There’s No Such Thing As Advanced Link Building

Confession time: I’m headed to Seattle next week for SMX Advanced, and I still haven’t started my slide deck. I’m not a procrastinator by nature, but when it comes to slides – well, I’d rather get a root canal than do slides.

Well, maybe not a root canal, but I have managed to find lots of things that must be done before I can start on my slides. So far I’ve cleaned out my desk, purged files, cleaned the office refrigerator and carpets. I figure that I owe it to myself to be fully organized in a clean setting before jumping into the arduous task of creating new slides. Heaven forbid if I needed to find a quote stashed in my filing cabinet after walking across the room to get a cold Diet Coke.

Getting started on anything is hard whether it’s a term paper, link building campaign or slide deck. It’s doubly hard when you don’t fully buy into the idea around the presentation which in my case involves showcasing linking tactics at a conference designed to follow an “advanced” track.

That’s right, I said it – I don’t think there is such a thing as “advanced linking tactics”. Surprised? I know I was the first time it hit me. For a long time, I believed there were advanced linking tactics and the advanced methods were harder and more technical in nature. Most of that belief stemmed from an admitted lack of technical knowledge; I come from a marketing background and did not get into SEO through web design and/or programming so anything outside of the basics was “difficult” ergo “advanced”.

I’ve come a long way with my learning curve and thanks to the help of some very patient design/programmer friends, I’ve come to realize there really isn’t a difference between “basic” and “advanced”. I’m still no Aaron Wall or Greg Boser when it comes to the finer art of “technical” but I can hold my own at this point. Besides, I really don’t need to be a technical wizard given the way I link and how link building impacts rankings these days.

Ok so… if you’re asking yourself why the heck am I doing an advanced track if I don’t believe there’s an advanced link building Santa Claus, consider this: while I don’t believe in advanced link building tactics, I do very much believe the gal/guy who’s consistently ranking #1 is the person who understands advanced link marketing. There is a difference and no, this isn’t a play on words.

Advanced link marketing is perpetual motion, if you’re not constantly anticipating and/or adapting to changes (algorithmic and trends) you’re not playing at the higher, more advanced level. Depending on algorithmic loopholes or the latest link wheel type tricks will do little to propel you to (or keep you at) the top.

It also makes you a follower and not a leader. Part of ranking well means being first in the SERPs and in someone’s mind, when your product is mentioned. Doing the basics or taking part in fads won’t get or keep you there long-term.

Borrowing a line from Emeril Lagasse, I’m going to show how we “kick it up a notch” or three when it’s my turn to present at SMX Advanced. Most people think advanced linking means new or technical tactics, but in reality, the best results come from the basics on steroids. Today’s link building is less about how you link and more about where.

It always boils down to location doesn’t it? See you in Seattle.