There are many ways to increase your link popularity. Here are some tips and trends from Search Engine Land to help you with link building this year.

• In 2011, Bing and Blekko will become great places to build links. Last year, many link builders relied heavily on Google and Google’s search listings. However, although Google is never going away, other search engines will step out of the shadows and bring great link building opportunities to marketers.

• Start to concentrate on creating well-rounded link popularity. Make sure your links are coming from a variety of places such as social media networks, link directories, blogs, older sites, newer sites, articles, social bookmarking sites and more. Generating links from many different platforms will allow you to create a larger list. It also makes your site look more credible to search engines than if all your links were coming from just link directories or just social media networks alone.

• Link builders should begin to focus more on how to secure links rather than just ways to generate lists of link building sites and opportunities. Without the right link building technique, a list isn’t worth much in the long run anyway.

• The rise of apps is beginning to take people away from actual Websites. In order to combat this, it’s important to develop a loyal following to use for link building as well as product announcements. Try to gain opt-in email addresses and split your Internet marketing campaign into two parts, one to focus on link building and one to focus on driving traffic to your site, email marketing and social media. Building your following leaves you with a back-up plan if apps do end up totally driving people away from Websites, because you’ll be able to get links from your fans/followers.

• In 2011, expect to see smaller brands ranking better based on customer service reviews and social media interaction. In previous years, big brands have had the most power when it comes to online marketing. However, smaller brands tend to provide better customer service and now social media and customer review sites have allowed that quality to shine.

• Start using social media networks Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for link building. Here’s how:

o Facebook: Post links to your Website on your wall, in discussion and on other people’s walls (when appropriate, don’t spam). Also search for Groups that are associated with your keywords. Join these groups and start to respond to discussions. Make sure to leave a link to your site at the end of each response. You can also use Facebook ads to buy links and target them by region, gender, keywords and more.

o LinkedIn: Not only can you post links to your “wall” but also participate in LinkedIn Answers using keywords. By answering multiple questions posted by other members each week, you’ll establish credibility and attract links and sales leads. You can also leave the link to your Website as a reference which will help with your link building efforts. When you’re done answering a question you can also ask the person who asked it for a link back to your site.

o Twitter: Make sure to use keywords in every tweet and include a short link back to a relevant page on your Website. Since tweets are now being indexed in Google this will greatly help your link building efforts and drive more traffic to your website.

• Look for fresh sources and sites when it comes to traditional link directories. Ask your social media followers if they would like to host articles or blogs you’ve written on their sites. You’ll be surprised how many respond which will get you a few valuable links.

• Participate on forums and review sites. Leave your link with your signature.

• Try to gain .gov and .edu links. These credible sources will have a positive impact on your search engine rankings and are also relatively easy to gain if your site is relevant to the subject of the organization.

• Remember that quality over quantity is important when it comes to link building. Do not conduct any link exchanges with websites that are irrelevant to your industry or topic. Google and other search engines frown upon this. This year, concentrate on building quality links that will last and on gaining loyal followers/fans/customers who will help drive traffic to your website.

You also need to set up a channel through which you will offer your product/service (this is the Place part of the mix). The product or service itself is a vital part of the mix. . .and then we get to Promotion which includes advertising. In today’s internet economy, you can actually do certain forms of advertising which are free. Some of these advertising options include online classified advertising like CraigsList or US FreeAds. Perhaps one of the most effective free “soft advertising” methods makes use of the many social media sites that are now available. The key word in this type of promotion is “social.” In order to be effective, you need to stick to the social etiquette that is required. No spamming or hypey activity is allowed.

Coming up with a solid advertising marketing plan will most likely take some trial and error. But there are some tips that can help you get going. The most important is to understand who you are advertising to–in other words, know your target market. And know it very well. A thorough understanding of this will make your plan much more successful. Getting it wrong will set you up for failure. This will require quite a bit of research which cannot be skimped on.

Next, set your goals. Identify what you want to get in return for your advertising (recognition, sales, brand identity, etc) and set specific short -, mid- and long-term objectives.

Then you will want to do some brainstorming to come up with the actual advertisements. Create a rough draft. This is just the start. It will most likely be revised over and over again as you figure out what is doing well and what isn’t. Which brings us to tracking, testing and tweaking.

You need to have tangible results with every ad that you place. This is harder to do with magazine, television, newspaper or radio advertising. But online advertising very much lends to tracking. Analyze your results and make necessary changes. Sometimes just one word can make all the difference in advertisement conversions.

Research advertising agencies to find who you will work with best. If possible, go for those who are specifically expert in advertising your business niche. Using the correct advertising marketing plan is a process. Taking action and getting help from professionals can help you get started.

A web site will expose your business to a larger number of prospective customers and increase the size of your targeted customer base. The web site will make your business available to a larger number of consumers and expose your products and services to a greater variety of potential customers. Effective internet usage creates many bridges by using social networks, directories, and advertising that all point back to your destination: A well designed, well written, website.

2. Increase Your Profile

With a professional web site, customers see your business as more professional, dynamic, modern, and better able to serve their needs. Businesses without a web site are often perceived by potential customers as small and inept. Even worse, a business with an unprofessional web page design will seem uncertain and unprofessional. What will potential customers think if your competitors all have a beautiful web site design and all you have is a Facebook page?

3. Promote Your Business 24/7

Customers can access your web site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can read about your products and services when it is convenient for them–quite often, long after you have locked up and gone home. An effective web site design can efficiently answer customer inquiries all day and night, not to mention sell you while you sleep!

4. Don’t get left behind

Chances are, you completion has a website- The amount of businesses with a website are on the rise.  You cannot afford to NOT have a website, because chances are your competition already has a website. If not get in ahead of the rest!

5. Target Potential Customers

Customers who visit your web site are interested in your products and services. They have found your site via Google, or you shared it on Twitter, Facebook or other networking sites. They are ready to make a purchasing decision. Your business promotion is effective when your web site is viewed by interested potential customers.

6. A Website is one the cheapest forms of advertising

Technological advances have made small business web development more affordable than ever before. Spruce up your advertising through affordable web design and receive a greater return on your investment when compared to the cost of advertising on radio and television, in newspapers, or in the Yellow Pages.

7. Market Effectively

Web site design does not limit the volume of content that you can present to potential customers. Other types of promotional media such as print, radio, and television, charge fees by the word or second. A six-page web site allows you to fully explain your business, products, and services. You can tell potential customers about your staff, qualifications, existing clients, completed projects, or just about anything that will benefit your business.

Get in contact today about setting up your website.