How to Build Links in Person
Posted by RuthBurrReedy
The important thing to remember when you're trying to attract links—real, powerful, high-quality, authoritative links—is that behind each of those links is a person. The kinds of links that Google wants you to build are the kinds of links that you get when a real live person decides to share or link to your content.
That great content you're creating is designed to be the kind of stuff people like to share, but getting people to share it often requires outreach. When you ask someone to read and possibly share your content, even if it's content you think they'll really like, you're essentially asking them to do you a favor. That's a lot easier to do if it's somebody who already knows you and likes you.
This is why a relationship-based approach to link building can be so powerful. By connecting with site owners on a personal level, you can start creating a positive association between you and the content you share. Start thinking of a link as something that's given online by a real live person who also exists outside the Internet, and you can move from being a link builder to being a relationship builder. One moment of link outreach can generate a link, but an ongoing relationship can result in multiple links and shares, not to mention introductions into that person's network of friends and connections.
Plus, you might make a friend!
Photo via Pixabay
A few caveats
In-person link outreach is not for everybody. There are a few reasons why building links in person might not work for you.
- No budget: Like many content building and link outreach strategies, some of the in-person link building tactics I outline below will require a financial outlay, which not everybody can swing.
- No time: In-person link outreach takes a lot of time, and some of it will almost certainly need to be spent outside of work hours (or during work hours, but not at work).
- Too far away: If you're not located in the same city/state/country as your client, it's going to be harder for you to build links for them in person.
- Not a people person: If you dread talking to people, especially people you don't know, this strategy is going to be massively unpleasant for you.
Yes, you still have to build good content. Like any good strategy to attract links, building links in person is only going to work if you're also taking the time to build linkable, shareable resources that people will want to link to (need some help building content for your industry? Check out Ronell Smith's guide to creating content for boring industries). As you're laying the foundation for your link outreach relationships, you should also be planning your content calendar—that way, by the time you've got a great linkable asset ready to share, you've gotten to know some people who can share it.
Don't be creepy. The point of in-person link building is not to lie, cheat, or manipulate people into being friends with you in order to secretly use them for their sweet, sweet links. The point is to form strong, genuine professional relationships with people who will appreciate the awesome work you do. You'll be a stronger marketer for it, and maybe even meet your next boss or BFF.
All right! Let's make some friends.
Where to build links in person
Trade shows and conferences. This is the "budget outlay" item that I mentioned earlier: if you can swing it, attend some trade shows and conferences in your/your client's industry. Of course, this is easier to do if you're in-house, or only building links for a few clients, than if you have a whole roster of different sites in different industries under your care.
If your clients are in your area, make sure they let you know when they'll be attending or exhibiting at events, and see if you can tag along. Events like a home and garden show usually have tickets for under $20. In-house marketers should also see if they can be part of the booth staff at trade shows where their clients are exhibiting. If there's a relevant conference or trade show in your area and your client isn't exhibiting, see if you can get an expo-only pass for free or a reduced rate.
Marketing conferences can be a great place to hone your SEO skills, but they can also be a great place to connect with other marketers. If you're attending a marketing/SEO conference, take a look at the attendee list and see if there are other marketers from your industry who will be attending (especially if they don't work for competitors). Another SEO is going to understand why you might be asking them to share or link to your content, so it's worth your while to cultivate relationships with other SEOs who might have access to topically-related sites. A marketing conference is a great way for SEOs with a lot of different clients to build link relationships across multiple industries, too.
Shane Macomber Photography
Meetups and trade associations. In addition to higher-dollar industry events, most metro areas have a variety of meetups, clubs and associations, many of which are free to join. If your client is a member of an industry association, see if you can tag along to an event that's open to the public; even closed-membership groups tend to have a mixer or two every year to let potential new members experience the group.
Check sites like Meetup, LinkedIn, Facebook and yes, Google+, for groups in your area. There may be groups focused on your client's industry/ies, but it's also worthwhile to start attending local events around marketing, PR, advertising, social media, etc. to connect with other local marketers. Inbound links from sites in the same local area can be quite valuable for websites with a strong local focus, so building link relationships within your local community is definitely worth doing—and is another way to build link relationships for multiple clients at once.
