Yes, the rumors are true. I’ve put together the most comprehensive list of link building strategies on the Web. If there’s any post on my blog you should bookmark for future reference, this is the one.

Thanks everyone! Having spent more than 15 hours putting this together, this is one of the few posts I’ll legitimately ask you to share. Please, those buttons on the left look really attractive (you know you wanna!).

Why I created it: The best link building strategies are never found in one place, and the best lists of strategies are completely outdated.

Basic

These are the most basic strategies in the book. Everyone can build
links with these strategies, no matter what industry you’re in.

Create a blog

Time: 8-12 weeks

Dependencies: Content, design, development, legal

Link Value: High

Creating content on a consistent basis not only builds links
internally (by linking out from your posts), but also gives you the
ability to naturally attract links to your content.A blog is essential
to many strategies I list below, such as linking out. You absolutely
need a blog in today’s online environment to survive.

For more information, read these tips & tutorials.

Create an RSS feed

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: Design, development

Link Value: High

If your blog is run on any of the popular Content Management Systems, you’ll already have an RSS feed. If you don’t, create one. If you do, burn it at Feedburner.com so you can get statistics on your subscribers.

For link building, it’s simple. There are sites out there that will scrape your content (stealing it without permission). When they do, make sure you get a link back by 1) including links to other pages on your site in your posts and 2) installing the RSS plugin for WordPress (adds a link to your blog after every post).

Interlink

Time: 4-8 weeks

Dependencies: Development

Link Value: High

You have pages and posts on your website, so make the most of them.
Internal links are HUGE for link building because you can control
everything about them, from the location on the page to the anchor text.

This is something that most people overlook, and I advise you to
please not! Make sure to steer your content in the direction of other
posts or pages so you can link to them.

Also, if you have multiple sites, interlinking is a must (unless they’re completely irrelevant and unrelated).

Resources/Links pages

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Marketing, design, development

Link Value: Moderate-High

Other webmasters have created links or resource pages, and these are
legitimate opportunities to get links. If the links on that page are
relevant, you’ve got a chance.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just asking for a link. I’ll go
into specific strategies below that help you get webmasters liking you
before you ask, because doing that greatly increases your chances of
getting a link.

Profile links

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you sign up to become a member for a site, you’ll get a link in
your profile. Well, not every site. Some sites will allow quality links
in your profile, while others won’t. Some are in the middle, such as
Twitter, which gives nofollow links (links that don’t pass link juice).

Example: CrunchBase. Sign up here.

Ask people you know for a link

Time: 1-2 weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: None

Link Value: High

Whether it’s your friends, relatives, employees, colleagues, business
partners, clients, or anyone else, ask them for a link. Someone you
know has a website or blog, so take advantage.

Make it easy to link to you

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: None

Link Value: High

If you want people to link to you, make it easy for them.Create HTML
ready snippets that people can plug right into their content to link to
you, because some linkers in your community might not be too web savvy. I
suggest either creating a “Link to Us” page or by using a little
javascript to generate the HTML at the end of each article or post.

Note: this might not be the best option based on the
community you’re located in. Are you in the cement niche? Then this is
perfect. Are you talking about Internet related business? Then this
might not be your best bet, because the majority of your audience
probably already knows how to link.

Research competitors

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: High

A large chunk of my time finding links is by looking through my
competitor’s link profiles. Essentially, you’re piggy backing off of
their success. While some links are unobtainable (i.e. a random mention
in a news post), others can be diamonds in the rough (a high quality
niche directory).

I suggest using SEOmoz’s Open Site Explorer
for this. Plugin your competitors and export their backlinks to a CSV.
Do this for all of your competitors so you can get all of their links in
one place – Excel. Then you can sort them by various link metrics to
find the best opportunities.

Link out

Time: 4-8 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate-High

Linking out is huge. Don’t be a link hoard; you’re going to create
content, so use it to gain favor with other people.I’ll go more into
depth below with specific strategies on linking out.

Get people to see your content

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Social

Link Value: High

People won’t link to your content unless they see it. At the same time, you need the rightpeople in front of your content – not everyone is a potential linker.

This is where social media, content marketing, and brand awareness
comes into the link building realm. Getting people to see and know your
content & brand is a massively important strategy to build links.
Below I’ll go into specific strategies to make this happen.

