What are discounted links anyway?

There are three basic ways to look at it:

1. A discounted link would be one that comes from dubious sources, i. e., obscure pages that don’t have a strong reputation among Internet users.

2. Links from pages that contain duplicate content are discounted for sure.

3. All links coming from sites that don’t relate to yours might be classified as discounted, even when those link sources are reputable ones.

Who uses discounted links for link building?

They are mainly used by Internet marketers, webmasters, bloggers and SEOs who believe that quantity is as important as quality when you want to build backlinks. Some of these professionals will spend more time building links than working on on-page optimisation. Others try to find a balance among discounted backlink hunting, content creation, on-site optimisation, title writing etc.

But do you know what? All of us use discounted links in some way, even if we don’t like them and/or don’t realise we are doing it. This happens because we don’t have total control over the sites and blogs who link back to ours. When people want to link to our pages for any reason, they obviously won’t stop and ponder about how much link juice they will pass (or not). This is our problem, not theirs. So, among all these spontaneous backlinks that our sites get, there will certainly be several discounted ones.

Should discounted links be part of your link building campaign?

The only person who can answer this question is… you. It depends on what you think and want, really.

Personally, I still prefer a few strong links over a thousand discounted ones. But this is just my opinion. You may not agree with me. You may think that a thousand discounted backlinks are much better than no links at all — which makes sense, by the way.

If you do choose the “quantity over quality” route, at least try to get as many relevant links as possible. Avoid sites that have nothing to do with your pages’ topics. Unless said sites enjoy a very good reputation, of course. A strong backlink, even when come from an unrelated site, will always be precious in Google’s eyes.

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Since most — if not all — webmasters and bloggers are aware of this, why so many insist in using “dirty tricks” to build links?

Why is it so hard to admit that good content is a must for link building campaigns?

That’s an easy one: because people are lazy. Of course they’ll use all sorts of excuse, most notably the old ones like “I just don’t have the time” or “the time spent in content creation is best applied in backlink hunting.” Well, even if you really don’t have much free time and/or you sincerely believe that hunting links comes first, those are still excuses and you’re still lazy.

If you have the time to use spammy link building techniques, then you certainly have the time to use your brain to produce some killer content for your site. And if you just don’t want to create that killer content because you put link building above all else, then you’re disregarding what Google truly wants from any webmaster.

What Google wants from all webmasters and bloggers

First of all, go read Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Have you already read that page? Reread it.

What conclusions can we draw from it? I wrote it above, but I’m going to explain it again in other words: Google wants to display on its search result pages the best sites, the ones that will suit a searcher’s needs (by needs I mean information, entertainment, products and services). When a site is helpful in any way, it will naturally get backlinks from other sites. This is why Google values backlinks: they work like recommendations or votes on a site, theoretically indicating its relevancy. But this is also what most webmasters misinterpret — or pretend to.

Many webmasters think that they must get as many backlinks as they can in order to lure Google into giving them favourable rankings. They see backlinks as the origin of their success, whereas Google expects those to be the consequence. What I mean is that Google isn’t there to be your servant, but it wants to reward your content creation efforts.

What are the most valuable backlinks in Google’s eyes?

The most valuable backlinks are the ones provided by respectable, authority sites. The stronger the site’s authority, the more precious its backlinks are. Therefore, a moderate amount of links from good sites is much worthier than thousands of links from dubious sources.

Now I ask you: have you ever seen a reputable site or blog link to a poor, spammy one? I know I haven’t. One more reason why you should do your best to turn your pages into useful resources.

Obviously, creating high-quality content isn’t the only thing you must do. You should also promote said content, so it gets noticed and linked. But if you never take that first, essential step, you’ll never be able to get the strongest links available on your niche. Therefore, you’ll never make Google love your site as much as it could.

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Why you could use a beautiful design for link building

People just love beauty. It’s a fact. Not that you should feel miserable if your site doesn’t look that good. Content still matters and always will. However, when you have a truly good-looking site or blog, many people will want to share its link with others regardless of the content’s quality. Besides, there are many sites which specialise in linking to beautiful pieces of web design.

