- I wrote some articles and added them to directories. This returned 2 links for a lot of work.
Personally I dumped this method years back. If I am going to spend time writing content I prefer to keep it for my own site. An article on my own site will bring in more traffic than any of the article directories out there could.
Just an idea - You could outsource some article writing for very cheap and then syndicate those articles to the well known article directories.
- I submitted to free directories, probably over 50. This returned 1 link for even more work.
Another method of link building I've stopped doing. Most directories out there are complete crap and really badly built.
There are gems out there that are well maintained and perform well in the search engines. Look at the search results for your keywords, if you spot a directory in the results take a look at it. Judge how the directory is structured and optimised and it could be a good one to submit to. Its important to check its outbounds also, does it link to porno or any other red flag sites?
- I joined 3 topic related forums and started posting relelvant answers without a link to my site in the actual posts. All 3 deleted/removed the link to my site from my signature.
Forums owners are always faced with people trying to build links so I am not surprised your sig was deleted. You need to contribute a lot more to the forums if you want to use it for you links. Forums are fantastic for driving traffic but become a well established member before even trying.
- I placed answers in yahoo answers. This returned 2 links but they dont appear to be found by the search engines
I get good traffic from Yahoo answers and I've never submitted my links once. I leave it up to the Yahoo users to do that.
If your niche is popular on Yahoo answers then draw up your own Q&A's on your site, this will attract those Yahoo users to post your links for you.
In some of my articles my headings are questions and the paragraphs hold the answer.
I have gotten a little disheartened as what I am doing doesn't seem to returning many links despite numerous hours. What is the best way to go about getting good links efficiently??? Do I need to start paying directories to list my site?
The best thing I ever did was forget about counting links and concentrated on building content. Let the site mature and sure enough the search engines follow. Some niche sites are easier to get to #1 than others but in most cases it usually takes time.
I'd recommend building up a social profile. Join sites such as Youtube, stumbleupon and niche forums but its extremely important that you work on each profile and contribute as much as you can. If other site users see how serious you are then they'll also promote your profile and links you post.
