How to acquire backlinks from IMDB

Link acquisition is one of the most important factors in SEO and it's not just about quantity. A well optimised link from an authoritative domain is often worth much more than many low level, weak links from directories and article submissions.

Unfortunately getting high quality links from top domains is not all that easy, in fact its probably one of the hardest parts of Search Engine Optimisation. So, how can you go about getting these sought after links?

Well the bods at GoogleCache wrote a cool  post about getting links from 50 top domains. It's worth a read and if you have the time you should try some of them out yourself. A list of link opportunities should not prove too much of a problem for most SEO enthusiasts, but there was one on the list that I felt is beyond most of us:

36. imdb.com: make a movie or documentary

Right, easier said than done! Even though its implied you could perhaps “make up” said movie it seems a bit like cheating. If we can avoid it we shouldn't cheat so I want to share with you a simple, fun way to get a genuine ‘earned’ link from IMDB.

So rather than making a movie:

• Time: 6-9 months

• Cost: £50million

How about:

• Time: 2hrs sat on Sofa + 30min in front of computer
• Cost: £3.50/$5.00

So here goes:

1. First off you need to Search IMDB for a Film or Documentary that vaguely suits the key phrase/s you are optimising for. I was working for a Serviced Offices Company here in London so I found the comedy film “Office Space” was a pretty good match.

2. Now for the easy bit, go rent that film on DVD, look for it on Sky Movies or download it if you must (and for that warm fuzzy feeling donate what you would have spent to charity).

3. Watch said film while making a few light notes as it goes along (character names, quotes, important bits etc).

4. Once the film is finished by all means have a quick siesta. Its been a tough project so far.

5. But when you wake up get the laptop out and write a quick review of the film. It doesn't need to be Pulitzer winning stuff, 300-400 words will do.

6. Upload this review to a page on your website, we uploaded it as an old blog post.

7. Now head back to the IMDB site and find the film you watched. Down the left hand side you will see a number of links associated with the film (Top Links, Overview etc.). Find the link “external reviews”. Click it...

8. You probably see where this is going now but just in case..... submit your external review to IMDB.

From what I remember the process of submitting your review is really easy (it was a while ago) and they don’t seem to be that picky on what is accepted as my review was on the wrong side of dire. You even get to choose the anchor text for the link that points to your site, although you should make sure it's vaguely relevant.

There you have it. A well earned (followed) link from one of the biggest sites on the internet and all you had to do was watch a film...not make one.

* The more popular the film you choose the more reviews it will all ready have. This is a two edged sword as even though it means the page probably already has good authority it also means there may be a lot of links on the page, so if given the choice you may want to find a film with an authoritative main page but with as few review links as possible.

** I haven't tried this but once the vetting is completed and the link has been established a while I am sure you could probably 301 redirect the external view page to another page on your site. IMDB probably don’t check them seems like an unnecessary hassle.

Soon we will tell you how we got a few great links from the BBC, surely that domain should be in the top 50?