One thing that rang loud and clear from the
Search
Engine Strategies 2001 Conference in San
Francisco in August was the importance of building a good, solid link popularity
for your Web site.
So, let's look at some do's and don'ts to consider
when trying to build your link popularity.
Do's
* Concentrate on related and important links only.
Sheer numbers are no longer important. What's important is that the more popular
sites on the Web link to your site, as well as making sure that the links
pointing to your site are relevant to your topic area.
* Make sure that your site is listed in all of the
major directories: Yahoo!, the Open Directory Project, and LookSmart. Also, see
if your site is relevant to a particular About.com area, and submit it to the
guide.
* Visit Search Engine Guide and search for
vertical engines or directories in your focus area. Search Engine Guide features
a listing of over 3,700 engines and directories, so it's an excellent resource
for finding focused engines or directories to submit to.
* Visit Link
Popularity Check and search for your
competitors. Start visiting the sites that are linked to your competitors, and
write to see if they'll consider linking to your site.
* Create a list of links before you ever contact
sites for linking purposes. If the company sees that you've already added their
URL to your list of links, they'll be more apt to add your link on their site in
return. Again, concentrate on related links only.
* Consider what other fields are related to your
particular industry and concentrate on getting links from those areas. You won't
want to add competing sites to your links' page, but you probably won't mind
adding links to sites that aren't direct competitors. For example, if you have a
site that sells needlework kits, you won't want to list other sites that sell
needlework kits. However, you probably won't mind linking to sites offering
related products, such as sewing baskets, books on needlework, or online sewing
classes.
* When you visit related sites, look to see if they
offer guestbooks or forums. If they do, post a message, and include your URL in
your signature.
* Consider setting up separate theme-oriented
domains and link all of your domains together.
* Offer a discount of your goods or services for
anyone who agrees to post a small graphic on their site that links back to your
site.
* Create a testimonial page, and write a brief
testimonial about any Web site that you'd like to get linked to your site.
Inform the site of the testimonial, and encourage them to link to the page.
* Or, write testimonials of particular products,
and sign the testimonial with your name and URL. Send the testimonials out to
the individual companies, and tell them how much you've enjoyed using their
products. Many companies will place testimonials in particular areas of their
site, and they're delighted to get rave reviews about their products.
* Offer awards on your site, and give out little
graphics that link back to your site.
* Set up an affiliate program, which is an
excellent way to boost link popularity.
* Visit the Reciprocal Linkage Topics area of
Webmaster World forums and look for new ideas for building link popularity.
* Become a content provider in your focus area, and
get your articles posted across the Net in related areas.
* Are there any professional organizations related
to your industry? If so, do they have pages of links?
* Develop a plan for boosting link popularity, and
then stick to it. Pledge to get so many new links a week, and hire a high school
student at minimum wage to work for you, if needed.
* If you need help in developing a linkage program
for your site, consider hiring a company like SaveOnSEO to do it for you.
* Though I haven't personally used it, I've heard
good things about Zeus, a software
program that is a reciprocal link generator.
* Remember to link to other important, related
sites in your industry from your own site. After all, link popularity is both
incoming and outgoing, and related, important sites are what you're after.
Don'ts
* Don't participate in link exchange programs or
link farms. Google will ban sites that participate in link exchange programs,
and many of the other major engines have also expressed their dislike of
artificially created link popularity.
* Don't use hidden links on your page. Again, many
of the major engines frown on the use of hidden links.
* Don't make the mistake of thinking that link
popularity isn't important or necessary. A high link popularity is sometimes all
it takes to achieve top rankings. It's crucial, in many cases, to the success of
an online business.
* If you create separate theme focused sites for
the purpose of boosting link popularity, don't use redirects on those sites
pointing back to your main site. Rather, create a mini site at the new URL with
several pages of good, solid content, and then visibly link back to the main
site.
* Don't bother with free-for-all pages. Generally
the only thing these pages will guarantee is an increase in email spam if you
participate.
In Conclusion
Devote some time and energy to the building of a
solid link popularity for your site. Not only will it help your site in the
rankings, but it will more than likely increase your traffic as well.
This work is licensed
Under a Creative Commons License However,
there are no free rides when it comes to building
link popularity. It takes hard work and dedication,
but it certainly is worth the effort. After all,
how many ill optimized sites have you seen that
are in the top 10 rankings, when the only thing
going for the site is a strong link popularity?
