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?
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. 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.
* 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.
Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe (SearchEngineWorkshops.com) as well as online SEO training courses (OnlineWebTraining.com). They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through SearchEngineAcademy.com, and they have expanded their workshops to Europe with Search Engine Workshops UK. They have also opened the first networking community for SEOs, the Workshop Resource Center (WRC).
This work is licensed
under a Creative Commons
License.
