It may be ironic, but you can’t write it off as a bad strategy. An SEO who begs for links can’t be a very good SEO, right? Well, I beg to differ. Doing SEO work in exchange for backlinks may be one of the most effective ways to build high-quality links.

Here’s why-

In general quality websites with great content often build the most links over time. Since there are many high-quality websites that have really never had SEO in mind (and don’t have a clue), there may be great opportunities for SEO’s willing to work in exchange for links.

The benefit for the website owner: Quickly increase traffic to their website. As most of these websites already have high PageRank and trust within the search engines, small tweaks to on-page SEO factors may be enough to quickly these sites to top of SERPs for high volume keyword phrases. Many of these websites may not really understand that a little SEO help could greatly increase their traffic.

The benefit to the SEO: Keyword-rich footer link from a trusted website that already has high PageRank and a reputable client to add to your client list.

From the perspective of the SEO, the time investment in such a project may be fairly minimal. If you select a website with a high number of quality inbound links, you won’t likely have to spend much time on link building. The main time investment will be in researching and implementing keywords, adding sitemaps, robot.txt and handling any canocalization or other technical issues.

A challenge in implementing this strategy is finding partners to work with. If you have programming and/or design skills, considering offering those services as part of the deal.

Potential partners to offer assistance to:

* Non-profit agencies

* Industry resources that are ‘behind the times’ when it comes to their websites

* Community colleges or small universities

* The local Chamber of Commerce

When dealing with organizations that haven’t yet embraced SEO as a channel for promoting their cause, remember that they probably don’t understand it. The most important thing to remember when making an offer is to clearly outline the benefits to your potential partner. Many may not understand your offer or how it can help them. For this reason, the best approach for finding a good partner may be to attend an event they are having or to visit them in person. Again, explaining SEO and what you’re offering may be difficult to do in a an email.

For the tight-budgeted SEO business, the ‘will work for links’ approach may be a good one because the only costs and investments involved are your own time. If you consider the amount of time it would take to build links as high in quality through other link-building strategies, you may spend no more time on this strategy than any other. Additionally, following the above approach is an effective way to build your client list with reputable clients. Listing non-profits and other trusted organizations as clients can do wonders for your companies image.

Tags: features, link building | Category Organic Search