Of the many factors that influence search algorithms, links between sites can have a

significant effect especially for a smaller site

receiving a link from a much bigger one.

Many sites exchanges links in an effort to benefit each other and years ago

this might have been done by listing them on something like a separate links page.

But these days with constant content creation and active social

channels, link building can be done in easier more efficient ways.

If your site has a significant online presence or influence you're

going to find that many sites will naturally link to you.

It just makes sense.

The higher your profile the higher your authority.

And the higher chance you've got of being

mentioned on sites, blog posts, and across social networks.

All of these back links, sometimes called inbound links are great

because they really require no extra SEO effort on your part.

You and your company just have to continue being awesome.

Nobody has massive online influence when they start out though.

But, you can look at the industry and see who does.

Link building requires initial research like this.

Identifying who gets visited and who has influence.

These major sites carry a lot of weight with its readers or customers,

so a link to your site from theirs would mean quite a bit.

Here's a few ways you can make that happen.

Most industries have major blogs or media sites that

are always looking for guest bloggers and interview subjects.

They wanna create new content all the time.

So, freelancer writers and guest bloggers can provide that need.

You pitch your idea, sometimes over e-mail other times through a submission system.

But ideally you propose a blog post that appeals to their audience

and gives you a chance to promote yourself, your products, or your company.

And certainly you disclose these facts when you write the article but in the

end the post includes a link to your site boosting SEO and raising your profile.

Now many sites are also interested in

reviewing new products and services before others.

However, if you intend on reaching out to reviewers

or bloggers about your product or website, a focused

and personal approach will always get more attention than

a generic sales pitch blasted out to the Internet.

Writers and bloggers are busy folks with

constant deadlines, so make their job easy.

Reach out to them with clear ideas, why your site would be interesting to them.

Why your products and services are important and worth a review.

Lots of industries have public forums and discussion boards as well.

Businesses should find relevant forums and see what people

are saying about them, especially if anything negative comes up.

At the same time you have opportunities to communicate with these boards.

So, submitting articles Or doing chats would be a great idea.

This might take some coordinating with your marketing or PR people, but it can

be another helpful source of links that can benefit your SEO and your exposure.

It's not always easy to get links to your site.

But if you keep these strategies in mind, you can

raise your profile, generate some traffic and improve your SEO.