Build relationships

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Social, customer service

Link Value: High

This is the #1 link building strategy in the world. Get to know
people! Build relationships with them, because it’ll come back to you in
the form of links (that is if they’re the RIGHT people).

I’ll go more into depth below on different ways to build
relationships, but the best part about this is that it’s just like real
life. Remember how people say, “it’s not about what you know, it’s about
who you know”?

Submission-Based

There are many places across the web where you can build links
through submissions, whether it’s submitting your site, a piece of
content, or anything else.

Article directories

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: Low-Moderate

You can submit your articles & blog posts to article syndication
sites. Although they don’t pass much value, they’re still worth
submitting at least a couple articles to. In return, you’ll get a link
or two in your author bio, depending on the site.

Example: Ezinearticles.com. Sign up here.

Web 2.0 submission

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: Moderate

Web 2.0 sites are similar to article directories, but instead, you
can add images, video, and other interactive features to your content.
These usually pass more value than article directories, but it depends
on the authority of the site.

Press release submission

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content, PR

Link Value: Low-Moderate

By submitting a press release to distribution sites or specific
syndication sites, you can build links if you add one or two into the
body of the release. Some options are paid, while others are free.

Example: PRWeb.com. Sign up here. Packages start at $89.

Infographic submissions

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Design

Link Value: Moderate

If you’ve created an infographic, you can easily submit them to infographic directories or blogs. Paddy Moogan put together this awesome list of 27 of them.

Example: CoolInfographics.com. Suggest one here.

Company directory submissions

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: Marketing

Link Value: Moderate-High

Just like general web directories, you can submit your site to
general company directories. You really don’t even need an actual
company; you only need a website.

Examples: HotFrog, Manta.

Video submissions

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Marketing, video production

Link Value: Moderate

If you have video content, make sure you’re getting links from all that hard work.

If you’re looking to submit videos on a large scale, consider checking out Tube Mogul. It’s a paid service, but it can save you some serious time.

Example: Vimeo. Sign up here.

Niche specific directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: High

As opposed to general web directories, niche specific directories only accept sites that meet a certain topic criteria. For example, one directory might only accept sites about arts & crafts. Some of these directories are free, while others are paid.

User rating reviews

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low

Submit user ratings and build links at the same time.

Web cam directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low

If you set up a Webcam, you can get a few high quality links, such as
the PR7 directory listed below.If you’re wondering where to set it up,
don’t worry; it doesn’t have to be Times Square. I’ve seen a few of
highway roads set up right outside of their offices (pretty lame,
right?). You can do something similar. If you want, set it up some place
awesome, because it could attract links on its own.

Example: Earthcam.com. Submit here.

Logo design directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low

Most of you have logos for your website or company, so get a few links in return for them.

Example: TheLogoMix.com. Info to submit here.

Free web directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low

There are hundreds of free web directories to submit your site to.
The only qualification you need is to have an active website. Because
these links are so easy to get, though, they don’t pass much value.
Still, there are a few free general directory links that pass both link
juice and trust.

Example: Website Launchpad. Submit here.

Non-English directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low

If you’ve created multiple versions of your site in different languages, you can get links for it.

Example: Hello Dir (Italian). Choose category, then submit.

RSS directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low-Moderate

If you have an RSS feed, you can submit it to RSS directories. There are hundreds. Here’s a fantastic list (scroll down) of RSS directories to start out.Although these links won’t be directly to your content, they’ll pass link juice to your RSS feed which links to any content you linked to in your posts.

1-800 Directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Low-Moderate

Have a toll free 1-800 number? Get a few links in return. If you don’t have one, you can get one for $10/month at Grasshopper.

Example: InternetTollFree.com. Info to submit here.

Blog directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you have a blog, you can submit it to various blog directories.
Like all other directories, some pass value, while others are crap.

Example: AllTop.com. Find a relevant category, then sign up to submit.

Podcast directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you have a podcast, you can snag a few free, easy links by submitting to podcast directories.

Example: PodcastDirectory.com. Submit here.

Iphone app directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you have an Iphone app, you can get a few easy links. Or, if you
want, you can create one to get these links. An easy one to create is an
app that just acts as a mobile RSS reader (this app from the SPI blog is a great example of this).

Example: Appolicious. Sign up to submit here.

