by Skellie
Photography: The Sun Sets on Château de Chillon by Pear Biter
Most of us are familiar with the old fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. Two children overhear their parents planning to abandon them. They prepare a pouch of white pebbles and, when taken deep into the forest, leave a trail of pebbles leading back to their home. They are able to follow the pebbles back to their parents.
The next time their parents try to abandon them, however, they’re only able to leave a trail of crumbs. The animals of the forest eat these crumbs and Hansel and Gretel become lost.
In this post I’ll be outlining the Hansel and Gretel link-building method. I believe it is the only link-building method that works.
Are your back-links bright white pebbles? Or are they crumbs waiting to be forgotten?
A simple metaphor
Each link to your website or blog should be considered a pebble (or a crumb, depending on its strength) which leads back to your site. Like Hansel and Gretel, your goal should be to build the strongest trail possible.
The ingredients of a solid trail are the quality of links, how easy they are to find, how numerous they are, and how permanent.
Think of your network of back-links like a trail leading to your site and certain ways to make that trail as strong as possible become apparent.
Quality
Quality links to your site are in-content links on popular websites or blogs. These links are big bright pebbles, not only sending many visitors your way but also telling search engines that your site is a quality resource.
The best link-building strategy is to focus on getting in-content links on sites that are bigger than your own. Generally you’ll achieve this either by having your own content linked or by writing guest content for that site. These are the strongest pebbles you can add to your trail, and they are also permanent. Your link will exist as long as the content does. Pitch guest-content ideas at bigger sites in your niche and you’ll start building up these solid links. You could also politely submit something you’re really proud of to a site that regularly publishes link round-ups.
Prominence
The first comment on a popular post will get far more views than the 59th comment. When considering where to place your link, keep visibility in mind. How many eyeballs are likely to pass over it? What might encourage those eyeballs to consider your link rather than passing over it?
Think about the context and how you can make the link more interesting to readers. This can generally be done by attaching your link to worthwhile content: a thought-provoking comment, an informative forum post, an intriguing message.
Similarly, a guest-post on an A-list blog will have more prominence than a guest-post on a new blog. Always remember to weigh the prominence of the link against the time commitment required to create it.
Numbers
While you should strive to build quality, prominent links to your site, you should also keep in mind that most of your visitors will come from the combined weight of your comments, track-backs and other ‘little’ links, as long as they are numerous. The more quality comments you leave, the more forum posts you write, the more track-backs you make, the more blogrolls you appear on, the faster this network of little pebbles will grow.
Alone they may not count for much, but when taken as a whole these numerous, little links can form a strong trail leading to your site.
Permanency
Links in places that will continue to be trafficked over weeks, months and years can be more valuable than any other form of link.
Examples of links with permanency are links embedded within content that has enduring use, such as stickied forum threads, frequently used resources, and material which encourages bookmarking.
Links inside content that is likely to be consumed and discarded in one read should be considered crumbs rather than pebbles. They can provide short-term traffic but will eventually stop contributing to the trail as readers consume and discard the content.
Links which can’t easily be discarded are sign-posts on the trail leading to your site.
Social networks
If your content becomes popular on a social network this can have the effect of dropping not crumbs but a whopping loaf of bread in the middle of your trail. Thousands of birds and other animals converge on the loaf over a short-period of time, but the loaf is soon gone. You can only hope that some of those new visitors remember the way.
Tiny, muddy crumbs
Poor quality link directories, large-scale reciprocal link exchanges, link farms, traffic buying and other tactics add only specks to your trail. They’re quickly lost in the darkest corners of the forest: the internet’s so-called bad neighborhoods, or Google’s supplemental results. Google might even take you site with them.
Avoid these tactics and spend your time writing link-worthy content or a guest-post instead. The rewards will be far greater for the time you spent. One white pebble is worth a thousand minuscule crumbs.
A holistic view
There is no mystery to the process of link-building, though it seems to remain a major stumbling block for many webmasters and bloggers.
