There are many different strategies that you can implement to
improve the over all performance of your Website. These include:
Automated functions such as:
E-Newsletters.
Frequent Questions Database.
E-Commerce.
Instant Information Packages.
Download managers.
Search Engine optimisation.
Search engine submission. (Yes they are two very different things)
Directory submissions.
Website sales copy.
Graphics optimisation.
Information Specific Doorway Pages.
Link / Directory Structure.
And the list goes on.
One are which is often overlooked is Link Popularity.
First up, if you're not familiar with the term it simply refers
to the number of links on other Websites that lead to your
website.
However, there is certainly much more to it than that - and
that's the point of this article.
It certainly takes both time and effort to build up a solid
reciprocal links database. (Reciprocal linking refers to where
you link to a particular site and link back to yours). That time
and effort may also convert into cash outlay.
So, keeping in mind that it's going to cost you - let's look at
the benefits.
Obvious, the first benefit is that people may see your links on
other websites and then click through to your own. The secondary
benefit (and perhaps the greatest benefit) is the fact that many
of the top search engines also factor link popularity into the
ranking algorithms and the more popular they see your website
(the more links they find), the more popular they feel it is
and there fore they rank it higher for the search queries.
Sounds simple doesn't it. Yes, but this is a very 'simplified'
explanation of a very complex process. In a nutshell, if a
search engine finds that many people like your site enough to
link to it, they also believe it is good value for their search
visitors.
The point being, that in many cases, the more links you have
pointing to you the higher your website may rank in the search
engines. It's a theory which also plays a very high place in
practice.
So how do you go about getting other people to link to you?
Simple. You ask them.
The right way to ask them is to first place a link on your
website which leads to them. You may then say in your email, “We
felt that our visitors would benefit from visiting your site,
and also that yours may benefit from visiting ours - let's
exchange links.”
With such a request, you obviously don't seek links from your
competition. You do however seeks links with other industry
related, non competitive websites that actually will benefit
your visitors.
While space does not permit a more detailed breakdown of the
right and the wrong, here are a few guidelines:
- Concentrate on related inks only. Numbers are not important.
You should seek out popular sites in your industry / local area.
- Make sure that your site is listed in all of the major
directories: Yahoo!, the Open Directory Project, and Look Smart.
Also, see if your site is relevant to a particular About.com
area, and submit it to the guide.
- Always create your own links before you ever contact another
site asking them to link to you. Doing this will increase your
chances tenfold. However, only request such links if you see
that they offer such a service.
- When you visit related sites, look to see if they offer online
services such as guest books or discussion forums. If they do,
post a message, and include your website URL in your post.
- Write articles about your local / business area, and submit
your articles to website owners as added value content. Always
include your link.
- Create a dedicated plan for increasing your link popularity.
Stick to it. Hire a student a basic wages to keep the work up if
you need to. This return will pay off in spades.
- Word your “Link Text” carefully. For example, if your business
is called 'Tommy's Seaside Resort' and you are based at Noosa,
the clickable text of your link that people (and search engines)
see is “Noosa Seaside Resort for families.” If someone places a
link to your site that is not worded correctly, ask them to fix
it.
- Make sure that the link you get back to you is not part of
some scripted program such as .cgi or .asp. (Look for the “?”
question mark. Your link on their site must be hard coded basic
HTML.
There are programs that can assist you with building your link
popularity and while a small investment is required - the return
in greater visitor numbers will most definitely pay itself off
over time.
Ask your webmaster for more information. However, when you do
that, be sure to check up on their own link popularity results.
If they don't have it together successfully - chances are they
also cannot do it for you.
==========================================
Paul Barrs is the owner of many successful products,
including his latest *Free* Audio Series, "The Three
Ways to Build a Success Home Based Business".
http://www.paulbarrs.com
==========================================
You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the author's resource box with the active link.