Link Building Wiki - Main
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Welcome to TextLinkBrokers' Link Building Wiki
This Wiki can be reached directly through the URL LinkBuildingWiki.com. The main goal of this wiki is to provide a central repository for all information related to link building.
In order to prevent spam this wiki is only editable by admins. If you are interested in helping contribute to the link building wiki, please contact Jarrod@textlinkbrokers.com. We would be happy to give credit(promotion) to authors who actively contribute.
Link Building Wiki Introduction
Link building is a pretty general term used to describe anything you do to build links to a website. There are two primary reasons to build links; Direct Click-Through Traffic, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). On this site we are focused on the Search Engine Optimization aspect of link building. While the goal of most search engine optimization campaigns is to build traffic, the goal of SEO based link building is higher rankings.
This is important to keep in mind. There are some links that are good for traffic, there are some good for SEO, and there are some good for both. Links that provide both traffic and a rankings boost in the search engines are obviously great, but it is important to realize that just because a link gets good traffic, it doesnt mean that it is good for SEO.
Link Building - Terms and Definitions
Link Building - Forums & Active Posts
Whether you are new to link building or have been doing it for some time, there's always lots of useful information to be found in various forums.
Below are a list of recommended forums as well as some posts that provide useful insight into link building. While we may not necessarily agree with all the points mentioned in these forums we do feel they warrant attention.
SearchEngineWatch Link Building Forum
One Way Link Building [1] (Thread Started 06-01-2004)
Reciprocal Linking [2] (Thread Started 06-02-2004)
Slickest Link Building Tricks [3] (Thread Started 08-16-2004)
A Positive Step Forward in Link Strategies [4] (Thread Started 07-08-2004)
Matt Cutts Comments On Reputable Sites & Link Selling [5] (Thread Started 09-02-2005)
How Fair is the Link Popularity Algorithm? [6] (Thread Started 09-22-2004)
Link Building 101 [7] (Thread Started 11-07-2004)
Using the NoFollow Attribute [8] (Thread Started 01-17-2005)
Google's Definition of "Relevant Linking - Discussions" [9] (Thread Started 05-19-2006)
Inbound Link Questions [10] (Thread Started 11-02-2006)
Google not picking up links [11] (Thread Started 11-07-2006)
How Many Links should I Build every Month? [12] (Thread Started 11-21-2006)
Would a visually-cloaked link diminish SEO impact [13] (Thread Started 11-21-2006)
Tool for link building [14] (Thread Started 11-27-2006)
Link Building Tool Suggestions [15] (Thread Started 11-28-2006)
How do I check multiple backlinks [16] (Thread Started 12-01-2006)
High Rankings Link Building Forum
Tips for Purchasing Links [17] (Thread Started 08-30-2005)
Why PageRank Doesn't Matter [18] (Thread Started 10-08-2005)
Building a Reciprocal Links Page [19] (Thread Started 11-22-2005)
Matt Cutts on Big Daddy [20] (Thread Started 05-16-2006)
What Do You Do For Link Building? [21] (Thread Started 05-25-2006)
Is Reciprocal Linking Dead? [22] (Thread Started 05-31-2006)
WebmasterWorld Link Building Forums
Beware of Blog Submission Software [23] (Thread Started 10-25-2005)
Matt Cutts on Link Development [24] (Thread Started 11-17-2005)
Writing Articles for Link Popularity [25] (Thread Started 11-21-2005)
outsourcing link development [26] (Thread Started 11-26-2005)
If you had 10 people for link development what would you put them on? [27] (Thread Started 11-30-2005)
Link Development in the Blogosphere [28] (Thread Started 01-04-2006)
Link Development vs. Traffic Development and Staying with the Times [29] (Thread Started 02-15-2006)
More evidence that links pages are dead [30] (Thread Started 02-25-2006)
Natural is Unnatural [31] (Thread Started 03-02-2006)