EBook directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you’ve already written a few eBooks, or if you plan to, there are a solid amount of eBook directories you can get links from.

Example: E-BooksDirectory.com. Submit here.

Web app directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you have an online tool or application, you can get links for it.
If you’re thinking about creating one, know that it can also be used to
attract links (link bait). We’ll go more into that below.

Widget directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

Although the majority of widget directories you come across don’t
outright give you a link, you can still do some serious link building
with them. If you make sure there’s a link somewhere in your widget, you
can get it in front of large audiences with these directories, and in
doing so, some will embed them (thus, you earn a few links).

Paid directories

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

Some directories cost money in order to be accepted into their
listings. Once again, while some of these can pass legitimate value,
others pass little and aren’t worth your time or money.

Multimedia/Document submissions

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

If you have any PDFs, PowerPoint Presentations, word documents, or
any other documents, you can submit them to these sites and get a link
in return. You have to put the links in your documents, such as in the
first slide of a PowerPoint or in the text of a PDF.

Examples: SlideShare, Scribd, and Issuu.

Note: Although you can get a profile link from each, I’m
still not 100% positive Google counts these links. I’m 99% sure Scribd’s
links are, but I know these are nofollow. Also, Slideshare’s &
Scribd’s profile links are nofollow.

CSS/HTML5 galleries

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

There are loads of CSS galleries you can submit to if you did a great
job designing your website or blog. There are also a few HTML5
showcases that you can get links from too.

I suggest forking out $20 to have your site submitted to 100 of them. Don’t worry; it’s quality manual submissions, not software.

Theme/Template directories

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

Designing WordPress themes or website templates can be a great way to
net a few fantastic links from directories. Also, you can host the
download page on your site, and if it’s decent, you’ll get a few links
from design blogs.

If it’s a WordPress theme, you can submit to the WordPress.org theme directory, which will get you a couple of high quality nofollow links (not to mention a ton of free exposure).

Example: free-css.com (website templates). Here’s the submission information.

Note: Remember to include credit links in the templates or
themes, because sometimes that’s the only way you’ll get a link back
(they’ll link to a demo page, not the creator’s site). Popular page
locations of links include the footer & the sidebar.

Content-Based

You can use your content to get links. Most of these strategies don’t
necessarily attract links (which we go into below), but they can if the
content is good enough.

Guest posting

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

Bloggers, just like me, sometimes have trouble cranking out content
on a regular basis. That’s where you can help. Pitch bloggers to ask if
you could guest blog, because if they say yes, you can get a few links
from the post, and if the blog is popular, you can drive traffic too.

Here’s a fantastic guide on the entire guest blogging process.

If you want, use sites like Blogger Link Up and My Blog Guest to connect with bloggers who need content. It’s scalable, but the bloggers you get in touch with aren’t usually very authoritative (they’re mostly mid-level bloggers).

Trade articles

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

Just like guest posting, you can get links in return for your
content, but why not just trade? You both get content on each other’s
site, links, and visitors from an entirely different community.

If you or the other has a significantly more popular blog, see if the
less significant one can do something extra in return. A good example
is buying the other $10-15 worth of StumbleUpon paid traffic.

Educational content

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

If you’re trying to get links from colleges, create content targeted
at them that you can use during outreach. Trust me, there’s usually
something you know that you could write an entire tutorial on that would
interest college webmasters.

Pro tip: Seek out pages on .edu websites that feature similar
content, then do any of the strategies I list further down on this list
that get you on the webmaster’s good side.

Green content

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

Just like educational content, create something that targets a
specific community. In this case, environmentalists. They’ve got hoards
of link juice just waiting to be tapped into.

Simply outreaching to green bloggers and letting them know about your
content usually does the trick. If the content is good enough, and if
it’s a complete conversation (i.e. a huge infographic on the
environmental impact of drift nets), they’ll usually dedicate an entire
post to it.

Pro tip: As stated above, an infographic or something similar would
work great, because all they have to do is embed it. If there’s any
community willing to embed an infographic that’s relevant & worth
sharing, it’s the green community.

Images

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Design

Link Value: Moderate

Something so frequently overlooked is the use of images for links.
Bloggers just like me struggle to find relevant images to our content,
so why not take advantage? When people use your images you’ll get an
attribution link in return (that’s if they’re honest).A great idea is to
always have a camera with you whenever you’re at an industry event.
Imagine if you took 100 pictures at PubCon of all the different speakers
and published them on a certain portion of your site.