Assessing link relationships
Of course, just because you've met someone in person doesn't mean they're going to link to you, or even that you'd necessarily want a link from them. Try to do some recon before heading to the event, so you can keep an eye out for your dream link targets.
Wherever possible, get a list of people who will be attending the event; this will help you pick out a few people with whom you'd really like to connect. If you can't get a list beforehand, compile a list of the people you met afterward and do some research.
Don't forget that attendees are people, not just businesses—you'll want to take some time to check attendees out on social media and LinkedIn, too. A person may have a business card from one company but actually work with multiple businesses. Someone with no website of their own might be a regular contributor to an industry blog, or just fantastically well-connected in the community you're trying to join and still worth getting to know. A person's position within a company will matter, too—you're more likely to get a link from a marketing/web person (who has access to the website) than, e.g., the manufacturing plant supervisor (who probably doesn't, and also has other things to do).
Take some time to evaluate sites like you would any other link prospect. Stay away from sites that appear at risk for a penalty, or are sleazy enough that you don't want to associate your client's brand with them. That doesn't mean they're not still worth getting to know as people (you should certainly never shun people at conferences, that's just rude), it just means that they won't be a focus of your link outreach later.
Make the connection
When you meet someone with whom you'd like to build a link-based relationship, don't start out asking for the link, any more than you would online. If you're at a networking or industry event, there's a basic understanding that people are there to make professional connections—there's no need to be more specific than that and say you're there to make connections that might result in links (nobody wants to feel like they're being used for their links).
After your research, you'll probably have a few people who you want to make sure you meet, but don't seek them out at the expense of forming other connections. Remember that your goal here is more than just a link—it's a relationship, which could be mutually beneficial to both of you. Ask people questions about themselves, their work and what they think about the event. Just like on social media, you don't want to talk only about yourself—your main success metric for these events should be engagement.
When a networking conversation is drawing to a natural close, excuse yourself (if you need an excuse, getting more food or drink is usually a good bet)—but make sure to get a business card, or social media info from your new professional connection. As you follow your new friends on Twitter or G+, add them to a list or circle for people from the event or group you've attended so you have them all in one place later.
Follow up
By the end of the event, you should have a list of new friends who might link to or share your content. Your next step is not to ask them to do so, however (unless you have a specific content piece that came up in your conversation that they were interested in). Your next step is to nurture that connection.
Start with a quick tweet or email the next morning that says it was great to meet them and maybe references something in your conversation. If your only point of contact for them is email, use it very sparingly—nobody likes aggressive emails. Your best best in this case is to try to see them again at the next event, to continue nurturing your relationship in person. You could also see if they want to meet for coffee or lunch to talk shop.
Photo via Pixabay
If you've added your new connections on social media, take some time every day to check in with your list. Talk to them—they're your new friends! Reply to their tweets, answer questions they might ask, and above all, share their content when they post it. You're showing them that you're a connection worth having by bringing value to their conversations. Make sure to switch up the time of day you're doing this, since different people use social media at different times of day. If you get into a conversation with some of their followers, make sure to add them to your list, too.
Over time, it will become clear which people are turning into real connections and which are just not going to respond to you. You'll also see some of your new pals sharing the content you post, without you even having to ask them—that's a great sign that they're seeing you and your content as valuable.
When your feel your relationship with someone is at a point where you can ask them for a favor without it being weird, go ahead and ask them to share or link to a piece of content of yours. Make sure the content in question is actually relevant to what they do/like; one awesome thing about relationship-based link building is that you may actually get content ideas by listening to what your new friends have to say. Be cool about it—a simple "Hey, I thought you'd like this, check it out" is often enough.
All of this relationship building can also be done online—people do it all the time. However, in my experience, meeting someone in person can drastically reduce the amount of time and the number of interactions it can take to build trust with someone and get to the point where you're happy to share each other's content. As with most link-building strategies, a time investment up-front can pay dividends down the line.