Does This Link Pass PR? [32] {Thread Started 03-14-2006)
Do article links expire? [33] (Thread Started 04-02-2006)
How much are .edu domains favored? [34] (Thread Started 04-02-2006)
What Not to do when requesting links [35] (Thread Started 04-07-2006)
Link Checkers: Are they of value or waste of time? [36] (Thread Started 04-23-2006)
What would you consider too many inbound links within a given period? [37] (Thread Started 05-03-2006)
Links Page: Does it have any value? [38] {Thread Started 05-07-2006)
3 Way Linking! White Hat or Black Hat? [39] (Thread Started 05-09-2006)
How to find GOOD related sites for reciprocal linking? [40] (Thread Started 05-19-2006)
SEO Chat Forum Index
Link Development Program [41] (Thread Started 05-05-2003)
Outbound Links - Authority Site Linking [42] (Thread Started 07-04-2003)
List of Free Directories [43] (Thread Started 01-19-2004)
Getting backlinks for newbies [44] (Thread Started 08-09-2004)
List of Searches for Link-Popularity Building [45] (Thread Started 03-21-2005)
How to build One-Way Links [46] (Thread Started 04-25-2005)
Abakus Internet Marketing Link Building Forum
How much is a link worth? [47] (Thread Started 06-26-2003)
Linking strategies on your own site [48] (Thread Started 06-26-2003)
Using Java Navigation for Link Popularity [49] (Thread Started 07-13-2003)
Search Engine Forums Link Building Forum
What Directories other than DMOZ and Yahoo? [50] (Thread Started 09-09-2004)
how do i find and evaluate a good directory? [51] (Thread Started 12-22-2004)
Cr8asite SEO/Links Forum
Link Building via Press Releases[52] (Thread Started 03-26-2006)
Should you build links to homepage or deeper pages?[53] (Thread Started 04-01-2006)
SE Roundtable Forums
Effectiveness of Link Popularity Decreasing? [54] (Thread Started 01-24-2006)
Site Wide Links: Do They Help or Hurt?[55] (Thread Started 05-09-2006)
Link Building through Blogs [56] (Thread Started 05-26-2006)
Should I buy a site-wide link from a PR8 site? [57] (Thread Started 10-13-2006)
Backlink discrepancy in Google [58] (Thread Started 11-09-2006)
Sitepoint.com SEO and Link Building Forum
SubmitExpress Link Building Forum
Get Paid Link Building Forum
Site Ground Link Building and Exchange Forum
FullTimeWebmaster Link Building Forum
LinkBuildingForum.com
Outsourcing Plans Link Building Forum
Google Groups Link Building posts found in "Search-Engines" Group
Link Building/SEO Blogs & Posts
TextLinkBrokers Link Building Blog 
- Highly Recommended :)
Category - Link Building Basics
Category - Link Building Advanced
Jim Boykin's blog - Highly Recommended. Jim is one of the few link builders that has the years of experience necessary to back up what he says.
Category - Link Building
Stuntdubl's Link Building/SEO Blog - Highly Recommended. Todd Malicoat is another very bright link builder. Read his blog regularly!
Category - Link Development
Some recommended link building posts from Stuntdubl:
Etiquette for Submitting Stories to Digg
The Search Marketer’s Guide to Digg
SEOMoz Blog - Highly Recommended. Rand Fishkin has learned more about link building in the past 2 years then most "ordinary" SEO's learn in a lifetime.
Category - Link Building
Some recommended link building posts from SEOMoz:
Why It Doesn't Pay to Game Digg (or Other Link Aggregation Sites)
A Piece of Content that Doesn't Deserve to be Linkbait
Long List of Link Searches
How to Get Banned from Digg
Oh Reddit, Thy Mystery is Infinite
Comparing backlink data – lies, damned lies, and statistics
The Two Kinds of Linkbait
Why Would You Display Your Text Link Ad Inventory?
Matt Cutts Blog - Highly Recommended for advanced link builders who know how to take everything from a "Google Employee's Mouth" with a grain of salt. Matt's blog is a great read but always keep in mind that he works for Google.
Some recommended link building posts from Matt Cutts:
Link Exchange Emails
MarketingPilgrim - Andy Beal's Blog While not wholly dedicated to link building, Andy has a great SEO blog and is quick to stay on top of current events.
