How To: 10 tips on how to ask outside websites for links

***Brian Turner*** · 13-01-2004, 01:01 PM

This was posted on sitepoint - darn useful guide, if you ask me.

How to ask for a link from an outside website:

"It never hurts to ask" and "ask and you shall receive" are two of my favorite sayings that work remarkably well together. For anyone new to the process of asking outside websites for links back to your own website here are my guidelines. Much of this I have gleaned from threads in the forum and SitePoint tutorials.

1. Identify your target
Choose only good sites. Asking for links costs you time. So identify quality sites with content that matches your own. When determining if you should ask for a link, try to find out the last time the site was updated. You receive a better chance at a reply from sites that are regularly maintained. Look for ‘last updated’ in the footer or dates in the site to help you determine how active it is.

I generally never ask for links if the outside site does not have a links page. Your particular content area may not allow you to be so selective, but finding sites that have a links page is where you should start because you stand the best chance of gaining a link there.

2. Be Honest and Clear
Half the battle in link requesting is to find the correct person to email and to gain their attention. Use communications channels that the outside website has already established such as a contact form or a contact email address.

Always keep in mind that your asking a complete stranger, with a spam-filled inbox, to take the time to open your message and read why he or she should take yet more time to give your site a link.

I do this by always putting ‘link request’ and my domain as part of my subject. This is the honesty part. I believe if your asking a stranger to take the time to read your message you should at least be clear about what you want in the subject. This way if their busy or don’t like providing links then you’re not bothering them too much. Finally, make the first sentence of your message body very clear. The recipient should only need to read one sentence to know what you want and who you are.

3. Do your homework
Take the time to include in your message both the Title of the web page and the URL of the page that you would like to see a link on. This serves two purposes. It demonstrates that you’re a real person who’s familiar with their site and it helps them find their own links page that you’re asking to be included upon. This might seem like a strange thing to note, but if the site is very large or the site administrator doesn't update this site too often then this serves as a refresher for them.

4. State you case
Don’t just ask for a link, give the person a good reason why he or she should link to you. Be brief but descriptive. I usually do this by describing why I feel my site is useful and I provide one link to a page on my website that bests matches their own site's content and serves as a good example of the quality of my content. I also phrase things in terms of why my site is useful to their visitors. This also helps to get incoming links deeper into your site.

5. Identify yourself
Requests are better received if you fully disclose who you are. I always include my full name, city and state, e-mail, and even my phone number. Yes, phone number. This helps strengthen the person to person dialog and makes your message less anonymous.

6. Log Responses and follow-up.
I keep folders in my inbox of where I have made link requests and what the response was. If the outside website declines, I delete it and move on with things. But if they agree, I place the message in a pending folder. People get busy and will forget or postpone what they have promised. It’s not uncommon to get a reply saying they’ll give you a link but weeks go by and there’s still no link added. If no link has been added after 3 months, reply back with the same email they sent you and be very softly give them a reminder.

If you send out a link request and don’t hear back at all then try again. There are lots of legitimate reasons why it's ok to ask again so don’t be afraid to do so. Perhaps your message was deleted because it was mistaken for spam, perhaps it was forwarded to the wrong person or it was delivered to an abandoned email account. I wait 12 months before asking again. It’s not being pushy after waiting so long and perhaps staff or contact information on their website will update during that time.

7. About Commercial Sites
Linking requesting is much more difficult if you have an online store or some other commercial site becuase your related sites are often your competitors. But there are still many places where you can begin looking for links. Start with your own community. Look for city and community sites and find out if they have links to area businesses. If your organization is a member of any groups be sure to examine those sites to see if they include member directories. If you sell products try to identify products that compliment your own and look at those complimenting sites for possible link requests. Look at your competitors's backlinks to get ideas about where to find links. Finally, find enthusiast sites with interests which match your products.

8. Craft a Quality Message and Save it. Take the time to write a qaulity link request message and save it. Use it as a template for future requests so that you don't forget important copy points.

Here’s a fictional sample letter just to wrap it all up. Nothing’s real!

***********************************************

Dear Mrs. Potatohead:

I’m writing you to request a link from your “Sites of Interest” page found at http://www.potatos-4-life.com/links.html to my site “The Potato Way.”

The Potato Way can be found at http://www.potato-way.com. I provide hundreds of free and delicious potato recipes that I think your visitors will enjoy. There’s also a very interesting “History of the Spud” section that outlines the history and use of potato cooking.

My very best content can be found here:
http://www.potato-way.com/10000-recipes.html

If you do find my site useful and would like to give me a link, my official site title and URL are;

Title: The Potato Way
URL: http:<A href="http://www.potato-way.com/" target=_blank>www.potato-way.com

HTML Code: <a href=”http://www.potato-way.com”>The Potato Way</a>

Thank you so much for your time!

Jim Smith
Boise, Idaho
jim@potato-way.com
(123) 111-2222

***********************************************

9. Say Thanks
If you get a link. Send them a thank you because it's the polite thing to do.

10. Follow Up.
So you got that link - Great! But your communications with the outside website need not be over. If you receive lots of traffic through a link, let them know about it. People like to hear that their site's a traffic driver - I know I do! And it's never a bad idea to get them more acquainted with you and your content. I typically send a follow up thank you to my leading referrers about once a year. I acknowledge that the link is having a positive impact and I thank them again for showing their support. This has earned me additional links deeper into my content and it opens up a dialog for any possible link changes or changes in anchor text as you adjust your keyword phrases.

