The SEOmoz Link Acquisition tool helps you find great places on the web where you may be able to get a link. The tool itself doesn’t list the potential linking websites; instead it gives you a ready-made list of search queries using various search engines which helps you use the power of the search engines to deliver many potential link building opportunities.
This becomes useful because remembering all the different search queries is quite a task and many could easily be overlooked.
The Steps of Using the Link Acquisition Assistant:
- Enter your own website
- Enter your brand name, the industry and the main topic of the website
- Add you location (city)
- Include two of your main competitors
- Add up to five main keyword terms
You are then set to go and can view the results. The queries are grouped according to the type of link sought, including:
- General Directories
- Competitor Links
- News and Press Release Sites
- Relevant Social Media
- Local Directories
- Industry Directories
- Brand Mentions
- Blog Links
Clicking on any of the links will take you to various sites and search engines (including Google, Yahoo and SEOmoz own tools). Each query is designed to list relevant directories/blog/competitor link websites which may be a good source to try and get a link from.
Types of Links
General Directories
Finding relevant general directories is a great way of creating quality links to your site. Google is placing a greater importance on good quality and relevant links nowadays, this method of finding websites is a great way to find quality resources.
Competitor Links
The link tool enables you to use the Yahoo search engine to analyse competitor links. It allows you to search for linking domains which link to your competitors, but don’t yet link to you, a good way of finding some great link prospects.
Local Directories
This query helps find local business directories, another way of gaining quality links from an authoritative website. Since Google places a lot of relevance on local search these days, getting listed in any good local directory is beneficial.
News and Press Release Sites
Finding news and press release websites related to your industry can provide good link sources. If you have newsworthy material to submit, this can be a good opportunity to acquire another type of link.
Social Media Sites
Engaging in Social Media these days is a must for most companies. Finding places where people are talking about your industry is a good place to start; you can then join in on the conversation or even become a ‘guru’ in your industry. This is a good way of obtaining links and also sending targeted traffic to your site.
Industry Related Directories
As mentioned previously, seeking quality and relevant links is a good recipe for success. Not only can you get a good link, you may also be able to get relevant traffic to your site. Directories from strong and relevant resources are much better than general directories and are strong in the eyes of Google.
Brand Mentions
Tracking brand mentions is increasingly important with the rise of social media. You want to make sure that there isn’t a huge amount of negative brand mentions on the web, if there is you should try and resolve the problem. Finding out what people are saying about your company can tell you what your customers want and how to improve your site or services.
Brand mentions also offer the opportunity to gain a link. If someone or a website mentions you or references your website in a positive light, it is a great idea to contact them to ask if they would provide a link to your site where they mention you.
Summary
The SEOmoz Link Acquisition tool is a great way to find strong, relevant potential link sources for your website in the days where industry, subject and local relevance is key for better rankings.
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