If you are trying to increase your backlinks in a hurry, beware of being tempted to purchase links or using shortcuts. Quick and easy methods do not pay off in the end. Remember that Google and other search engines always prefer natural links. Here are some steps to follow when organizing your backlink building plan:

1. Find out how many backlinks you have. Use a backlink checking tool like the LinkVelocityTool.Com to monitor your current backlink amount and sign up for weekly or monthly reports. If you only want to find out how many backlinks you currently have, go to yahoo.com and type “site:www.example.com” in the search bar for an instant answer.
2. Find out how many backlinks your competition has. It is important to know how you compare to your competition. Use LinkVelocity Tool for in depth monitoring of your competition’s backlinks and growth over time.
3. Where does your competition get its backlinks? The ultimate goal is to increase in backlinks and to surpass your competition. Finding where your competition has backlinks can give you ideas on what sites you may also obtain backlinks from.
4. Find the best methods to use. Good ways to get quality backlinks include online business directories, online content, article syndication, press releases, social networking, and social media. Find out great ways to build links by clicking here.
5. For directories you want to sign up for, research business directories and write down all that are relevant to your site. Research topics your audience is searching for and write content for each term. Once you have written relevant content, find websites that will syndicate your content. Syndicate press releases and content with social networking or posting links on social media sites like StumbleUpon.
6. Create an execution schedule. Creating a schedule to actually implement each one of these methods serves to  keep the backlink building process on track and ongoing. Create a log for each individual method allowing you to keep track of how often you are applying each method.

It is important for website optimization to use link building methods in order to increase its visibility with the search engines. With all the choices and tedious processes in link building, the task could seem overwhelming and hard to keep track of. Unfortunately, not being organized and methodical in your link building efforts will hurt your page rank and relevance as other sites begin to pass you by. Once you have developed a link building plan, it will help you easily identify where to start, how to build your backlinks, and to keep track of your growth and development.

For websites that want to grow fast, buying backlinks could seem like the easiest and fastest way to go however it’s not cheap and it could end up harming your site instead of improving it. It is a slight misconception that the more backlinks you have, the higher your page rank will be as well as your site’s relevance on the web and in search results.  While there is much truth to that, not all backlinks have equal value. Sites that sell backlinks usually allow you to buy and sell backlinks which means they are in the business of making money, not necessarily having your website’s best interests at heart. Beware of these sites especially if the price seems too good to be true. The backlinks they might be selling you could come from web pages that have a low page rank. These kinds of backlinks could actually backfire and negatively affect your own website’s page rank.

Because Google eventually finds the artificial backlinks, many SEO experts do not recommend buying and selling links to avoid a website getting flagged or penalized. Google prefers natural links and will give more credibility to your site allowing it to rank higher in the search engines.  If you do decide to buy backlinks, choose purchasing permanent backlinks instead of paying a monthly fee for a website to keep your link active. Also, try to make sure that the site (webpage) that includes one of your backlinks is at least a Google PageRank of 4, preferably higher.

To build backlinks in a more consistent and natural way, consider writing content, article syndication, commenting on blog posts, and signing up in online directories. Before you begin your quest for backlinks, realize that it’s a tedious effort but being organized and consistent will pay off. Organize a link building plan by listing methods you want to use and what your goals are. Then work your plan … religiously.  You can click here for more information on how to build backlinks and how to properly track them.