13-01-2004, 01:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
*Brian Turner* Business Guru Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Near Inverness, Highlands, Scotland Posts: 7,719	How To: 10 tips on how to ask outside websites for links This was posted on sitepoint - darn useful guide, if you ask me. How to ask for a link from an outside website: "It never hurts to ask" and "ask and you shall receive" are two of my favorite sayings that work remarkably well together. For anyone new to the process of asking outside websites for links back to your own website here are my guidelines. Much of this I have gleaned from threads in the forum and SitePoint tutorials. 1. Identify your target Choose only good sites. Asking for links costs you time. So identify quality sites with content that matches your own. When determining if you should ask for a link, try to find out the last time the site was updated. You receive a better chance at a reply from sites that are regularly maintained. Look for ‘last updated’ in the footer or dates in the site to help you determine how active it is. I generally never ask for links if the outside site does not have a links page. Your particular content area may not allow you to be so selective, but finding sites that have a links page is where you should start because you stand the best chance of gaining a link there. 2. Be Honest and Clear Half the battle in link requesting is to find the correct person to email and to gain their attention. Use communications channels that the outside website has already established such as a contact form or a contact email address. Always keep in mind that your asking a complete stranger, with a spam-filled inbox, to take the time to open your message and read why he or she should take yet more time to give your site a link. I do this by always putting ‘link request’ and my domain as part of my subject. This is the honesty part. I believe if your asking a stranger to take the time to read your message you should at least be clear about what you want in the subject. This way if their busy or don’t like providing links then you’re not bothering them too much. Finally, make the first sentence of your message body very clear. The recipient should only need to read one sentence to know what you want and who you are. 3. Do your homework Take the time to include in your message both the Title of the web page and the URL of the page that you would like to see a link on. This serves two purposes. It demonstrates that you’re a real person who’s familiar with their site and it helps them find their own links page that you’re asking to be included upon. This might seem like a strange thing to note, but if the site is very large or the site administrator doesn't update this site too often then this serves as a refresher for them. 4. State you case Don’t just ask for a link, give the person a good reason why he or she should link to you. Be brief but descriptive. I usually do this by describing why I feel my site is useful and I provide one link to a page on my website that bests matches their own site's content and serves as a good example of the quality of my content. I also phrase things in terms of why my site is useful to their visitors. This also helps to get incoming links deeper into your site. 5. Identify yourself Requests are better received if you fully disclose who you are. I always include my full name, city and state, e-mail, and even my phone number. Yes, phone number. This helps strengthen the person to person dialog and makes your message less anonymous. 6. Log Responses and follow-up. I keep folders in my inbox of where I have made link requests and what the response was. If the outside website declines, I delete it and move on with things. But if they agree, I place the message in a pending folder. People get busy and will forget or postpone what they have promised. It’s not uncommon to get a reply saying they’ll give you a link but weeks go by and there’s still no link added. If no link has been added after 3 months, reply back with the same email they sent you and be very softly give them a reminder. If you send out a link request and don’t hear back at all then try again. There are lots of legitimate reasons why it's ok to ask again so don’t be afraid to do so. Perhaps your message was deleted because it was mistaken for spam, perhaps it was forwarded to the wrong person or it was delivered to an abandoned email account. I wait 12 months before asking again. It’s not being pushy after waiting so long and perhaps staff or contact information on their website will update during that time. 7. About Commercial Sites Linking requesting is much more difficult if you have an online store or some other commercial site becuase your related sites are often your competitors. But there are still many places where you can begin looking for links. Start with your own community. Look for city and community sites and find out if they have links to area businesses. If your organization is a member of any groups be sure to examine those sites to see if they include member directories. If you sell products try to identify products that compliment your own and look at those complimenting sites for possible link requests. Look at your competitors's backlinks to get ideas about where to find links. Finally, find enthusiast sites with interests which match your products. 8. Craft a Quality Message and Save it. Take the time to write a qaulity link request message and save it. Use it as a template for future requests so that you don't forget important copy points. Here’s a fictional sample letter just to wrap it all up. Nothing’s real! ********************************************* Dear Mrs. Potatohead: I’m writing you to request a link from your “Sites of Interest” page found at http://www.potatos-4-life.com/links.html to my site “The Potato Way.” The Potato Way can be found at http://www.potato-way.com. I provide hundreds of free and delicious potato recipes that I think your visitors will enjoy. There’s also a very interesting “History of the Spud” section that outlines the history and use of potato cooking. My very best content can be found here: http://www.potato-way.com/10000-recipes.html If you do find my site useful and would like to give me a link, my official site title and URL are; Title: The Potato Way URL: http:<A href="http://www.potato-way.com/" target=_blank>www.potato-way.com HTML Code: <a href=”http://www.potato-way.com”>The Potato Way</a> Thank you so much for your time! Jim Smith Boise, Idaho jim@potato-way.com (123) 111-2222 ******************************************* 9. Say Thanks If you get a link. Send them a thank you because it's the polite thing to do. 10. Follow Up.** So you got that link - Great! But your communications with the outside website need not be over. If you receive lots of traffic through a link, let them know about it. People like to hear that their site's a traffic driver - I know I do! And it's never a bad idea to get them more acquainted with you and your content. I typically send a follow up thank you to my leading referrers about once a year. I acknowledge that the link is having a positive impact and I thank them again for showing their support. This has earned me additional links deeper into my content and it opens up a dialog for any possible link changes or changes in anchor text as you adjust your keyword phrases. __________________ SEO specialist

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