One way link building is an important part of your overall SEO strategy. The major search engines view these as high quality inbound links – when done right.

In this post I’ll give you 7 simple one way link building strategies that give your Link Reputation a nice little boost, and also bring in highly targeted traffic all on their own.

One Way Links are valuable because they are viewed as truer votes towards your web page. The exception is sponsored links, or one way links that are obviously purchased. There are a number of ways that Google can tell this, which is one of the reasons that a permanent inbound link tends to gain more weight over time.

Easy One Way Link Building Strategies

The goal is to get permanent one way links pointing to your web pages, whether that be the main page of your site or internal pages or blog posts on your domain. You need a good number of quality deep links to those internal pages to boost your overall Link Reputation. Following are 7 very easy ways to achieve that…

1. Interviews

Interviews come in all shapes and sizes, and you can really get creative with this one. A traditional audio interview on a webinar, podcast or online radio show will usually get you a link on the host’s site and also a mention to their mailing list (even better if those newsletters are archived online).

I prefer text interviews on relevant blogs, as they give you a high quality contextual link from a relevant content page. This can be done by answering a series of questions via email that are then published on the blog.

Another option is Q&A style, which is fun and easy.

Examples:
Advantage & Disadvantage of Outsourcing Q&A Style
Lynn Terry of ClickNewz an interview Text Interview
Life Change: Interview with Lynn Terry Text Interview
On Becoming a Market Leader Audio Interview
Lynn Terry Affiliate Marketing Success BlogTalkRadio Interview

2. Guest Blogging

Interviews are great, but guest blogging is even better for one way link building. Why? Because as the author of the content on the page that is linking to your page, you have full control over that link.

You can choose the keyword phrase to optimize the blog post, choose the page you want to link to that is relevant to that topic, and use your preferred anchor text in that backlink. And if that wasn’t reason enough to start guest blogging, you’re also putting yourself in front of an established readership in your niche!

Examples:
My Guest Post on Problogger
Guest Post on ClickNewz by Danny Cutts

3. Private Paid Link

One thing you really want to stay away from is programs or schemes designed to create your one way links, or text link brokers that sell you one way links.

These programs and brokers are really frowned upon by the major search engines and could hurt your Link Reputation rather than improving it.

This being the case, I still purchase text links from time to time – I just do it smarter. And I never purchase a temporary link, but rather a permanent contextual inbound link on a relevant content page or blog post.

How do I manage to do that? Simple: I offer bloggers a one-time payment to blog about a specific link on my site. Most of the “pay per post” brokers pay their bloggers $5-$15 for blog posts, so that price range is suitable – particularly for B-list or C-list bloggers. I usually use Job Boards on forums to make the offer.

I do not specify anchor text, give them more than one page or blog post to choose from, and just request that they blog about the topic and link back to the page/post. I do this because I want link variation, and because I’m buying “advertising” or “buzz” – rather than specifically buying text links.

Never use a broker. Do it yourself, or hire a virtual assistant to manage it. Period.

4. Article Marketing

Submitting articles to article directories is similar to guest blogging in that you have complete control over the content and the link. This is a great method that people have been using successfully for years.

In addition to getting indirect rankings when your submitted article ranks well, and then funnels traffic into your site, your article can also get republished all over the web – resulting in numerous quality one way links.

Sidenote: A lot of us – newbies and experienced marketers alike – are taking Jeff Herrings new article marketing e-course. It’s cheap and it’s awesome – super great investment to really nail this strategy.

Examples:
My latest article on EzineArticles.com
Quick Start To Setting Up Your First Blog Article at EzineArticles
Republished here, here and here (to name a few).

5. Testimonials

Most merchants won’t publish a live outbound link to your site from their sales page, but if you get creative you might just be able to get a link from their blog or an internal page on their website pointing to your review or case study of their product.

I’m actually seeing an example of this in the SERPs now with a page I’m trying to beat out for their #3 listing. By analyzing their backlinks, I discovered the merchant was linking to their review.

Look for merchants that link out to reviews, give live links in testimonials, or that have blogs. If they have a blog you can offer a detailed case study or success story as a guest post, which includes the link to your review of their product.

6. DMOZ Directory

Meh. Good luck. But if you can manage to get a one way link by submitting and getting an approved listing in the DMOZ directory – go you!

Here’s the link: http://www.dmoz.org/help/submit.html

7. Social Bookmarking

Ideally you should include social bookmarking buttons on your blog posts or web pages to encourage your readers to bookmark your content. This is the best and most natural way to get one way links from this source.

You can also set up your own social bookmarking accounts, but my advice is that for every link of your own that you bookmark… you should bookmark 5 or 10 other links on domains or properties you do not own. This keeps it natural, and resourceful.