The trail leading to your site should contain numerous, varied, and prominent links — carefully placed pebbles. Here are the steps to building just such a trail.
- Write content which naturally generates interest and back-links.
- In doing so, be unique, so that people link to you rather than others writing on similar topics.
- Write guest-content.
- Showcase your best articles to prospective linkers.
- Leave thoughtful comments on prominent content. Try to be among the first to do so.
- Participate in forums and establish yourself as a pillar in the community. Write a post that gets ’stickied’ and never drops off the forum page.
- Try to create a number of new links to your site each day. This will go towards building a stronger trail.
- Encourage submission of your content to various social networks, and don’t discount any of them. Those loaves of bread carry the weight of a thousand crumbs.
- Don’t link to any sites you wouldn’t want to spend time on yourself (a good rule of thumb for avoiding bad neighborhoods) — even if they are offering to link to you in return.
The key ingredients to strong link-building are link-worthy content and a strong trail of pebbles (and sometimes crumbs) spread across the internet — a trail your ideal visitors can follow in order to reach you. As you grow more established you can afford to put greater emphasis on the first ingredient (link-worthy content) and focus less on the second. By that point, other people will have start to build the trail for you. In the beginning, though, it will be you alone, and progress will be slow.
Hansel and Gretel Link-building takes time. It may take months, or more than a year, or several years, until you get where you want to be.
Just like a house built in a week is unlikely to stand, long-term, holistic link building is the only kind that truly works.
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40 Comments, Comment or Ping
Glen Allsopp
Interesting relation, you have a great writing style. I agree that being unique is definitely a must, don’t be like everyone else.
Subscribed to your feed
Aug 12th, 2007
skellie
Thanks Glen. Uniqueness is a very underrated trait, indeed.
Aug 12th, 2007
Michael Martine
Skellie, I dig the metaphor. One thing people don’t like to hear is that this takes a lot of manual time and effort. Attempting to shortcut the process through automation doesn’t give you the best results.
In light of the kerfuffle over Google’s stance on reciprocal linking programs, this kind of long-term organic linking effort is the best way to remain in good graces with the Google gods.
Aug 12th, 2007
gilda
thank you very much for all your great advice. i’ve just spent perhaps all day, going through as much content as i could. i’ll be back for more!! i think i really learnt a lot, just reading through.
oh and i do so long hansel and gretel.
Aug 14th, 2007
skellie
@ Michael: You’re absolutely right. This is the kind of traffic-building post that will never generate a significant buzz because it doesn’t suggest a solution that brings overnight success. Sure, there have been a number of sites to get popular very quickly but that was through clever use of social networks and content good enough to get popular there. Those sites also tend to launch with a significantly larger readership than those of us who started from scratch.
@ Gilda: I’m really glad you’re enjoying the blog
Aug 15th, 2007
Jason Likert
Skellie,
Awesome information. I am glad Darren (from ProBlogger) linked to you today.
I have to admit that the best luck I’ve had with linking is exactly as you describe.
Aug 15th, 2007
Rob O.
I’ve found that while it may take a bit more effort to create quality anchor text for your links instead of “Click here,” it’s well worth the effort. Using descriptive anchor text is not just good for SEO purposes, but perhaps more importantly, doing so makes your blog posts seem more like well-crafted articles where the links flow with the text instead of jutting out like a sore thumb.
Good stuff, Skellie!
Aug 18th, 2007
redwall_hp
Oh, I though Hansel and Gretel Links were breadcrumb navigation…
*Joke*
Aug 19th, 2007
skellie
@ Jason: Thanks. I think there’s a tendency among many people to think that there is some sort of secret to getting huge amounts of traffic, but what it all comes down to is hard work, good content and getting involved in the community :).
@ Rob: I agree. I really enjoy reading articles where links are worked into the text… good SEO too.
@ Redwall: I’m probably stealing terms here ;).
Aug 19th, 2007
Chris Lodge
What, there’s no way to overnight success??? But John Chow….
Excellent post, should be required reading for new bloggers (and some older bloggers!).