Search Engine Watch Blog - Highly Recommended
Jeremy Zawodny's blog - Jeremy doesn't always post a lot of Yahoo stuff but occasionally you get gems.
Promotion Data Blog - a regularly updating site with links to many link building and SEO articles.
WebProNews Blog - "Top News" feed (More Feeds)
Some recommended link building posts from Searchnews:
Always Get New Links "AGNL" - 7 Tips For Success
Linkbaiting Or Link Baiting?
Grey Hat News - As the name implies, not necessarily a “white hat” SEO site
SEOBlackhat - Another not necessarily "White Hat" SEO site
Oilman's Blog - One of the true SEO gurus that tells it like it is
WebGuerrilla aka Greg Boser's Blog - Another tell it like it is SEO guru
Category - Linking
Some recommended link building posts from Searchnews:
How To Win Links & Influence Engines
Build Link Popularity in 7 Days
Finding Authoritative Links
Some recommended link building posts from Copyblogger:
Discover the Secret Mind Control Method That Hypnotically Persuades Prospects to Buy… Guaranteed!
The History of Link Bait
Do You Love Viral Marketing?
How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic – The Ultimate Guide
Viral Manipulation for Fame and Profit
Are You a Resourceful Blogger?
Link Karma and the Sandbox of Gloom
How to Link Bait Me
Link Karma 2: Link Harder
Does the SEO Industry Have a Branding Problem?
For Whom the Blog Tips (It Tips For Thee)
Some recommended link building posts from Searchengineguide:
Secrets of a Professional Link Builder Part 1: It’s the Keywords, stupid
Secrets of a Professional Link Builder, Part 2: Anchor Text Away!
Secrets of a Professional Link Builder Part 3: Content, Content, Content
Search Engine Blogs
Official Google Blog
Yahoo! Search Blog
MSN Search's WebLog
Some Recommended Link Building Posts on MSN Search Weblog:
The Ask.com Blog
Sites devoted to Link Building Articles
TextLinkBrokers Link Building Articles - Articles written by Textlinkbrokers.
Stuntdubl's Link Development Articles - Probably one of the more well known SEO gurus, this is Stuntdubl's link development article area.
Seomoz.org - Link Building Articles - Another well known site.
4th Media - A collection of resources and articles related to link building.
List of Link Building Directories - Has a good list of various niche directories to use when link building.
Link Building - Articles
131 (Legitimate) Link Building Strategies - Search Engine Watch article on various link building strategies (Published on 07-11-2002).
The Art of Advanced Link Building- Elizabeth Osmeloski provides this great article on advanced link building (Published on 11-11-2003).
Topic Sensitive Links - This article explains why themed or topic sensitive links are important and how to get them (Published on 11-04-2004.
Web Links from the Search Engine's Perspective - Barry Swartz aka Rusty Brick provides his ideas on link building (Published on 11-04-2004).
Link Building Tactics - A great summary of the most common link building tactics (Publisheed on 11-22-2004).
Link Spam Aliances - A good breakdown of a technical paper published which analyzes link spamming (Published on 05-31-2005).
Link Development Tools - A great one-stop-shop for a variety of link building tools, tips and tricks (Published on 07-25-2005).
Natural Link Acquisition - Oilman's take on link building. Tip - it must appear natural (Posted on 12-01-2005).
Donating to Charities for Link Building - Explains how you MAY be able to build some links by providing donations or otherwise sponsoring charitable events (Published on 01-04-2006).
Link Building is Relationship Building - A great "step back" article discussing how important relationships are when link building (Published on 01-27-2006).
Link Baiting - An article about link baiting (Published on 02-13-2006).
Too Many Links? - Has links to some very good podcasts on link building (Published on 03-09-2006).
Article on Link co-citation - How link co-citation can affect your SEO (and link building) efforts (Published on 03-15-2006).
Link Building Via Press Releases - Tips on SEOing press releases to help build links (Published on 03-29-2006).
Proper Link Requests - Providing suggestions for email subject lines that get noticed and get responses (Published on 04-05-2006).
I Am Not a Link Communist - Great article from Todd Malicoat of Stuntdubl.com (Published on 04-06-2006).