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What to See, Do, and More at MozCon 2015 in Seattle
Posted by EricaMcGillivray
One of our favorite things about MozCon is introducing all of you to Seattle. We love our city, and besides three days of marketing learning, we also host three night events and facilitate other fun activities. We are currently 92% sold out with around 100 tickets left, so if you haven't already:
Check out the full schedule if you're interested in knowing more about the MozCon sessions.
Birds-of-a-feather tables at lunch
After many requests for more community connecting, this year, we're launching birds-of-a-feather tables during each lunch. There will be eight labeled tables with different topics each day and a different facilitator each day. (There are also a ton of unlabeled tables for random meeting and gatherings.) Sit down and join a conversation around a professional interest.
Table schedule
Monday tables:
- Real Estate Marketers, hosted by Brittanie Flegle from Realty Austin
- Manufacturing, hosted by Crystal Hunt from WTB, Inc.
- Content Strategy, hosted by Ronell Smith from RS Consulting
- Women in Digital Marketing, hosted by Susan Wiker from Fodor's Travel
- In-house Marketers, hosted by Andy Odom from Santander Consumer USA Inc.
- Local SEO, hosted by David Mihm from Moz
- Inbound Marketing, hosted by Eric Hess from REI
- SEO Executives, hosted by Benjamin Seror from SimilarWeb
Tuesday tables:
- Women in Digital Marketing, hosted by Heather Physioc from Tentacle Inbound
- In-house Marketers, hosted by Kelly Cooper from Moz
- Independent Consultants, hosted by Lisa Kaneff from The Next Chapter
- Google Penalties, hosted by Michael Cottam from Visual Itineraries
- Local SEO, hosted by Paul Sherland from IX Brand SEO Services Company
- International SEO and Content, hosted by Zeph Snapp from Altura Interactive
- Enterprise Content, hosted by Craig Harkins from InterContinental Hotels Group
- Social Media, hosted by Lala Castro from GigaSavvy
Wednesday tables:
- Moz Q&A Forum, hosted by Christy Correll from Honey Tree Media
- In-house Marketers, hosted by Donna M. Snow from Reputation.com
- Blogging Outside the Industry, hosted by Dustin Nay from Christensen & Hymas
- Local SEO, hosted by Greg Gifford from DealerOn, Inc
- Branding and Metadata, hosted by Misty Weaver from Portent, Inc.
- Growing an Agency, hosted by James Loomstein from Digital Space Consulting
- Women in Digital Marketing, hosted by Jen Lopez from Moz
- MozCon Community Speakers, host TBD
Don't worry, with all of us in the same room, doing the same things for three days, you'll never miss a lunch or birds-of-a-feather opportunity!
Our official MozCon evening events
#MozCrawl: Monday night
Join us and our partners for a tour of the neighborhood bars in Belltown. This is our second official MozCrawl, and we're delighted to show off yet another part of Seattle. Each bar will feature a unique MozCon button. Collect all six and be entered in a drawing for a golden Roger. The crawl runs from 7-10pm. Make sure to bring your ID, US driver's license or passport.
(Standard disclaimer: Roger is golden, not made of gold.)
Locations
| Buckley's, 2331 2nd Ave, hosted by |  |
| Clever Bottle, 2222 2nd Ave Ste.100, hosted by |  |
| Rabbit Hole, 2222 2nd Ave, hosted by |  |
| Lava Lounge, 2226 2nd Ave, hosted by |  |
| Wakefield Bar, 2137 2nd Ave, hosted by | |
| The Whiskey Bar, 2122 2nd Ave, hosted by |  |
MozCon Ignite: Tuesday night
You've long asked for a networking-focused event, and in a Mozzy spirit, we're happy to bring our Tuesday night MozCon Ignite. Starts at 7pm with networking and appetizers with talks starting at 8pm.
Ignite talks are 5 minutes in length with auto-advancing slides. All these talks are passion topics—no marketing talks—so you can put your notebook down and relax. Get to know your fellow community members and their interests beyond our shared profession.
