We’re in the early stages of building our company, and SEO plays a large role in our website exposure. One of our strategies is to submit our site to local web design & development directories in the state of Virginia. In doing so, we’ve been confronted with an important question. Just how far should we go to gain inbound links?
I can’t say certain strategies are either right or wrong. SEO doesn’t work that way. However, I will make a claim for an ethical approach to link building. And I’ll briefly discuss the path we chose to take.
The 100% free directory listing
This one’s pretty simple. If you find a directory that is willing to list your business/website, free of charge, with no reciprocity, you take it. The only exception is if the directory promotes a message that your company does not believe in. Although, most directories are just a collection of links. I have not found any such directory that we were not comfortable submitting our website to.
The free directory listing with reciprocal link
This one requires a bit more thought. Should you provide a link back to the directory’s site? If so, where do you put it? Do you nofollow it? Do you hide it with CSS? Do you place it on a page that you’ve blocked from search engines? These are questions you have to answer. And there is no right or wrong, per se.
This is how I think about it:
First off, never hide it with CSS. That’s misleading. Not to mention, just plain wrong.
We ask ourselves, “Does it add value to our visitors to have a link to a whole bunch of web design directories?” The answer for us right now is no. Our target audience is small businesses in Richmond, and really, all over the East Coast. I can’t find a good reason to force these links onto our site somewhere. Therefore, we have chosen not to participate in directories that require a reciprocal link.
An alternative
If you manage a web design blog, a useful post for your audience might be “Local directories to submit your website to.” This fits in the organization of your site. It is not forced. It’s valuable content for your blog’s audience. So here, I see nothing wrong with listing out all the directories. And since you’ve now listed them on your website, you might as well go tell them you’ve linked to them, and they’ll do the same for you. (If you’re wondering why we haven’t done this yet, it’s because I just thought of it. Another post with a listing of directories will follow.)
If they require the link to be on your homepage, I say move on. Your homepage is important, and it should be completely yours. I would not allow a local directory to dictate the content on our homepage.
The affiliate link on a colleague’s website
Another web designer in the area would like to exchange links. Should you do it?
Again, don’t force it if there isn’t a place for it. If there is a logical place, then ask yourself, would you do business with them? Could you recommend them to a friend, with no reservations? If so, go for it. That’s great business. If you wouldn’t do business with them, or can’t recommend them, you’re only devaluing your content by linking to them.
A couple alternatives
- Allow them to write a guest post on your blog, and link to their website. As long as it’s valuable content you stand behind, you’re doing the right thing for your audience.
- If you have done business with them, but you don’t have an affiliates page where a link makes sense, include them in your portfolio when you do a writeup on the project.
Your link on a client’s website
I’m sure you’ve seen a footer or two with a link (and sometimes a logo) back to the designer who built the site. There’s nothing wrong with this. However, we always leave this up to our clients. It’s 100% their choice. The ones that have a powerful brand, and want to stand alone, will leave it off. Others who can’t stop talking about the great work you’ve done — will want to include it.
Helpful tip
If a client would like to link to your site, use keywords in your anchor text. Don’t simple link your company name. Link something like: “Web design by …” or “Design & development by …” This will help you with SEO.
We’d love to hear other approach’s to ethical link building, as well as those who disagree with our approach. Your feedback is appreciated.