E-Zine Article - Tips for building inbound links (Published 04-17-2006).
Two of the Best Ever Posts on Link Building - According to Randfish these are 2 of the best link building articles (Published on 05-05-2006).
How to Get the Links You Need - Doing the Math on Link Building - Yet another great article by Stuntdubl. Maybe you don't need as many links as you think? (Published on 05-10-2006).
The 5 minute Link Value Test - 6 Link Quality Indicators - Some common ways to find the value of links from Stuntdubl (Published on 05-10-2006).
Preventing Link Popularity Leakage - Not strictly link building however it does show how to maximize your link popularity inheritance from the home page (Published on 05-10-2006).
Link Building and LocalRank - Revisits the topic of LocalRank and its impact on link building in general (Published on 05-11-2006).
Series on how effective linking campaigns lead to increased online visibility - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (Published on 05-15-2006).
News.com Article Discusses new laws which, among other things, may hold site owners legally (and likely criminally) responsible for outgoing links (Published on 05-16-2006).
Link Building for Yahoo! SEO - some tips on why linking is important for Yahoo! as well (Published on 05-19-2006).
Free traffic from the Google Blog - Shows how you may be able to get traffic from Google Blog with only a link (Published on 05-19-2006).
Thinking (a lot) about linking - A good article that touches on many aspects of how site interlinking works (Published on 05-30-2006).
E-Zine Article - Link Building Article (Published 05-30-2006).
Nofollow No Good - Jeremy Zawodny raises some interesting points about the effectivness (or lack thereof) of the nofollow attribute (Published 05-30-2006)
Big Daddy Got You Blue? - 3 Things You Should Know - An article about why some people have suffered from the Big Daddy update and a few things that can be done about it (Published on 05-31-2006).
Link Building Basics - Yet another article for those new to link building (Published on 05-31-2006)
Expired domains and their Link Building Value - Interesting article with links to forums discussing this topic (Published 06-01-2006).
5 Reasons I like the nofollow tag - after all the negative nofollow press this article provides support for nofollow (Published on 06-03-2006)
Link Building Guide - Great guide for link building (Published on 06-05-2006)
Thinking (a lot) About Linking - A great introductory guide into the history of linking. It explains why we need link building (Published on 06-06-2006)
No-one links to the linkers - An interesting take on why bloggers need to post original content: Because people don't link to sites that merely post links (Published on 06-10-2006)
Bill Slawski Interview - This is here not so much because of who he is but what he says about links. It's a long interview but worth the read especially if you want to understand how Google sees links (Published on 06-12-2006)
Viral Marketing for Links - Using the "Social Web" for link building (Published on 06-13-2006)
Website designers want searches to work for free - A couple things to point out. First this is USA Today talking about search but more importantly it's an article with interviews of people in the industry all saying the same thing - if you want good rankings you need links (Published on 06-14-2006)
5 Facts on Link Building - A good article if you are new to link building (Published on 06-15-2006)
5 Rare and Valuable Link Building Tactics - An article explaining some of the often forgotten but just as effective link building ideas (Published on 06-16-2006)
Quality Content vs. Link Bait - An article discussing if some link bait is actually good (Published on 11-08-2006)
21 Link Bait Ideas - As the title suggests, 21 ways to do linkbaiting (Published on 11-13-2006)
Link Bait: The Path to an Improved Web - An article discussing whether link bait is in fact good for the web (Published on 11-15-2006)
The Effects of Bad Neighborhood Links on Your Web Site Rankings - How linking to (and from) bad neighborhoods may affect your rankings (Published on 11-15-2006)
A Link Is A Reference And What It Is For Us - Just how valuable are some links to you? (Published on 11-17-2006)
Off-site Optimization: Link Building Strategies (Published on 03-21-2007)
Link Building - Tools
On its own, link-building is an effort-consuming, repetitive task. Also, there are several grey areas which need to be clarified for beginners and experienced search engine marketers alike.
The following collection of resources will go a long way towards arming you with the right knowledge about link building, and will give you the right tools to really boost your search engine rankings.