MozCon Ignite schedule:
| 7:00-8:00pm | Networking | |
| 8:00-8:05pm | Welcome to MozCon Ignite with Geraldine DeRuiter, aka the Everywhereist |  |
| 8:05-8:10pm | Regales of an Accidental Nightcrawler Stunt Double with Jay Neill from Affiliate Resources, Inc. Jay Neill is an online marketing consultant who helps businesses get started in the world of local SEO through education and servicing. In his spare time, Jay enjoys jumping on trampolines and playing with his vast collection of vintage Star Wars action figures. |  |
| 8:10-8:15pm | Sled Dogs, Northern Lights, and Mushing Tails! with Anna Anderson from Art Unlimited Anna Anderson is an avid dog lover who owns over 35 sled dogs in Northern MN. Growing up with sled dogs, she and her family now competitively race across North America: training, racing, and traveling for 2-3 months with 20 of her best canine friends across the country! Follow her on Twitter: @boldadgirl |  |
| 8:15-8:20pm | Performing a Canine C-Section with Marie Haynes from HIS Web Marketing Dr. Marie Haynes is recognized as a leader when it comes to dealing with Google penalties and algorithm changes like Panda and Penguin. Prior to her career in SEO, she was a small animal veterinarian for 13 years. It is possible that her strong fear of birds is what launched her in to a new life of battling the Penguins at Google. Follow her on Twitter: @Marie_Haynes |  |
| 8:20-8:25pm | Bulltown Strutters: The Band That Married Its City with Mark Traphagen from StoneTemple Consulting Mark Traphagen is Senior Director of Online Marketing for Stone Temple Consulting. When not disrupting things online, Mark disrupts the sleep of the good citizens of Durham, NC, by making as much noise as possible with the Bulltown Strutters, a New Orleans Second Line style parade band. Follow him on Twitter: @marktraphagen |  |
| 8:25-8:30pm | Okay, I Have a Confession: I Was Homeschooled with Garrett Mehrguth from Directive Consulting Garrett Mehrguth is digital marketing enthusiast and owner of Directive Consulting, which provides SEO, PPC, and Content for small to mid-market companies. When Garrett's not in the office, you can catch him playing foosball, surfing, or playing soccer. Follow him on Twitter: @gmehrguth |  |
| 8:30-8:35pm | Conquering the 100 Best Books of All Time with Kristen Craft from Wistia Kristen Craft is Director of Business Development and loves connecting with Wistia's partner community to spread the word about video marketing. In her spare time, she takes epically long walks, swims in ponds, and brews beer. Follow her on Twitter: @thecrafty |  |
| 8:35-8:40pm | Tales of Coffee from a Kitchen Window with Scott Callender from La Marzocco Home Scott Callendar is the Director of the newly launched La Marzocco Home. He is the definition of a coffee geek and spends his time away from his job in coffee with his family and thinks more about coffee. Follow him on Twitter: @incognitocoffee |  |
| 8:40-8:45pm | Go Frost Yourself: 7 Basic Frostings & Their Uses with Annette Promes from Moz Annette Promes has spent the past two decades in and around Seattle working in various marketing roles. She is currently the CMO at Moz, where she and her teams handle everything that is "funnel-related," such as driving traffic to Moz's site, converting that traffic into product trials, and reducing customer churn. Annette really loves frosting. Follow her on Twitter: @ahpromes |  |
| 8:45-9:15pm | Networking break | |
| 9:15-9:20pm | A Creative Endeavor Inspires & Lengthens a Life with Ralph Legnini from DragonSearch Ralph Legnini - Senior Creative Strategist at DragonSearch in NY - is an Aikido 5th Degree Black Belt Sensei, former Saturday Night Live music producer, President of the Board of Education in the 2nd largest school district in New York State, funky rock & roll guitar player, and has worked in the recording studio with music icons Mick Jagger, Madonna, David Bowie, Nile Rodgers, & Todd Rundgren. He used these unique combined skills to create a life sustaining environment for a talented 16-year-old boy with incurable cancer. Follow him on Twitter: @ruaralph2 |  |