Aug 19th, 2007
skellie
Thank you Chris. I don’t read John Chow, but from what I’ve heard, most of his success has been through ‘black-hat blogging’ — a path few of us would be ethically prepared to take!
Aug 19th, 2007
Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker
Skellie, thanks for the great article. I am new to blogging since June 1, 2007 and have been using most of your information that I have gathered from here and there reading other blogs. It is nice to find all of this information in one place.
Aug 20th, 2007
skellie
Hey Patricia, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Just heading over to your blog now
Aug 21st, 2007
MarkeD
Nice analogy, perhaps next week you can write the 3 Little Pigs guide to link baiting?
Aug 21st, 2007
deep.thought
Some pearls of wisdom as usual Skellie, I have read all of quite a few of your articles so far. However I feel my real stumbling block is that I am interested and inspired by far too diverse subjects. I am struggling to find the ‘niche’ subject that everyone talks about.
My small blog has articles/posts (not sure of the correct term anymore) on varied subjects and I think that is the major reason why I fail to attract new readers and one of the reasons that my subscriber numbers swing wildly between (4 - 40) in a matter of days. Well that, and I don’t write often enough as I am inspired my a dozen ideas and then can’t settle on one to actually blog about.
Have you any suggestions for a would be blogger who enjoys writing and can’t define their subject?
Keep up the fantastic work,
Steve.
Sep 27th, 2007
Darlene
Hi Skellie, This is a great post. I love the way you wrote it! I will say as a relatively new blogger (10 months old) I have watched my traffice steadily increase over the 10 months. I am amazed at my traffic this month in particular. I have already exceeded my highest month, which was August and I am on track to double my traffic this month. How did that happen in 10 months? I have gotten out there and met bloggers, left comments on countless blogs, found ways to be a resource within my niche to others, and the list goes on. I didn’t realize when I began this adventure 10 months ago the investment of my time. Nothing builds traffic more than rolling up your sleeves and jumping in, and working hard every day. Especially on the days and months when it seems no one knows who you are, or anything about your blog. I know that as my blog traffic has increased, my comments have increased, my creativity is challenged, and I am having fun in the process and on the journey. Thanks for the story analogy!! I shall visit again!!
Darlene
Interview Guru
http://www.interviewchatter.com
Sep 28th, 2007
Linda Martin
Very creative, to compare link building with a well known fairy tale. This is something all of us can relate to. And I liked how you discussed the relative value of links; we who blog are all listening, because you’re writing about something everyone wants to know. Great post… thanks for sharing.
Sep 29th, 2007
Max Powers
As a newcomer to the blogging world it’s great to discover new sites with great tips. Thanks for making the information easy to understand. I linked here through Problogger.
Oct 8th, 2007
Steaprok
Hey Great stuff! Stumbledupon your site. and am also subscribing! Nice to see you here 2 Glen!
Oct 27th, 2007
Sean Hodge
This is a memorable analogy and helps to solidify this process in my mind with the story. Thanks.
Jan 30th, 2008
Bruce
Great points you make. I won’t forget you metaphor !
Mar 2nd, 2008
Mandy
This is a great way to explain link building and has made me look at things in a different way. Thanks
Also I love that photograph!
Mar 8th, 2008
Dave Weinberg
Skellie,
Really well thought out post; I will pass it on to my contributors. I often find that outside of the web 2.0 crowd, people generally don’t get this strong idea and think of link-building entirely in the light of spam.
Subscribed to your feed.
Thanks!
Mar 28th, 2008
Junior
Great article, i never looked at link build this way before so many thanks to you.
Apr 2nd, 2008
Emma
Hi Skellie,
The most important thing that stood out for me is building up your links slowly but surely. This applies to everything really and in my new quest to jump on the bandwagon of internet success, I have lost sight of this very crucial point.
The more I research and read, the more I am convinced that it is hard work and persistence that will see you through, not some “instant success in 30 minutes” promise.
Thanks for all your great posts. I shall continue to read them religiously.
Best regards,
Em
Apr 11th, 2008
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