Backlinks Analyzers
Arelis - One of the oldest link building softwares out there.
SEO Elite- A great tool for doing inbound link analysis and also for finding link partners.
Zeus - Another popular link analysis and link partner finding tool.
Optlink - One of the original Backlink analysis tools
Link Harvester - Find backlinks using this free tools that queries Yahoo. Source Code also available.
Hub Finder - Looks for sites which have co-occuring links to related authoritative websites on a particular topic. Source Code also available.
Back Link and Anchor Text Checker - Checks back links and anchor text.
Link Appeal - Calculate the desirability rating of having a link on the url specified.
Link Analysis Tool - From SEO Guru Rustybrick.
Link Popularity Checkers
Free link popularity check - free software from Axandra.
Technorati Link Count Widget - Javascript to show how many other sites link to you
Rank Checking/Tracking Tools
DigitalPoint.com Search Engine Keyword Tracker & Keyword Ranking Tool - Digitalpoints rank tracker is probably one of the most widely known and used
IBP SEO Optimization and Rank Tracking Software - IBP has one of the most reliable and accurate rank trackers on the market. They also provide great tools for SEO companies to provide rank tracking to their customers.
Link Exchange Tools and Software
LinksManager - LinksManager is the oldest reciprocal link building software out there.
Link Explore - Another option for finding link partners and automating exchanges.
Link Validator - Ensures reciprocal links are online.
Reciprocal Link Checker - Another link validator.
Outbound Link Analyzer - Checks for presence of outbound links as well as anchor text.
Reciprocal Link Checker - Free tool to ensure reciprocal links in place.
Pagerank Lookup/PageRank Tools
PrProwler - Prprowler is another really great link analysis tool. Allows you to quickly analyze, collect info, and sort backlinks from your competitors and from analysis of top ranked sites for particular keywords.
Class C Tools
Webuildpages.com C-Class Backlink Analyzer Tool - Tool for analyzing backlinks to find the the number of different Class C's
WebrankInfo Class C checker - Allows you to check if some sites are hosted on the same Class C IP Range.
TextLinkBrokers Class C Checker - Convert web addresses into IP Addresses with the Text Link Brokers Class-C IP Checker.
SEO/Link Building Tools
Yahoo Site Explorer - SiteExplorer is gaining in popularity everyday. It is one of the only places you can get a completly unaltered list of a sites backlinks.
Stuntdubl's Link Development Tools - A good summary of tips and tricks for link building.
Rank Checking Tool - Free account needed to set up keyword rank checking.
Create Google Sitemaps - Free tool helps create Google XML sitemaps online,
Various SEO/Link Building Tools - Tools by Cre8asiteforums Members
SpyFu Competitive Intelligence Gathering Tool - A fairly new tool but is sure to become yet another regular one in the SEO tool arsenal
Keyword Tools
Keyword Density Tool Generates keyword phrases from a URL and displays density.
Keyword Suggestions - Keyword suggestion tool from SEO Chat.
Keyword Density Analyzer - Used to help calculate keyword density of a page.
Keyword Analysis Tool - Enter URL/Keyword and this tool displays PR, backlinks and Page count for the top 10 listings.
Webmaster Toolkit - Free Keyword Research Tool.
Main Overture Keyword Tool - Overture's own Keyword suggestion tool.
Alternate Overture Keyword Tool - Search Term Volumes from a variety of Overture sites.
Google Keywoords Tool - Used for Google Adwords.
Google Suggest - Provides ideas for Keywords based on searches and competing sites.
Keyword Search Volumes - Provides keyword data using Wordtracker and Google search results.
Free Keyword Research Tool - From Apogee Web Consulting.
Miva Keyword Tool - Research Keywords in the UK with this tool.
Ontology Finder - Find related Keywords.
Word Tracker - Probably one of the oldest and most well known keyword research tools. Requires paid subscription
Firefox Extensions
RankQuest SEO Toolbar - Toolbar provides you quick access to more than 25 intuitive SEO tools.
SEO Keyword Competition Research - Gives you backlinks number, indexed pages, keyword occurences on the page, page rank and more.