| 9:20-9:25pm | Finding and Embracing Healthy Eating Habits with Carrie Hill from Ignitor Digital Marketing, LLC Carrie Hill is the co-founder and technical SEO expert at Ignitor Digital. She loves cooking, eating, reading, and Eddie Vedder...not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter: @CarrieHill |  |
| 9:25-9:30pm | I Was Told There Would Be Hoverboards. with Dan Petrovic from DEJAN Dan Petrovic, the managing director of DEJAN, is one of Australia's best-known names in the field of search engine optimization. Dan is a web author, innovator, and a highly-regarded search industry event speaker. Follow him on Twitter: @dejanseo |  |
| 9:35-9:40pm | The Day I Disremembered with Chris Hanson from 3GEngagement Chris Hanson has been involved in digital marketing since 2006 and is currently Founder and CEO of 3GEngagement. After Hanson worked as a Park Ranger, lived without electricity, raced sled dogs, and lived in Alaska, he felt that digital marketing was the next obvious career move. Follow him on Twitter: @FollowUPsuccess |  |
| 9:40-9:45pm | What Did You Expect in an Opera, a Happy Ending? with Chrissi Reimer from Three Deep Marketing A Green Bay native and Minneapolis transplant, Chrissi Reimer spends her days working as an SEO at Three Deep Marketing. Most nights, Chrissi can be found experimenting with different ways to prepare arugula, trying new brews, or taste-testing every ice cream option in the Twin Cities. Follow her on Twitter: @chrissireimer |  |
| 9:45-9:50pm | The Best Practices in Cooking Hot Dogs with Josh Couper from Rafflecopter Josh Couper is the director of customer happiness at Rafflecopter and long time hot dog aficionado. Follow him on Twitter: @josh_couper |  |
| 9:50-9:55pm | Raising My Parents with Jen Lopez from Moz Jen Sable Lopez is the Director of Community at Moz. She is a renowned Community Strategist who started her marketing career as a technical SEO. Jen is a self-proclaimed geek and faux vegetarian, and she prides herself in having kicked colon cancer's butt at the young age of 37. Follow her on Twitter: @jennita |  |
| 9:55-10:00pm | Stoned Nerd versus the Four-Legged Home Invaders with Ian Lurie from Portent, Inc. Ian Lurie is founder and CEO of Portent, Inc., a search, social and content agency that helps clients become weird, useful, and significant. He's also a renowned raccoon wrangler. Follow him on Twitter: @portentint |  |
Garage Party: Wednesday night
There ain't no party like a Moz party, and our annual bash at the Garage is always a blast. Have one last hurrah with us before heading home and back to work.
For those who've never been to the Garage, there's something for everyone: bowling, pool, and karaoke. Plus, a ton of food and drinks—including our featured MozCow Mule Mocktail, as well as well liquor, beer, house wine, and of course, our friend H2O. So whether you're singing your heart out, playing for the corner pocket, bowling a turkey, or just chatting with your new friends, we'll see you there.
Coming in early? See and explore Seattle!
MozCon-adjacent activities
The following events are MozCon-adjacent, meaning they aren't hosted by Moz and attendees must arrange and pay for their adventures.
Paddle around Elliott Bay! At 2:30pm Sunday, for $49/per person, you can head out on the water and make new MozCon friends. You can easily catch the water taxi at Pier 50 ($4.75 one-way) from Downtown to West Seattle. Alki tours is located right next to the West Seattle ferry terminal for your convenience.
Take a distillery tour at 12pm Sunday and learn about Seattle's unique craft culture. Conveniently, the tour leaves from the Grand Hyatt Hotel. You can call (206) 455-3740 to reserve your spot on the tour, which costs $87.50/per person.
Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels
Love baseball? Come see Seattle's home team play. The Mariners game starts at 1:10pm, and you can see them take on the Angels for $17/per person on the View Level. You must purchase your ticket before 5pm July 10 in order to get the MozCon deal. Enter 'MOZCON' as your special offer code.
