Building links
The best way to make sure that search engines index your web site is to build links to it. Although this is a time-consuming process, you will find that search engines view links as a vote of confidence in a web site. The quality of the page that links to you is important. A link from an authority web site or directory in your industry sector will count for a lot, especially if their page does not feature many other links to third party sites. Links like this can give a significant boost to your search engine ranking.
Good quality links not only bring steady traffic to your site, but bring the search engine ‘spiders’, too – the robot programs that index web content.
Link quality
Be careful to establish links only with high quality web sites that you would like to be associated with. Links to downmarket sites or those with nothing useful to offer will annoy your web site users and may cause them to doubt whatever your own web site offers.
You need quality as well as quantity, because search engines consider link reputation as much as link popularity. Your ranking could be damaged by links to or from your site that associate you with sites that ‘spam’ search engines (seeking high ranking ‘illegally’ through methods such as over-repetition and hidden words). If you are unsure about the quality or intentions of a potential link partner, just leave it out. Always aim to build links that are relevant to your target audience. Search engines will also think that they are relevant.
Reciprocal links
Reciprocal links with other web sites that target your audience can help you a lot. Both parties win from this strategic partnership. Of course, you may not want to swap links with a direct competitor, but it is useful to have links with web sites for products or services of benefit to your audience before or after or combined with your own. For example, a seller of curtain poles and accessories who does not supply fabric has an obvious linking partner.
How to obtain and reciprocate links
Identifying potential link partners
Search the three major search engines – Google, Yahoo! and MSN – using the keyword phrases you have identified as relevant to your audience. Think about keyword phrases that overlap with your subject area, too. Make a note of any non-competitive sites that are in the top 30 results that you could approach as possible link partners. Also visit their links pages to see if you can find further links to sites that may benefit you.
You can analyse the links that point to your competitors’ web sites. This is a good way of ensuring that your web site competes head-to-head with theirs on as many resources as possible. By combining all the marketing techniques, you will be aiming to exceed the marketing work of your competitors, not just match it.
Try this free link checking tool as a starting point: www.linkpopularity.com
Simply enter your competitor’s URL to view which sites link to them.
Keywords in link text
The best kind of link has a title that includes the keywords you are targeting for that web page and through which the hyperlink is placed, followed by a short description. The title and description should be informative and make people want to click it in preference to the links around it. You need to persuade the users. The search engines will follow the link, provided it is located on a page they already index and is not surrounded by too many other links on the page. Around 100 links are too many. When you email to request a link from another site, you should include suggested link text that will fit with their web page as well as incorporating your keywords. This will make it more likely that your keywords will be included. The search engine then identifies these keywords with the content of your page, strengthening the focus of the page and helping to move you up the rankings.
The link request
Add a link to your links page or at a relevant point in your content where it will support your site’s message. Next, contact the company with a friendly, personalised email, saying that you have added their link to your site and would appreciate a reciprocal link, with suggested text and location. Emphasise why you think your link will complement the content of their web page. When adding their link to your site, include their keywords in their link text for them. This forward thinking will make them more likely to co-operate.
Allow around two weeks for a reply, then follow it up by email if necessary. If you think it is important enough, follow it up by phone.
Make your site link-worthy
If you have unique content that provides valuable information to web users, you will find that other businesses want to link to your content as a service to their users. Having other web sites approach you for links rather than the other way round will save you time and money. Ideally, you want people to link to your site without asking for a link in return. The better your material, the more likely this is to happen. Good web site material will also bring a positive response from the companies you request links from.
Internal links
The links between the pages of your own site work in the same way. The link text should include the main keyword phrase of the page you are providing a link to. Keep link titles as short as possible, so that your users can immediately identify with the purpose of the page. Both users and search engines like to find keyword links in the main text of a web page for clear cross-referencing within the site.
