Generosity is a great virtue. Even in terms of blogging, you can use this virtue to promote your blog for no cost at all. One way of showing your generous side to niche bloggers is by linking out to their blogs. However, many bloggers complain that they see little or no results from outbound linking. Have you tried outbound linking on your blog ever?

Without a doubt, linking out to other blogs in your niche can help you attract some instant attention. But there are some tips that you need to follow to make the most of this free blog promotion strategy.

Here’re some of the most important ones that you can try.

#1. Link Out Only to Enrich the Value of Your Own Content
Selection of articles or blog posts that you want to link out to is the most vital part that you need to focus on. Remember, the internet is simply overflowing with low-quality content. While linking out, you should choose only those topics or posts that increase the overall value of your blog’s content. If you link to poorly-written content, outbound linking will definitely bring no results.

#2. Link Out to Build Relationships
Outbound linking is a powerful strategy to expand your professional network of contacts in a niche industry. Prepare a list of bloggers who you are planning to build relationships with. Focus on connecting with those niche bloggers who you think can bring you potential benefits in future. Link out to their posts or content so they can return the favor in some way or the other.

#3. Link to Active Commenters’ Blogs
This is yet another important tip. If you want to get maximum benefits from outbound linking, you should try to link to those who comment on your blog on a regular basis. By adopting this strategy, you can encourage those bloggers to participate at your blog more actively.

#4. Target Small Blogs
If you only link out to top blogs in your niche industry, you may not be able to attract those bloggers’ attention. Since popular blogs are linked out very frequently, you can easily lose yourself in the crowd. That’s why, it’s a good strategy to link out to smaller blogs from where you can expect some immediate favor in return.

#5. Make the Subject of the Linked Post Evident
Many times, people don’t click an outbound link simply because they are not sure where it will lead them. Of course, visitors are always interested in exploring more on a certain topic or subject. Therefore, it’s important to inform your readers a little about the posts you are linking out to.

#6. Become an Information Resource
You can also use relevant outbound linking to become an information resource in your niche industry. Once people know that they will find valuable links and resources in your blog posts, they will return for more.

Relevant outbound linking enhances the overall value of your blog. It doesn’t only attract the attention of bloggers you link out to, but also builds your blog’s reputation in the eyes of search engines. Linking out is an excellent way of rewarding the blog community, and the value it brings can surprise just anyone.

I would love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences about linking out to other blogs or website. Please feel free to talk back in comments.