Citywide events
- Ballard SeafoodFest, Saturday, July 11, 11am-10pm
- Chinatown Seafair Parade, Sunday, July 19, 7-9pm
- Covington Days Festival, Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and July 19, 10am-7pm
- Dragon Fest, Saturday, July 11, 12-8pm
- Kent Cornucopia Days, Friday-Sunday, July 10-July 12, 10am-8pm
- Kirkland Uncorked, Friday-Sunday, July 17-19
- Mercer Island Summer Celebration, Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, 10am-10:30pm
- PCC Natural Markets Seafair Milk Carton Derby, Saturday, July 11, 9am-3pm
- Polish Festival Seattle, Saturday, July 11, 12-8pm
- Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow, Friday-Sunday, July 17-19
- Seattle Bon Odori, Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and July 19
- Shoreline Classic Car Show, Sunday, July 19, 10am-3pm
- Wallingford Family Parade & Festival, Saturday, July 11, 11am-5pm
- Wedgwood Art Festival, Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, 10am-5pm
- West Seattle Summer Fest, Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, 10am-6pm
- ZICO Seafair Stand Up Paddleboard, an Urban Surf Competition, Saturday, July 11, 9am-3pm
Mozzers recommend their favorite Seattle destinations!
Agua Verde, recommended by Rachael Kloek
"Agua Verde serves great Mexican food in a beautiful lakefront setting. You can rent paddleboards and kayaks right under the restaurant to paddle your way around Lake Union."
Ballard brewery blocks, recommended by Chris Lowe
"A dozen really good breweries all within a few blocks of each other: Stoup, Reubens, Red Envelope, Populuxe, Peddler, Maritime, etc., etc. You can easily walk from one brewery to another. Bonus is that most of these breweries host food trucks on the weekends. The area is also just a few blocks from downtown Ballard and the Burke Gilman Trail."
Ballard Locks, recommended by Renea Nielsen
"The Ballard Locks are a bit of a trek from downtown Seattle (~ 45 min. by bus), but they are a perfect Seattle maritime adventure. The Locks abut a beautiful park and show off Seattle's maritime history. If you're lucky, you may even find some sea lions playing in one of the closed Locks."
Pike Place Market, recommended by Erica McGillivray
"May seen like a 'touristy' spot, but Pike Place Market actually thrives on local business. Every day, there's a farmer's market, flowers galore, and artisans on everything from cheese and spices to woodworking and jewelry. There are hidden shops (at least three bookstores) and a ton of great food."
Elliot Bay Books, recommended by Rand Fishkin
"One of the best indie bookstores in the country, stocked with good stuff to buy and read, and there's a lovely cafe, too."
Ferry ride, recommended by Nemecia Kaloper
"Takes you to such cool places and allows you to see the city from different view and get a taste of our awesome islands! It requires usually at least 1/2 a day, but is well worth it to be able to hop over and have lunch somewhere other than the city. It's easy to never take the trip, but well worth it if you do. I recommend Bainbridge in particular and Nola Cafe."
The Fremont Troll, recommended by Kevin Loesken
"The Fremont Troll, and Fremont in general, perfectly sums up what's great about Seattle. The troll itself is an amazing piece of art. It's also near the Lenin Statue and close to a lot of interesting bars, restaurants, and shops."
Rodeo Donuts!, recommended by David Lee
"Best donuts ever. Even better than Voodoo in Portland, OR. This needs to be a 150 characters long so once again, best donuts ever. I really like the donuts here. Don't go to Krispy Kreme or Top Pot."
Vivace: the Cafe Nico, recommended by Abe Schmidt
"The Cafe Nico best coffee drink in this city. Orange/nutmeg/ cinnamon paired with the greatest espresso pull in the country (only machine in the world capable of the 'perfect' espresso shot)."
Starbucks Roastery, recommended by Ben Simpson
"Just a few blocks from the convention center, the Starbucks Roastery is one of biggest new attractions in Seattle. Why? To start, walking it it feels like Willy Wonka had one to many espresso shots and got inspired. Starbucks pulled together its best baristas from around the country to put together some amazing craft coffee creations. And to top it all off, they've got a Serious Pie on location making all of their delicious food. If you do nothing else during your visit, the Starbucks Roastery is an absolute must!"
And Mozzer favorite restaurants and bars opened since last MozCon
- Trove, 500 E Pike St
- Nacho Borracho, 209 Broadway E
- Kukai Ramen & Izakaya, 320 E Pine St
- Kracken Congee, 88 Yesler Way
Looking for more options? Don't miss our quintessential post from last year, our mega post from 2013, Rand's personal recommendations, and Jon Colman's Seattle coffee guide.
Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
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