SEO Tools - Collection of useful SEO Tools
SEOpen - Provides some basic tools to help with search engine optimization and link building.
SEO Bar - Another SEO Toolbar.
a4seo - Use to examine a site's backlinks.
Link Building Tool Directories
These are sites that list link building tools
Link Building - Patents, Research Papers, and Algorithms
These are some of the best papers published by students, individuals and employees of major search engines.
The Anatomy of a large-scale hypertextual Web search engine - The definitive paper on how Google works (pdf)
Who Links to Whom: Mining Linkage between Web Sites (pdf) - From Google Labs
Improved Algorithms for Topic Distillation in a Hyperlinked Environment (1998) (pdf) - From CiteSeer (Penn State)
Efficient Identification of Web Communities (2000) (pdf) - Discusses using links to find communities of sites
Microsoft Research Paper - How Microsoft may begin to segment pages - could impact link building efforts in the future..
Block Level Link Analysis (pdf) - Analyzing links at a larger level than on a link by link basis
Exploiting the Hierarchal Structure for Link Analysis (pdf) - Using the web's natural hierarchy to analyze link patterns
Link Fusion: A Unified Link Analysis Framework for Multi-Type Interrelated Data Objects - Understanding different links and how to use them
Fast Parallel PageRank (pdf) - A new method for improving PageRank calculations
Informational Retrieval Based on Historical Data
The Pagerank Citation Ranking: Bringing Order to the Web
Topic-Sensitive PageRank - A Context-Sensitive Ranking Algorithm for Web Search
Hilltop: A Search Engine based on Expert Documents
Link Based Spam Detection - Yahoo Patent
Link Building - Techniques
Link Baiting Techniques
link baiting refers to baiting people to link to your site through several different methods.
One Way Link Building Techniques
There are many different techniques for building one way links including:
Using the Link Functions Illustrated elsewhere on this site. In other words, performing manual link building.
Article Writing
While article writing is sometimes referred to as link baiting, in reality it serves a dual purpose.
Link Building/SEO - Guides and Books
The following books cover link building in one way or another.
Textlinkbrokers Link Popularity/Building Guide (.pdf)
SEO Book - A great General SEO book that covers linking as well
Searchenginenews.com's SEO Book "UnFair Advantage Book on Winning the Search Engines Wars" This is a really good SEO Book that has a fairly extensive section on link building. We highly recommend buying the book which also give you access to a wonderful "members only" section of their site. Lots of great articles!
Amazon Link - Marketing Through Search Optimization: How to be found on the web (Paperback) by Alex Michael, Ben Salter 2003 - 264 pages
Amazon Link - Search Engine Visibility (Paperback) by Shari Thurow 2002 - 320 pages
Amazon Link - Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization (Paperback) by Andrew B King - 2003 - 528 pages
Amazon Link - 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site : Filled with Proven Internet Marketing Tips, Tools, Techniques, and Resources to Increase Your Web Site Traffic (Paperback) - by Susan Sweeney - 2004 - 460 pages
Amazon Link - Search Engine Advertising : Buying Your Way to the Top to Increase Sales (Voices That Matter) (Paperback) - by Catherine Seda - 2004 - 368 pages
Amazon Link - Guerrilla Marketing for Free: Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits (Paperback) - by Jay Conrad Levinson - 2003 - 188 pages
Amazon Link - Google Hacks : Tips & Tools for Smarter Searching (Hacks) (Paperback) - by Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest - Computers - 2004 - 443 pages
Amazon Link - How to Do Everything with Google (Paperback) by Fritz Schneider, Nancy Blachman, Eric Fredricksen - 2003 - 350 pages
Amazon Link - Search Engine Optimization : An Hour a Day (Paperback) - by Jennifer Grappone, Gradiva Couzin - 2006 - 312 pages
Amazon Link - The ABC of SEO (Paperback) - by David George - 2005 - 172 pages
Amazon Link - Search Engine Optimization for Dummies (Paperback) - by Peter Kent - 2004 - 384 pages
Free Print Bookshelf - A collection of search and link building books
Link Building - Functions
Link Functions - The most popular link functions from all the search engines
