Community Link Building: Why Your Business Needs it

One thing that businesses can’t underestimate in today’s technological driven world is the importance of establishing their presence online. Not only should you have a website, but also accounts on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, to name a few. Establishing your business’ presence online will not only help you gain exposure and increase sales both directly and indirectly, but it’ll bring more people to your company which means more opportunities for reviews and community link building! For those who may not understand what this term means, we’ve put together some information about the process so you can try it out yourself!

What is Community Link Building?

Community link building is the process of building links to your website from other websites or online communities. This can be accomplished by joining and participating in online forums, blog commenting, social bookmarking and many other ways. The main idea behind this process is that you’re providing valuable content or resources to a group of people who are likely to share it with their audience – thus helping you gain exposure and links back to your website. It’s important to note that this process takes time and effort, but it can be very beneficial for businesses looking to increase their online presence.

Why Should Your Business Try Community Link Building?

There are many reasons why businesses should engage in community link building, but some of the main reasons are:

1. Increased exposure and brand awareness – when you provide valuable content or resources to a group of people, they’re likely to share it with their audience. This will help increase your exposure and brand awareness, which can result in more sales and customers.
2. Increased website traffic – as your website’s exposure increases, so will the amount of traffic coming to your site. This is a great way to increase leads and conversions, as well as improve your SEO rankings!
3. Establish yourself as an expert in your industry – by providing valuable content and resources, you’ll be seen as an expert in your industry. This can help you attract new customers establish trust and gain loyalty from your current customers!
4. Establishing credibility – when you become an expert in your industry, it will help establish your credibility as a business. This is important because potential customers are more likely to trust businesses that have established themselves as experts in their fields.

How to Start Community Link Building

There are many ways to conduct community link building, but the following are some of the most effective methods:

Blog commenting – whenever you leave a comment on an article or blog post, there’s a chance that the site owner might want to share it with their audience. Since comments usually contain links back to their original source, this can be used as an opportunity to gain exposure for your website too! You can also create blogs of your own and leave comments on other blogs in your industry to help increase traffic and links back to your site.

Forums – joining forums related to your industry is a great way to connect with potential customers and establish yourself as an expert. You can provide valuable insights and information, which will help you attract attention from other forum members. In turn, they might want to link back to your website if they find the information helpful.

Social bookmarking – social bookmarking is another great way to share content with a wider audience. By submitting articles, videos or any other type of content to social bookmarking sites, you’re helping it reach more people who might be interested in it. As added bonus, many social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon or Digg allow you to include links back to your site in the description!

Finding the Right Link Building Communities

If you have made it this far in the article, you know about all the reasons to start community link building, but you may still be left with one doubt; where can you find good link building communities? Thankfully, we have some tips to help you find the best community to start community link building today! Here they are:

1)     Start Your Own Community

This is best for people who don’t need to worry too much about search engine rankings. This type of link building can be helpful in terms of establishing an online presence, but it won’t generate any serious SEO benefits.

You will need to create profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ (if you haven’t already). You should also join other “communities” that are relevant to your business or are just interesting groups that have the potential to one day be useful. Creating a profile does not mean posting once and moving on – you should try to engage as much as possible with other users by leaving comments, starting discussions etc.

2)     Participate In Other People’s Communities

This next tip is undoubtedly one of the best community link building tactics as it is a great way to get your name out there and build links from other reputable sources. Look for communities where your ideal customers are most active in and start engaging with them in a non-promotional way.

Pro Tip: Don’t join every community you can find, look for ones that have potential or that you can legitimately contribute something to. You don’t want to spam but at the same time you need to post enough so people will know they got a response from working with your company.

3)     Join Industry Related Communities

Another community link building technique is to join communities related to your industry. Many industry competitors create their own communities online, either on an existing social media platform or through professional associations or organizations they run themselves. It is recommended to become a part of these already-established communities in your industry, as you will be able to benefit from it as well.

Communities related to your industry offer the chance to interact with potential clients that are interested in your industry, and also hear from other businesses related to yours to see how you can improve your business plan.

Get Started Today!

With so many benefits, what are you waiting for? Get started with your community link building strategy today, and if you are in need of a helping hand, reach out to our knowledgeable staff at Outreach Bee!