A beautiful design will certainly create backlink opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

How to build links for a well-designed site

• CSS galleries should be your first stop if your design contains strong CSS elements. Their links usually are do-follow.
• Many design-related blogs link to well-designed sites, because those are seen as sources of inspiration for other designers. You could become a regular commenter on such blogs, hoping that the bloggers eventually will visit your site and link to it afterwards. For more tips on this technique, read my article on link building via comments on no-follow blogs. Alternatively, you may contact the bloggers by email and politely suggest the inclusion of your site on their design galleries.
• Leave comments on personal blogs. Try to build a relationship with their owners. Diarists are often looking for something to write about; if they get impressed by your site or blog’s design, there’s a good possibility that they’ll write about it — and of course they’ll include your URL on their posts. A person who doesn’t specialise in web design and webmaster-related topics is more prone to admire a fancy design. A tech-savvy type, on the other hand, may not be so easy to impress. So you must never ignore the average Joes and Janes out there.
• Rewrite your forum signatures to make them look more intriguing. Instead of describing your site’s topic, ask people what they think about your site’s design. This may make them curious, thus causing them to click on your link. If you’re a member of a forum that allows images in signatures, enhance yours with a screenshot of your site.

If you have other ideas on how to build links by investing in an eye-catching design, leave a comment and share them.

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Should all those blogs be ignored by you? Of course not! There’s a way to use them in your link building campaigns and I’m going to tell you what it is: leave several good comments on several no-follow blogs to get noticed by the bloggers and their readers.

Yes, it’s that obvious. And if you don’t have any spamming tendencies, you’ll find it very easy as well.

Why comments on no-follow blogs work

When you repeatedly post good, relevant, non-spammy comments on a blog, you’ll naturally cause a favourable impression on the blogger and on their readers. You’ll show them that you’re smart, credible, reliable. Eventually, they’ll visit your site or blog. If they like what they see — i. e., if your content is as good as your comments — they’ll most likely give you some free backlinks. And such links will be inserted onto normal, do-follow site areas, so you’ll get all the link juice that you need.

As you can see, this is an indirect way to get link love: you win people’s trust first and reap the rewards later.

How to organise your no-follow comment campaign

• You must post comments on blogs that belong to your niche and/or to related ones. And just one comment won’t do it. You must become a loyal reader and an active commenter. Aim for leaving several comments on several blogs in the course of several months.
• Do not try to comment on every single post a blogger publishes, unless you really have something to say. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting.
• Avoid sounding like a know-it-all type. Don’t try to look wiser than the bloggers and their other readers.
• Always be polite, respectful and friendly.
• Keep your site or blog updated and watch your content’s quality. You want to make sure that the visitors earned via blog comments will be glad that they clicked on your name.
• Speaking of your name, this is what you must link to when you leave comments on any blog. Do not link to your site’s name, nor to a keyword; otherwise, most will regard you as a spammer.

Comment campaigns may be time-consuming, but if you do them the right way, you’ll thank yourself afterwards. The relationships built, the branding benefits and the free backlinks will justify your efforts.

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Why should I offer my eBooks for free when I could be selling them?

There’s a good reason for this: by giving high-quality info away you’ll generate backlinks for your site or blog. Think about it:

• Google — the most popular search engine — values backlinks, i. e., backlinks help you site get better rankings.
• When you distribute a product for free, more people download it.
• If several people like your product, they will write about it on blogs and forums, including a link to your site so that others can get their freebie too.
• These backlinks will help your site achieve better Google rankings. Therefore, more web surfers will be able to find your content via Google.
• Once these new visitors arrive to your site, you can show them your sponsors’ ads and/or your own paid products.

See? In the end, your free eBook will have increased and renewed your site’s audience, which may result in more profits for you.

Tips to ensure that your free eBooks will generate backlinks:

1. Quality is what you must aim for. A useless eBook will never generate backlinks; it’ll generate negative reviews instead.

2. Host your eBook on your own domain. If you host it on an external site, where do you think the link love will go to?

3. On each and every page of your eBook you must include clickable links to both its download page and to your site’s homepage. Also add a polite, friendly message encouraging readers to send said links to their friends and/or share them on forums, blogs etc.

If you have any questions or additional ideas on how to use free eBooks for link building, please leave a comment.

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