See: Top DoFollow Social Bookmarking Sites by PageRank & Alexa Rank

Also download and read Social Media Daily by Michelle MacPhearson

8. Bonus One Way Link Building Tip!

This bonus tip is actually one of my favorite one way link building strategies. It’s so slick you’ll be shocked at how simple and effective it is. And it’s easy too – you don’t even have to request a single backlink for this one…

Write content so great that you get unsolicited one-way links to your page from all over the web. That’s it. This post serves as a good example.

Best,

Also See: How Many Backlinks Do I Need?

One of the great things about working from home and online is that you can be your own boss. One of the downsides… you no longer have a team of co-workers doing their share of the tasks. The solution: Outsourcing.

If you look behind the curtain of any solo-entrepreneur, you’ll most likely find an entire team of assistants and service professionals keeping that business running smoothly.

One of the primary disadvantages of outsourcing is that you lose quality control over the tasks. This can be particularly risky if you are not familiar with the task, or how it should be done, and you’re working on blind faith. Especially with important aspects of your online business, like SEO or link building.

One of the major advantages of outsourcing: getting more done in less time…

I outsource quite a bit myself, but I thought I would bring in an expert to discuss the advantage & disadvantage of outsourcing in more detail. My friend Traci Knoppe runs an outsourcing company for web tech services, so I sent her an email with a few questions:

Hi Traci, I was just reading your article on the pros & cons of outsourcing and it reminded me of some outsourcing nightmares I’ve had in the past…

Fortunately most of my experiences have been positive… but, any advice on avoiding a bad experience with outsourcing?

In a word: References. Just like hiring anyone, you need to check their references. So many people are too quick to hire the first person or company they believe they can afford, regardless of the integrity and work ethic of the person or company.

Without checking references, you are acting on blind faith that this person or company can do what they say they will do.

Ahh – very good advice! I usually start by doing a search on Google for reviews or conversations about the company or person I’m considering. References I hadn’t considered…

I tend to outsource tasks I am not good at, such as graphic design or copywriting, and then I also outsource tasks that are repetitive or time consuming. With those, such as link building or article submissions, I prefer to do the task myself at first to get a feel for how I want it done.

That way I can share detailed instructions with the assistant or company. As someone who runs an outsourcing company, would you agree with this process?

It can be helpful when a client understands some of the processes involved in accomplishing the work they require.

When we would need information from them, knowing even a little of the how and why behind the request can make it easier for the client to provide us with the exact information we need.

However, it certainly is not necessary for a client to feel they need to learn about what we do in order to work with us. After all, that’s why most companies outsource, because they don’t know how to do something, and they don’t have time to learn, or don’t want to take the time to learn.

True – I do love the people on my team that seem to just be intuitive to what I need and “get it done” – they rock! Especially with graphics and site design.

A lot of people fear the cost of outsourcing. I’ve found it to be a very rewarding investment, increasing my productivity and revenue exponentially.

You’ve been self-employed for over a decade yourself – what’s your personal experience with this?

Everyone outsources something: we don’t do our own dental work, and we don’t cut our own hair. For many who do cut their own hair, perhaps they shouldn’t. We buy goods and services every day: and that’s all forms of outsourcing.

Coming to realize that we are already outsourcing, can help one see outsourcing as a help, not just an expense. Outsourcing can actually increase your profits, and it will most definitely afford you the time to manage your business more effectively, leaving you to do the parts of your business that only you can.

Once I personally saw outsourcing as a time saver for me, then I quickly became the ‘Queen of Delegation’. Yes, I’m an outsourcing service provider and I too outsource, that’s why I have staff to help me.

Good point – and great way to look at outsourcing. You wouldn’t want to see me if I cut my own hair! For that matter, that’s what some of my sites look like when I don’t outsouce: a bad do-it-yourself job. LOL

For someone that wants to try outsourcing, just get their feet wet a bit maybe, what would you recommend as the best first step?

My recommendation is to start with one task or small project as a test; and delegate that to an outsourcer.

If you’ve checked references before you choose someone, then the true test of your compatibility to work together and communicate effectively will be revealed through your test project.

If the test did not go well, determine if another test with that same outsourcer might help smooth out some of the new working relationship wrinkles. If continuing with that outsource provider isn’t an option, then find someone else. It’s definitely worth the effort to continue your search until you find the right person or company.

If the initial test went well, then look at your work load and decide what you can effectively delegate and outsource it!

Great advice. Not everyone, or every company, is a good fit. It has taken me time to create a team I can depend on and really enjoy working with. I use the word “team” loosely – it’s made up of a lot of stand alone disconnected individuals who are awesome at what they do.

But I’m working on that.

Thank you, Traci! Very insightful to hear your take on these issues.

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I would love to hear your thoughts on outsourcing tasks for your online business, and specifically your personal experiences with the advantage & disadvantage of outsourcing. Leave us a comment below!

Best,

p.s. Traci Knoppe runs Your Web Tech Team, a virtual outsourcing team with very affordable rates.