The question is, is search engine optimization through link building really so difficult that it warrants such expense? The answer in short is no. Sure, link building is time consuming, frustrating and can be dam right confusing to the uneducated eye, but if you take the time to look past all the so called ‘complications’ you will see it’s much more than achievable to build links without breaking the budget than first thought.

There are programs to help you build links on a budget too. Although you may be surprised by just how many options there are. There are literally hundreds. The trick is to do your research, as while all promise top ranking results, only a handful of programs actually do what they promise. I guess we can thank god for freedom of speech. Head to an on-line discussion forum to see how other people have dealt with finding the right program for them. Like any subjective site there will be a lot of bull-dust between the facts but as any Wikipedia reader knows, the truth can be found when you take the time to extract ‘the point’ not ‘the opinion’.

Aside from finding the right software, cheap link building involves stepping inside the mind of your target audience. Does the way you search on-line reflect the way your consumers search? This method is better tested than guessed. Writing down every key word you can think of that describes your product or service and measuring that against what other people write is one way you will see that there are gaps involved in ‘solo thinking’. Companies that achieve the highest search engine rankings are those that have taken into consideration the most avenues their consumers use to find their site. This is not to say they have spent the most money buying their allocated spot. Take Wikipedia for example. Wikipedia is a non-profit organization that is almost unbeatable when it comes to on-line word search matches. You will be surprised just how helpful a list of keywords will prove later on down the track when it comes to actually putting links into play.

It is also important to take into consideration the fact that link building and search engine optimization are not just about setting up software to detect particular words or phrases. To drive traffic to your site, first and foremost you need to ensure that your website copy is ‘keyword rich’ and written in the best possible way to ensure links are easily synchronized. One example would be a site that lists all of it’s services in full as well as taking into consideration abbreviations and slang terms. Again, this is something that can be achieved on a budget. A website rewrite doesn’t cost the earth and it will often generate more long term revenue than you writing it yourself. There are more than a handful of freelance Copywriters available on-line who are more than capable of providing you with copy that is ‘keyword rich’. A lot of them also have experience in search engine optimization writing, so it’s worth mentioning exactly what you are looking for.

Aside from your website, what other pages do you have advertising your brand? If the answer is none then one of the most effective ways you can build cheap links is to open a new page. Creating a stand-alone review page that features ‘customer reviews’ and a link to your website’s product page is one affordable way to double your web results. You could also do the same thing for ‘deals’ or ‘coupons’.

Don’t forget to get creative too. Creativity is one of the most sought after qualities in the world and it’s also free. An example of creatively building links without spending a dime would be approaching a blogger who attracts a lot of on-line traffic. Bloggers love nothing more than being approached as an authority in their niche, so they are more than likely to play ball if you stroke their ego. Offering them a free product or service in exchange for a review of the product or service is an extremely innovative way to generate more links to your website. Another creative way to build a link would be to contact your vendors and offer to write them a positive testimonial in exchange for a link on their testimonial page.

With all this in mind let’s not forget a bit of old school head-to-head complication-free competition. Pick your number one competitor (preferably a rival attracting more on-line attention than you). Get your hands on a website analyzing program like Open Site Explorer and find out which of their links are generating the most traffic. Then, copy them. There is nothing to be ashamed of, I’m sure Pepsi representatives visit Coca Cola offices every other week in disguise. I take my hat off to them for supplying such fierce competition to one of the most recognizable companies in the world.

Ultimately, the point shines through. Money doesn’t build links, innovative ideas do. Sure, there is no such thing as a free lunch but there is such a thing as a cheap lunch. You just have to be prepared to look. There are dozens of ways to build links for free and dozens of ways you can take care of the finicky things before even thinking about hiring an expert. From listing keywords you associate with your business to personally monitoring your competitor’s links, you can save yourself both time and money. If there was any argument to the fact that search engine optimization and link building is expensive, it would only be that people are prepared to pay a lot of money for convenience. The trick is recognizing that convenience is free.