On-Site SEO and Link Building

By Peter Faber

A discussion between 2 SEO´s, Mr. Ethical and Mr. Links, about link building.

Mr. Ethical: There is no need for link building if you know how to optimize a website properly. It’s all on-site work and some basic submissions to some directories.

Mr. Links: Yeah that’s what it starts with, but you have to admit that once you’re done with on-site optimization and the results are not there yet, you need to do link building in order to increase the rankings.

Mr. Ethical: Nothing of the sort, Mr. Links. Links will come by them selves if you have enough content that will attract links naturally.

Mr. Links: So how are these people going to find your website if links are what you need to be found in the first place? Those couple of basic submissions won’t give you high enough rankings, if at all, to be found by people that want to link to your content. It’s a chicken and the egg problem.

Mr. Ethical: Most websites already have a bunch of back links so that’s not really an issue. All you have to do is optimize the site and eventually enough people will find the site to get even higher rankings.

Mr. Links: But what about a site that is in a very competitive market and most top sites have many back links already? Wouldn’t you want to get some more links?

Mr. Ethical: Link schemes are unethical.

Mr. Links: Unethical link schemes are unethical.

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Mr. Ethical: Natural links are ethical.

Mr. Links: And links obtained through other types of ethical marketing?

Mr. Ethical: Other types of ethical marketing?

Mr. Links: Yes, advertising for example. Isn’t advertising a very natural business?

Mr. Ethical: Bought links are unethical because links need to be relevant.

Mr. Links: What about relevant bought links?

Mr. Ethical: Natural links don’t cost anything.

Mr. Links: And how much time does it take for links to naturally occur?

Mr. Ethical: Doesn’t matter. You have to do everything ethically. And obviously you don’t know how to optimize a website because you think you need links to get high rankings.

Mr. Links: But you do too. You just said that most sites already have a bunch of back links. In fact, you said that natural links will help you get higher rankings. So you actually agree that for high rankings you do need links.

Mr. Ethical: Everything needs to be done ethical.

Mr. Links: Does that include selecting clients that are in not the most competitive markets?

Mr. Links: Never mind answering that.