Anyone familiar with search engine optimization (SEO) has likely cautioned others about outbound links.  For those new to the term, the links that come from your website and go to other locations online are called outbound links.  The reason for cautious words is that as they originate from your site, in basic terms of online reputation management they are the most valuable links you have and must be utilized very carefully.

The cautionary tales told in SEO regarding outbound links usually involve mention of linking to a penalized domain (which can be harmful to your rankings), unstable links (which are links that continually change – these are viewed as an indicator for link farms or link networks), being in a “bad link neighborhood” (the result of linking to sites that have been penalized or banned), as well as paid / free reciprocal or free-for-all linking.

It’s perhaps easier to think of it in this way.  When contemplating adding an outbound link to any page on your site, ask yourself, “Is this a site I want my company to be associated with?”  As mentioned earlier, this question can be regarded as part of the important online reputation management dimension of the Internet.

If trusted, recognized, or authoritative websites are believed to be safe, what about useful and relevant websites?  One of the primary points of concern usually voiced with outbound links is that of losing traffic or visitors as they click away from your site.  If the outbound links from your website are useful and relevant, there is a very good chance that your site won’t “leak” traffic.  Let’s take a brief look at social media, in particular a site such as Digg.com.  With their model, the outbound links that are offered as the result of their user base submitting articles results in users returning to the Digg site in order to see what other sites of interest they might find.  The same can be true of your website.  If you offer useful and relevant links, your site visitors are more likely to come back in order to discover more.

Of course, the ancillary benefit to having stable, useful, trusted outbound links is the increased likelihood of those sites linking back to you.  That shouldn’t be the driving force behind adding outbound links, but it can yield positive results.

There is one final note to keep in mind whenever there is an appropriate outbound linking opportunity, and it ties in with usefulness and relevance: there’s more to linking out to another site than simply adding the link.  In order to provide value to the site user (and then pass the value on to you), the outbound link should be placed in an area where it is most useful and relevant.  For example, don’t just have outbound links on your homepage – include outbound links in relevant areas of the site, such as on a top level page at the end of body text on a related subject.  Ultimately, you should always be sure that any outbound link is of value to your business and reflects well on you.

Making sure that your site is optimized for your geographical location and the locations where your business operates is just one aspect of optimizing for local search results. Another good way to build local relevance for your site is by encouraging links from other trusted and relevant websites operated by businesses and organizations in your area. This establishes keyword relevance for your site, for the name of your region and, if these sites are hosted in your area as well, establishes that your website is well-linked physically to that region.

One good way to find sites that could give your site some local relevance is to search for “your location” and “business” in Google, Yahoo and MSN as well as any other popular search engines and see what comes up. A search for “Boca Raton business” found these listings:

 
Any one of these sites would be a great link to have for a Boca Raton Business. Once you have located some potential sources of valuable links, go to the site and see if there is any place on the site that might offer an opportunity to get a link.

Another good search term to use for geo-targeted link building would be “Your Area Directory” – in the case of Boca Raton – “Boca Raton Directory”. If there are any local business directories, it would be a good idea for my Boca Raton business to be listed. Just make sure that any directory pages that come up are truly local as some larger directories may have a section devoted to your area. By choosing carefully, good sources for local links can be found.

Of course, not all links are necessarily going to be valuable for increasing search engine rankings. Some top ranking local business sites will provide links to local businesses, but the links may not be direct or they may have a rel=”nofollow” attribute on them advising search engines not to count them, as in the case of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce site. When evaluating if a site is a good source for a link, consider the potential for traffic before considering search engines. If the site has a good potential for providing your site with direct traffic, then getting your site listed is a good idea – even if search engines do not value the site. If they do count, then it’s all the better.

Many times when the topic of link building comes up, people cringe. This is because it is one of the most difficult aspects of SEO. Link building is a task that is never complete, and the rules are changing all the time. Many people focus on submitting their website to different directories relating to their site. This is a great way to build links, but not the only way. Check out these ideas for other ways to build links.

Create a top 5 or 10 list
People look for things to make their lives easier. If you can provide a “top” list of tips, tricks or other important things that help someone do something, they may link to you. The reason people like lists is that they are easy to digest, and they don’t have to read through lots of copy to find what they are looking for. The more helpful your list, the more likely someone will link to it.

Build a tool collection, or develop your own.
Along with lists, people like tools to make their lives or jobs easier. As an SEO Engineer, I am always looking for and building tools to make my job easier. If you can offer your customer or visitor helpful tools to, there is more of a chance that they will link to you.

LinkedIn Account
By now many people have heard of or used LinkedIn. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it is a social site for the business world. You create a profile which can include a résumé and other information. The great thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you to include websites in your profile. In researching companies with LinkedIn accounts, I have found that some search engines are counting links from LinkedIn as backlinks.

Submit Press Releases and Articles
Many sites already have a news or press section of the site. How many are really utilizing this content? There are many sites out there, which can syndicate these press releases. Not only will it be possible for another source to pick up this valuable information, but the release site will allow you to link to your site.

Start a Blog
Blogging is all the rage right now. Everyone and their brother has a blog. Do You? You may be asking what the fuss is all about. The reason blogs have become so popular and important is because it gives people the ability to share their views and beliefs to a mass audience. This is great for the individual. What about the business? In SEO terms, blogs are useful because they give search engines fresh content. Depending on how often you blog, you can see some fascinating results. I have seen Search Engines index a blog post minutes after it has been posted. If you can update your blog regularly, you can help the search engines as well as the user get more engaged with your site and product.