Using Online Classifieds to Build Links

Most people try to build links the old fashioned way, fast and easy. Learn how new techniques can expand your linking campaign.

An important element to SEO optimization is link building. Many webmasters initiate this process through link exchanges, where they agree to advertise another website in exchange for having their sites advertised as well. And while this form of link building can be beneficial, it can pose a few problems. First, when you advertise another site, you risk losing visitors, especially if that site seems interesting. Secondly, it can be hard link building with websites that are the most profitable. This is because webmasters have already gotten the traffic they need, so they are less likely to want to risk losing it due to link exchanges. If they are going to offer ad space, they will probably sell it. This way they don't lose out if visitors click away from their site. This technique is quickly being discounted in Google's eyes.

So, what's a webmaster to do if link building through exchange programs poses so many issues? The answer can be summed up in two words: online classifieds. These are sites where people post ads advertising jobs, merchandise for sale and other things. They get a lot of traffic because they give everyone an opportunity to advertise for free.

For those interested in link building, classified ads offer invaluable one-way linkage opportunities. When you post on a classified site, you are not obligated to advertise them on your site if you don't want to. However, don't think that by posting to 1,000 classified sites you'll get a better advantage in your link building. Granted, you'll get a little bit of traffic, but what matters more is that you post to the right classified sites. These are the sites that have such a high page rank in Google, most of their ads get indexed in the topmost portions of search engine listings.

An example is US Free Ads. This site can produce phenomenal results when it comes to search engine indexing. Many webmasters have even recommended it as a pertinent source for both link building and SEO in general. All you have to do is sign up with the service, and post a keyword-rich ad. Try to make sure this keyword is highly searched by not indexed much by search engines. A keyword analyzer can help you with this. Anyway, after a day or so, just that one act of link building will get you in the first top 10 listings of Google or other search engines.

Craigslist is another ad site that is constantly crawled by Google. A lot of people sell everything from soup to nuts on these city specific sites. They work great and are growing in popularity. I myself am amazed at how many people use craigslist. The best part about Craigslist is that it is free. There are many times I have done some keyword research to find out that some top ten Google listings include a Craigslist ad. That is very encouraging if you have a Ecommerce site. I would encourage you to focus on the link benefit and look at a sale as frosting on the cake.

If you are going to give Craigslist a shot, do it with some structure. Just posting an ad will make more work for you in the long run. Set up an account with Craigslist by clicking the my account tab and going through the online set up. By doing this you can keep track of the ads you create through a database list. This way you will not have to retype your ad when it expires. You can also keep all your ads in one place so that you can see what ads you have placed and use them to tweak your content.

Now, you may be wondering if it matters if your ad is fancy. Does it need pictures? How about bolding or other features that set it apart from the rest of the ads? Well, for link building it doesn't matter how your ad looks. Yet, you will want it to be as attractive as possible for visitors. As far as utilizing features to set it apart from other ads, that will be up to you. If you do take advantage of them, you will get increased traffic from those within the classified site.

There are many many more classified ads sites than just USA Free Ads and Craigslist. You may find that a classified ads campaign can be a powerful use of time and links for your website endeavors. There are services available that help you to promote the power of classifieds throughout the nation. Although they are not the subject of this article, they certainly are available and can be put to good use. The main objective would be to determine if this is a "high value activity" If it is, then starting with Craigslist and USA Free Ads is a good place to begin.