Pro tip: hotlink your images. Make it easy for publishers to copy & paste HTML code right into their posts. This not only makes it easier to use your images, but it also makes it much more likely you’ll get a link from each.

Free charts/graphs

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Design

Link Value: Moderate-High

If you’ve got a few tidbits of data lying around, make them into charts and graphs. SEOmoz did a fantastic job of this. Just like images, you’ll get attribution links.

Writing testimonials

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: Marketing, customer service

Link Value: Moderate-High

This one is HUGE. Right now, list any services or products you’ve
bought recently. As long as it’s not a product or service from a massive
company (i.e. Walmart), there’s a good chance you can get a link in
exchange for a testimonial.

For example, this testimonial page has a Page Authority of 82. The best part, it only cost the customers a few sentences about that specific service.

Entering contests & giveaways

Time: 3-4 weeks

Dependencies: Marketing, legal, PR

Link Value: Low

I love online contests, and so should you. They’re not only your
chance to win some cash or prizes, but they’re also a chance to net a
few high quality links. The most popular contests & giveaways you’ll
see are guest blogging contests.

For instance, I not only got a link from this post I entered, but I also won the $1000 grand prize. Not bad, eh?

Here’s a great example of where your great content pays off. I entered an infographic created by Kapil Kale, one of my friends, into a contest on StumbleUpon, and it got a link from their blog! Talk about high quality links!

Get interviewed

Time: 12+ weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate-High

Just like you should interview others, seize opportunities to be
interviewed, no matter how small the audience is. The 5-600 words that
take you 15-20 minutes can turn into a few highly authoritative
contextual links.

Contribute to crowdsourced posts

Time: 2-6 weeks

Dependencies: None

Link Value: Moderate

Just like with interviews, if someone reaches out to you to
participate in a crowdsourced post, make sure you contribute. The
questions usually don’t take more than 5-10 minutes of your time, and
you’ll get a decent link or two from it.

Link Attraction

Outreach & submissions only go so far. Sometimes you have to let
your content attract links naturally to get the results you want.

If you create content that naturally attracts links, it not only
saves you time getting them manually, but it also increases engagement
on your blog (if it’s worth linking to, it’s usually worth reading).
This is where your content & link building strategies meet.

Egobait

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

It’s a fact of life: people like to look good. If you’re featured as
one of the top bloggers in your niche, you’re probably going to spread
the word.

By appealing to the egos of people, companies, and communities, they’ll help spread the word about your content. For example, this post I wrote appealed to some of the authorities in the SEO industry who all helped me spread the word.

Contrary hook

Time: 1-2 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: Moderate-High

If there’s controversy in your industry, or if someone has one
particular view on a topic, don’t be afraid to write up a post on the
opposing view. If you do it quick enough, and if the majority agree with
you, you could attract links from your supporters like there’s no
tomorrow.

A great example is what Rand Fishkin said in response to a post, which attracted over 800 links from 140+ root domains.

Live blogging

Time: 1-2 weeks, ongoing

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

If you’re at an industry event, blog about everything that’s taking
place. If you’re the only one, you’ll get loads of links. If you’re not,
you’ll still get A LOT of attention.

I know it’s Wired, so it’s a little unfair, but hopefully you can learn how it’s done from this example (451 links from 140 root domains in 3 months).

Also, check out this fantastic guide on live blogging.

How to’s and tutorials

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

Whether it’s a tool, DIY project, or anything else, showing people exactly how to do something is extremely helpful.

This RSS tutorial attracted 8,000+ links from over 600 root domains.

Glossary of terms

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: High

Newbies in your industry probably don’t know all the jargon you and
other bloggers are using. Do them a favor and create a glossary of
industry terms and acronyms.

Here’s a fantastic glossary of internet terms that landed 2,600+ links from over 1,200 root domains (imagine if you made an updated version!).

White papers

Time: 2-4 weeks

Dependencies: Content

Link Value: Moderate

You might be thinking research & white papers are the same, but
they’re not. Someone writing a research paper doesn’t know what the
outcome will be; someone writing a white paper has a clear understanding
of the objectives and intended resul