Link Opportunities Help

[SEOcort]

I am trying to find link opportunities and I am having trouble. How do you find quality sites to link to you? I am doing keyword searches and looking that way but I really don't know which sites to as to link to us. Can someone help?!

[David Wallace]

If you are going through the process of trying to find sites to link to you for free or exchange links, many times you can check your competition and see who is linking to them. You may find that some of those sites will link to yours as well if you ask them.

This can be a very tedious process however. Me - I buy links mostly. It is a much better use of my time but there are still opportunities to gain links from those that are willing to give them out.

[SuperZu]

If you don't want to pay for these links the only way to go is to look who links to competitors like David said or see who's ranking high for your keywords and approach them. It is a long and frustrating process though. Don't expect a lot of replies. I usually get only about 5% positive answers - the other 95% don't even bother to reply.

[SEOcort]

Thanks for your replies...I am seeing how frustrasting it is...I am trying to find websites to link to and I am also finding directories that I can pay for links to be listed on their website...

[pleeker]

Beyond what's been said already (which is excellent info.), you have to be creative in this day and age.

Sending out 100 generic emails to webmasters saying "please link to my site" isn't gonna cut it. Sending out 4-5 targeted, personal emails to GREAT web sites in your industry addressing the webmaster by name and pointing out why your site might be valuable to his/her readers is a much better way to approach that aspect of acquiring links.

Beyond that, what about looking for blogs and bloggers that write about your industry -- and rather than trying to spam their comments section with links to your site, open up a conversation with the author(s) and develop a relationship with them, to the point where you can feed them info. for their blog and become a trusted source, and then eventually they start linking to you in some posts. Or maybe you have a product you can give out for free in exchange for a review on their blog?

What about link bait? Have you written some great / fascinating / controversial articles that other sites (esp. bloggers) would want to link to? Top 10 lists can be good for this -- and this it also where it helps to already have a line of communication open with the bloggers and others who comment on your industry.

Be creative -- think beyond the basic "please link to me" email. And keep reading this forum, too. Always good advice to be had here.

HTH....