I can’t begin to exclaim how important it is for your website to receive inbound links. These links could ultimately be life or death to your website.

Inbound links? What are they exactly?

Inbound links are links that come from other websites directly to your website. The more websites you have linking to your website, the higher your search engine ranking, which means more traffic. Ultimately the importance of inbound links lies in pushing your site up the search engine rankings, but they also have a deeper purpose. Visitors from other websites that click through to your website  will most likely do so because they are interested in what you have to offer – which means you would have achieved getting interested prospects on your site with minimal effort or money.

Are all inbound links to my website effective?

While inbound links are highly beneficial and integral to the growth of your website, there are certain links that are “Evil!” Search engines like Google want to see legitimate and relevant websites linking to yours. While having links from an irrelevant site is not at all detrimental, having paid links from a link farm can be.
A link farm is a website that asks you to pay for links. Usually these linking websites have unconventional and unethical ways of getting search engine rankings and Google especially has become wise to this. A while back these link farm websites where very successful, but now Google actually discredits your website heavily if you are involved with a link farm.

What is an online directory?

A directory is a website that lists thousands of websites under relevant categories. This helps visitors browsing the site to find what they are looking for a lot quicker. Listing your website on a directory site can help your search engine ranking and drive visitors to your site.
There are hundreds, or perhaps thousands of free online directories which allow you to list your site. Some will ask you to include a reciprocal link (a link back to their website), others will just give you a one way link (better than those requiring reciprocal links) and others will ask you to pay to have your website listed in their directory. While the paid directories are usually of a high quality and will usually ensure a better ranking for you, there are some that are just a waste of money.
My opinion is that you should never give up the opportunity to have your website listed in a directory, but if possible always try a list it in a directory that is more relevant to your website and industry.

How do I find online directories?

Well how do you find anything? Simply Google “free website directory” or something similar and you will be met with search results that will keep you busy for quite some time.

Some other good ideas to get inbound links…

Why not consider linking to, and receiving links from people in your industry who are in another country. They will most likely not really be your competitions since the demographics of your target markets will differ. If you are selling your good internationally this may not work for you, but for most of us it is a great idea.

Start a blog.

Writing about what you know best should come naturally to you – you are unconsciously doing it every day by promoting your business, why not just put it into words? Blogs also get indexed and raked by search engines very quickly and are a great way to get visitors. People that read your blog will start to admire you for being an expert in your field and are much more likely to contact you when they need your product or services.

Write articles.

Articles are filled with rich key words relating to a certain topic. When you write an article in your area of expertise and submit it to a top article directory, the amount of quality traffic you can attract is mind blowing! Although writing articles generally takes a bit more time and concentration than writing a blog entry for example, the results are well worth it.

Does all this really work?

Well I can personally say that it does! Freedom Studios does not use any conventional methods of advertising. All of our prospects and ultimately clients come via our website or via word of mouth referrals. Most prospects either find us via search engines or through relevant sites linking to ours.
Getting all the inbound links has not been a quick process, but it sure has been well worth it. Why don’t you give it a try? You never know, you may be pleasantly surprised.

As with many other aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), link building is of utmost importance. So how do you go about building links?

Well one of the most simple ways is to submit your website to free link directories. Link directories allow you to list your website title, URL, description and sometimes related keywords or tags. Some directories require a reciprocal link, while others are completely free one way links.

Are links really that important? You bet they are!

Google absolutely loves links. The more quality inbound links you have the better your ranking. Especially if the links you are getting are from sources that have relevant content to your own. Try and get as many one-way links to your site as possible and remember to include your keywords in the link anchor text.

For the fellow South Africans out there:

I have decided to build a list of all of the free South African directories. I will be updating this post continually as I discover more.

Free South African Link Directories:

General:

• http://www.ananzi.co.za
• http://www.aardvark.co.za
• http://www.southafrica.com/directory/
• http://www.rainbownation.com/directory/

Web & Graphic Design:

• http://www.sawebsitedesign.co.za/
• http://www.web-design.co.za

Give a little and get a whole lot in return!

Selfishness has a bit of a destructiveness way about it. It causes us to focus inward, clouding our vision and eventually causing an implosion. SPLAT!

I decided to give a little!

We are all faced with busy lives, daily stresses and struggling to pay the bills. Our lives automatically push us into a place where we are continually thinking about our problems and the issues that we need to deal with. It becomes so easy to become self-centered, even though it is more than likely unintentional.

To break free from the mold of self, we need to adjust our focus to that of an outward one. It is only when we focus outward that we see that our problems are rather small or sometimes insignificant.

My time is incredibly valuable to me. I run a time based business. A creative solutions firm, specializing in web design, website development, hosting, graphic design, flash development, animation and email marketing campaigns. Time wasted is costly! Not only is it costly financially but wasted time causes pressure in other areas of life as well.

So I’m a busy person – “Big deal, get over it!”

I decided to take a little time and give something back. I created a directory for all of the South African Website Design Companies and am offering free listing to web design companies across South Africa. It feels great to do something for the greater good of others. The directory is going to help us all!

How do I feel? GREAT!
I actually feel like I have had a bit of a rush – I like :^)