How
to Increase Link Popularity
Link popularity refers to the ranking assigned
to your website by the search engines, and it determines the
ranking your page gets when keywords are entered into a search
engine. So, you're probably wondering, how do I make my site
link popular?
Search engines give status and ranking preference
to sites that have links to their pages from related,
quality sites. It's a simple but a very important
one. Google created the system, and now virtually all the
most popular search engines employ it to rank your web
pages in their indexes.
The more commonly used your keyword is, the harder
it will be to achieve link popularity, but without achieving
this step, it is almost certain your site will never list highly
on any SE. But don't be discouraged; there are tried and true
ways of achieving link popularity using the most competitive
keywords, but it requires a lot of work
There are a few things you should be aware of.
The first is
that just linking up with a large number of other websites
will not achieve link popularity. In fact, it may have
quite the opposite effect. This is particularly true when
pertaining to websites that are nothing more than "link
farms" - pages containing line after line of indiscriminate
links. Search engines are aggressively searching for sites
that are linked up with a link farms.
Don't forget to think about the quality of the
site
you are linking to. Never link to a page you don't want your
visitors seeing. The last thing you want your website to appear
as is indiscriminate and cheap. Linking to sites of poor quality
will only lessen your link popularity, if not completely destroy
it.
What do you need to get link popularity?
The first step, and the fastest way to get your
foot in the
door, is to get a listing in a popular directory, such as
Open Directory Project and Yahoo. If your site is
business-related, you will want to be listed on Yahoo, and
despite the fact that it will cost you around $300 a year,
it will be money well spent. If your site is non-commercial,
the listing will be free, but it will take
time and follow-up to actually get it listed. Open
Directory gives you a free listing whether you are
business-related or non-commercial, but be prepared to make
Not all sites want link exchanges, so you will
have
to do some research when you are looking for possible
linking partners. Google is an excellent starting place for
your search. Make sure you enter keywords that you think
quality customers will also enter to find your own site.
Remember, your criteria are quality, highly ranked,
non-competing websites that have a links or resources page.
Go to these sites and objectively assess them. Look at the quality
of the product, the graphics, and the ease of use. Then check
out the other sites they are linked to, and
determine if your own site would fit in with the crowd.
When you decide you have found a good prospect,
you must set out to woo them. The first thing to do is to add
a link on your own links page to their site. This is an essential
first step; it shows good faith, and ups your chances significantly
of their reciprocity. After you have added their link, you must
contact the webmaster of their site. Since this is almost always
done by email, you want to make sure it is immediately clear
that your message is not junk mail. This requires that you tell
them right off the bat that you have added a link to their page
on your site. A hook like this almost always insures the reader
will read
on.
Next, be sure to be flattering and let them know
how much you appreciate their website. Make sure you emphasize
that you have actually visited their site, and that their site
is not just a random pick. Give them the address of your links
page, and ask them to check out the link for themselves. Finally,
tell them you would greatly appreciate if they would reciprocally
add a link on their own links page to your website.Then follow
up and make sure they linked to you.
Then set up a system to check your ranking in
search
engines frequently to see if your link popularity has
improved. This will take a bit of time to do. It
will take some time and a good deal of work. There is no
way around the labor-intensive quality of improving your
link popularity, which is why search engines regard it with
such importance.
Make your site look professional and neat or no
one will link to your site
