Content is the Linking King!?

One of the reasons that I prefer adding content to other link building methods is that, done properly, it combines so many of the other methods at the same time. You simply get more "bang for your buck".

Let me explain. Here are just some some of the link building methods that can be used while adding content:

1. Content invites IBL's and natural deep links. People will link to really good (or really controversial) content. They usually don't link to mediocre content. This is as natural as it gets.

2. Content adds internal backlinks. When you add content to your site, you are adding additional internal linking opportunities. I once moved a client in a very competitive search term from nowhere to number 2 on Google simply by removing an "s" from one of the words in his navigation structure - the sheer number of pages in his site containing that nav structure did the rest for me. In this case, the search term was "widget" but he had placed "widgets" in the navigation structure.

3. Content provides marketing opportunities. Adding, for example, some unique research to your site provides not only the content for your site, but also provides an opportunity to do a press release or article about the research (or both). This is usually accompanied by a link.

4. Content increases your ability to capture niche phrases. Even a low link weight page that is, nonetheless, focussed on a niche keyphrase can bring in very valuable traffic.

5. Content allows you to focus and funnel PR and other forms of link weight. If you hardly have any pages, then your ability to funnel link text, PR, etc to certain pages or areas of your site is severely limited. If you have enough content, you can use the structure of your site to focus on marketing opportunities.

6. Content can allow you to get multiple listings for the same site. If you focus and organize your content into discrete catagories, you can often find that a vertical hobby directory that would never list your flower shop may very well list your sub-section on flower arranging. DMOZ policy, for example, also allows multiple listings for the same site IF the content is sufficiently unique to justify it. Wiki and encyclopedia listings are an example of this.

7. Content can get you a more visible, stronger listing. For example, if you have content that provides useful and unique information on a city, then you will find yourself listed in the city section of the directory. If you have it for multiple cities, then you can get the state area (which is usually higher and has more link weight), if you have several states, then you can get the country wide listing, which is yet higher on the link weight scale. If you had just tried to focus a few pages of content on "country-wide" stuff, the liklyhood of your site getting listed at that (or any) level is remote at best. The wider the base, the higher the pyramid. Directories use a pyramid structure (hint).

8. Content allows you to talk about the same subject in different ways. You can have a stuffy, "official" tone of voice for most of your site, but that may limit it's appeal for certain groups of searchers, and limit the types of keywords you can use. By adding chatty, informal articles or user reviews and feedback, you can increase the potential range of your audience reach.

9. Content attracts and converts. People are more likely to trust a site with more content than the infamous "web brochure". People are more likely to link to sites with more content than sites that don't. Content not only attracts and converts buyers, it attracts and converts linkers.

10. Content differentiates. If you are selling the ACME Mark VII and so is everyone else in your niche, or worse, you have an affiliate site, then your ability to attract links is severly hampered by the fact that good directories don't link to the same content over and over again. Good search engines also do not display the same content over and over again. Go ahead and sell that Mark VII, but add unique content that avoids duplication filters and encourages people to link to you. You may even find that your competitors will get bumped lower (or off) if your content is better than theirs. People link to different points of view, not the same point of view (or information) over and over again. Want to get into a competitive directory category? Offer a series of well thought out content that "goes against the flow" of the rest of the sites in that topic area. It's an editors job to seek out and add that kind of information, NOT to help people list their "me too" site.

The reason that "content is king" is because it not only affects your relevance (content and keywords) but ALSO your authority (links).

Ian