Linking Mistakes
When it comes to link building there are as many ways to fail as there are to succeed. Watch out for the following link building mistakes.
Mistake #1: Shortcuts
In life shortcuts are generally an illusion. It seems that cutting corners takes longer than if you'd just done something the right way the first time. Watch out for those alluring shortcuts in link building that just don't work. Free-For-All (FFA) link pages and link farms were favorite methods in the past, which allowed for mass submissions and masses of links, but irrelevant links are worthless gains, and even cause for penalties, when relevance is paramount to the Search Engines.
Mistake #2: Swaps
Swaps are usually initiated by a friendly little email that says something like, "Hey, I don't know you and you don't know me but let's do each other a favor and link up." Much like the shortcuts you've been warned of, email swapping generally produces irrelevant links.
Mistake #3: Petty links
Let's pretend you know 100 people who have Websites, all concentrating on different businesses, goals, and site content. Imagine you've come up with this ingenious idea for everyone to engage in link building with one another's sites. Now picture it: 100 worthless links on your site that have nothing to do with your site's content. Stop pretending; we beg of you.
Mistake #4: Impersonal requests
If you're on a quest to have a site link to yours, sending an impersonal bulk letter or email isn't the way to go. Link building should be considered as a networking method, and, as with any business transaction, professional decorum should always be maintained.
Mistake #5: Dull Anchor Text
It's the little things that count, and adding keywords to anchor text (the hyperlinked text that serves as a link) is just another way to boost your rankings. Instead of the general click here, learn more, or (our favorite) follow this link, use keywords and key phrases; People know what those little underlined words mean; in-text directions are superlative.
Mistake #6: Rank-less sites
If you've ever purchased a home, leased a business office, or opened a store front, you probably adhered to the real estate honor code of Location Location Location. Link building isn't any different. Engaging in link building activities with sites that aren't ranked, or even indexed, with the Search Engines won't do you much good.