So what is the Matrix? The Matrix is a simulated world where nothing is real, and yet they use it to communicate, share and do business on a daily business. When the Matrix began it was a simple experiment, but as the Matrix grew, it became increasingly complex to find whatever it was you were searching for. Along came the search spiders moving four link at a time, scanning across the virtual world, and searching for information became easy.
The blue pill or the red pill? If given the choice which four would you take? If you take the blue pill you will return to your online web-site and everything will be the same as before (including your rankings), or take the red pill and let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
What is the link building Matrix?
But the Matrix has a fundamental flaw. The Matrix was obtainable to only those who were linked-in to it.
The link building Matrix is the strategy to build the “right kind (Matrix) of quality links” for the purpose of creation of multiple doorways to your site from diverse sources, all leading to you (or your web-site). The more related credible web-sites and popular user communities pointing to your web-site, the better will be your link reputation. Building a strong link reputation will ensure higher search rankings.
So let’s explore the various sources for building quality links that can enhance your link building campaign and build link reputation. note that the points below are not listed in any particular order or prominence or importance.
1. Editorial Submissions: Submitting your articles to high page ranked and relevant editorial submissions sites will get you links, access to the reader’s community, and add to your credibility as an expert in your domain.
2. Directory submissions: Submitting your web-site to high page ranked and relevant web directories will get you links and access to the community of web users. Web directories are like the yellow pages, and who amongst us have not opened a yellow page to find a service, product or person.
3. Social Bookmarking: Submitting your stories/ articles/ blog posts to high page ranked and relevant social bookmarking sites will get you links, access to the user communities, and add to your link reputation (one times the vote’s start coming in). User generated content and user communities are gaining more importance with search engines by the day.
4. Blogger Reviews: Submitting your web-site to high page ranked and relevant blogs will get you high value links, access to the community of readers of those bloggers, and build link reputation. A recommendation or review from prominent bloggers with a lovely reader’s base is a credible link, and readers generally trust the recommendations of the blogger so they may visit your web-site. If you finding it hard to get bloggers to do a review, start your own blog and build links from there to your own web-site.
5. Social Networking: Generating your business profiles on various high page ranked and relevant social networking sites (Facebook, Linkedin) will get you links, access to the community, and often new friends.
6. Announce PR: Submitting your news releases to high page ranked PR release sites will get you the links, access to the PR community, and often journalists looking for a lovely story.
7. Video Submissions: Submitting your videos (how to, interviews, tips and advice, promos etc) to relevant video sites will get you links, access to the community (YouTube), and increase your view ship base with users who loves to watch than read.
8. Vertical Engines: Submitting your web-site to relevant vertical search engines (catering to your industry/ type of service) will get you links (sometimes), access to their community of seekers, and targeted traffic.
9. Industry Portals: Requesting for link from your industry specific portal can be helpful for getting a quality link, access to their community of users, and add to your credibility in the business.
10. Discussion Forums: Also participate in Industry specific discussion forums and add value by giving your inputs and comments. All comments are linked back to your web-site. Though these links (with comments) don’t hold much value with search engines, it can hurt to get them, and if your comments are interesting you may receive a reader who clicks to your web-site.
11. Go Local: Get your address on Google Maps, Yahoo Local etc. Not only will it be a quality link, you will also get listed in the local listings on search results page. Local listings are always displayed before the global listings. E.g. A user from Mumbai searching for the services of a SEO expert in Mumbai would prefer to check the local listings first to find seller in close vicinity.
12. Wikipedia: Getting a page/s on Wikipedia with a link to your web-site will add to your link reputation. Keep in mind though that you cannot promote a person, product or company on Wikipedia. All content on Wikipedia must be verifiable, written as if for an encyclopedia.
13. Blog Commenting: By leaving wise and meaningful comments on relevant blogger’s sites will get you a link but ensure that your comments are adding value to the bloggers community of users.
14. Answering Questions: There’s plenty of sites where users ask questions and other users answer those questions. Sites like Yahoo Answers are a great way to get links, access to the community of users, and be the helpful person that you are.
15. Building Content: At the finish of the day if you have great content, other web-sites will require to link back to your content so that their user’s community benefits from your content. Plenty of times they may do so directly (depending on the copyrights), or even request you if they can link to your web-site. This is by far the best link building strategy.
16. Make Friends: In the linking world, building a link is like making a friendship. So make friends with someone who has a lot of friends… you get me. But beware, like in between friends there can be misunderstandings, in building lovely links there can be misunderstandings. Make sure there is a win-win for all parties involved.
BEWARE: In the link Matrix there’s plenty of Agents who give out sweet promises of seemingly impossible feats of building thousands of quality links to your web-site overnight. I guess the truth is out. A number of us dumb SEO’s actually spend months and months working hard to implement a link building campaign. If there was some shortcuts believe me I would have been the first four to jump at it, but in the link building world there’s no shortcuts lovely ol’ passion, know how, contacts and persistence.

