Last week e-Commerce link building was discussed at WebmasterWorld Forums (also reviewed by SEroundtable). Why is it actually more difficult to build links to an e-Commerce website?
- today almost every webmaster knows the real value behind a link; thus linking to a commercial site is either avoided or nofollowed: aka “they have enough money either way”;
- an Internet shop most often lacks “linkable” content (unless that’s some unique store of handmade store or collectibles).
So what’s the way(s) out?
“Do what your competitors do and just buy some links”
There has been said a lot about both advantages and disadvantages of link buying already. So just to summarize:
You have the full control of the anchor text, link acquisition rate, link placement, linking site topic and link power (toolbar PR of the incoming links).
If the webmaster sold a link to you, how do you know he was smart enough to sell link in the past and no to get caught by Google? How do you know the site isn’t red flagged? You can make guesses (judging from its rankings, other sites it is linking to, etc) but you can never be sure.
Try other traditional link building tactics:
- promote the company / founders’ personal story (via press releases and bloggers);
- sponsor non-profits;
- start a green initiative, etc
These tactics will work only if managed by an experienced and creative person. So you will need either to outsource them or hire (and educate) a specialist.
You will need much time to experiment with various tactics that will work in your niche. Copying your competitors’ similar techniques are not sure to work: you will have to invent unique ways to make it work.
Get creative: start a link bait:
- start a widget bait;
- develop related (and fun) online tools or FireFox addons;
- create a viral video;
- start a contest or giveaway;
- well, there are plenty of ways.
A well executed link bait (and social media bait) will not only result in more links but will increase the brand awareness, promote word of mouth and attract new customers;
Link bait is hard to both plan and predict. An attention spike may result in negative feedback publicized and spread. Google’s take on link bait is also unclear: you never know how it can react to a sudden rise in backlinks.
