What does 2012 bring for link building and Search Engine Optimisation?

Link building is a never ending task, especially when you are competing for the most popular keywords. On top of this you have the pressure of the search engines trying to ensure that all links to your website are natural. So what can you do?

The answer is keep going but do it naturally. Prioritise your Search Engine Optimisation efforts in the correct order;

• Ensure you have something on your web site that people will link to. It is better spending your money on innovative development than on submitting to web directories

• Ensure you have set up social networking accounts and that you are actively updating them

• Ensure your site is set up correctly. Search engine optimisation has to be done on site as well as off site

• Ensure you have a blog or news area that is updated regularly on your website

• Submit your website to the top directories

• Submit articles to the top directories (ensuring the articles are all different where possible)

• Submit to social bookmarking sites regularly, bookmarking your most recent content on your site

• Speak to people about adding your link on their website/blog

• Join in forum/blog discussions and point people to your site where it can answer their questions

• Monitor your progress in the search engines using their tools

Link building needs to capture how you want people to find you. If you are an SEO company based in Edinburgh and your main keyword is SEO Edinburgh then your links need to show this. More natural links will not be as precise but where possible ensure the links are relevant to your end goal.

Don’t forget the social media buttons on your site; these enable people to rate your content and can only become more integral into Google’s algorithms. Google plus 1, Facebook like and twitter’s tweet are all essential. Put them where people can see them and encourage people to click on them. Get ahead of your competition and build your numbers up.

Search engine optimisation has got to be part of an overall internet marketing strategy to ensure your end goal is correct. This keeps focus on your efforts and allows you to really look at what you want before you start spending time and money on it.