Search Engine Optimization Blog

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Archive for 'Link Building'

Linking Up

admin
July 14th, 2007.

Much has been written about link popularity and many a Webmaster will have spent hours or even days figuring out how best to improve their standing. If we concentrate on the top search engine such as Google, Yahoo and MSN, we find that link popularity is calculated as part and parcel of their complex algorithms and basically represents a measure of how many web pages link to a particular site. This in turn suggests how to establish an order of rank when viewed against sites that compete in a similar area. Yahoo and MSN have both lagged behind Google when it comes to utilising link popularity, but in light of stiff competition they have had little choice but to re-jig their algorithms.

The Google Page Rank tool can help to shine some light the popularity of your pages, but should not be considered a comprehensive mirror of link popularity. Firstly it’s perhaps worth noting that Google only updates the page rank every 3 or 4 months. Therefore if your pages are not yet ranked it may be that Google has not yet got round to doing them. Furthermore, getting a page rank of 0 (zero) doesn’t mean that your website totally stinks. Page rank 0 simply means your site is in the system and awaiting a more meaningful score once Google has had time to monitor and ascertain how your site measure up.

We all talk heavily about Google as this engine is currently responsible for much more potential traffic than any other. Many Webmasters have built up inbound links with only this one this search engine in mind. But gaining links to a website is a good idea regardless of any search engine algorithm. The old fashioned idea of cultivating link partners as a means to gain traffic from the click throughs, still has plenty of merit. The general rule to remember is that generally speaking - any link is a good link.

Developing a successful link strategy can take a lot of time and effort. One common mistake is to jump to conclusions too quickly. As Google moves at it’s own pace, anything done to a website today can take a number of days, weeks or months to show up. Much depends upon whether we are talking about new pages or modifications to old established pages. Often search results will move from being top 10 to nowhere and perhaps back again. New pages are particularly volatile. This is because Google recognises that new pages will have little by the way of links to them and so effectively grants a pass. After approximately 30 – 40 days Google checks to see if any links have been built to the page in question. Failure to gain any links suggests the page will be relegated to Google’s supplemental listing, while those with links will remain in the main index. Generally it appears that any new page will take up to 90 to 180 days to gain some degree of page rank after first going live.

There is no real secret to gaining link popularity and in turn page rank. Unless you adopt a ridiculously spammy approach 9 times out of 10 your efforts will be rewarded with some positive movement. The approach you take can vary from simple link exchanges, article syndication or by targeting directories. There are of course many other approaches, but the main thing is to take action and to keep it going over the long term. A high level of focus lasting for just a short period can on occasion do more harm than good. Google is looking for gradual but sustained increases in links to your site. If your efforts only move your site slightly up the rankings then this only goes to prove that your efforts have been too small for the area in which you compete. The only real option is to revise your strategy and double your efforts.

Paul Coupe is lead designer / developer with Zoom Online.

Zoom Online - Providing total online solutions. Contact: paul@zoom-online.co.uk

http://www.zoom-online.co.uk/e-marketing/Linking_up_Search_engine_rankings_still_come_down_to_links.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Coupe

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Reciprocal Linking

admin
July 13th, 2007.

Reciprocal linking means forming partnerships with other sites who place a link from their Web pages to yours. You then give them a similar link in return.

When you look for people to swap links with, make sure that you don’t reduce the quality or content of your own site. You don’t want users to click straight through without reading your content; you want them to take action on your own site rather than have them leave empty handed.

One way to stop them from running away too quickly is to create a “Webmasters Resource Page” and link to that page from your homepage. This doesn’t take away from the content on your homepage and the links are just one click away rather than being buried deep within the site, giving value to your partners.

In any case, you want to be sure that your site is more than just a page full of links. If your site contains more links than content, it will look like a link farm and it will certainly not be attractive to webmasters, search engines or users.

Picking your partner

Your link partners should be sites your target market will visit. Think about your product and its subject area and brainstorm to determine where people interested in your product might be looking online.

For example, if you’re trying to shift your book about blackjack strategy, it makes sense that the people visiting online casinos would make great customers. Online casinos then could be good partners. Identify top-ranked, high quality casino sites and find the email address, telephone number and snail mail address of their webmasters.

You can also identify your competitors and see where they trade links. After all why reinvent the wheel when you can use your competitors hard work!

Seven Top Tips For Requesting reciprocal Links…

1. Before you contact webmasters, place a link to their site on your resource page to assure them that you will actually provide a quality link.

2. Create a subject line that will encourage them to read your message rather than deleting it - you don’t want them to think you’re spamming them. (Something about their site or product is sure to capture their attention; they will open it, thinking you’re a potential customer.) Hint - subscribe to their ezine and then reply using the ezine subject line as the subject of your reply.

3. Begin your message by talking about your visit to their site and what you found interesting about it. Detail your product or service in one line and ask them to exchange links with you.

4. Tell them in detail where you have placed their link, include the precise URL, tell them where to find their link on the page and emphasize that it is only one click away from your homepage.

5. Tell them that if you don’t hear back from them in a specific number of days, you will consider that to a negative response and that you will remove their link from your site. Give them enough time to respond but don’t leave it open ended.

6. Sending a reciprocal link request by email is becoming less and less effective due to Spam filters and the high volume of email traffic received by webmasters of busy sites. Try sending your request on a postcard or better still make a phone call.

7. Tell the webmaster how they will benefit from the reciprocal linking arrangement - explain what’s in it for them and use your selling and persuasion skills!

Copyright John Taylor PhD August 2005 - All rights reserved.

About the author:
To learn more information about Reciprocal linking I strongly recommend that you visit http://www.Link-Advantage.com

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