links naturally, simply because it’s interesting. Now, that’s easy to say, but in the engineering and scientific sectors, a lot harder to do. Who’s going to link to this stuff?
The answer may be to consider who might conceivably link to an article when you write it. For example, supposing you were producing an article on the future of blue widgets, to back up how authoritative your company is in blue widget technology. Why not get some third-party input to the article …and why not select that third-party because they have the facility to link to your article? For example, the Professor of Blue Widgets, or the Editor of Blue Widget World, who both happen to have their own blogs? It would be human nature for them to note there that “I’ve just been quoted in this article about the future of blue widgets”…
It sounds like hard work. You’re a marketing manager, not a journalist, right? As in all writing exercises, PR companies and freelance technical writers should be your best friends here. But never has there been a better time to employ ones which show some real initiative and creativity in this area. Too many just go through the motions.