Even though reciprocal linking has come under scrutiny by search
engines such as Google, having links from other websites
is a critical element in every search engine optimization
campaign. Linking is at the center of how the Internet works.
Link popularity is and I believe always will be a key component
in getting top ranking website.
An election analogy works well in explaining link popularity.
Each link to your web page counts as a "vote" for that page. “Votes” from
websites with high link popularity count more than links
from other sites. Links that use keywords that match your
page also have their “votes” count more.
These “votes” add up to PageRank, which Google
uses to determine the importance of a web page in the search
engine results. If your site gets enough “votes”,
your website can “win the election” with top
rankings and increased web traffic.
The “election laws” are set and enforced by
the search engines. The job of the search engines is to give
consumers accurate and relevant results if they want these
customers to keep coming back. The search engines are constantly
changing and improving their algorithms to detect “election
fraud” from those who are trying to trick their way
into a top ranking spot. The best way to succeed with the
engines is to focus on giving good content that visitors
would be interested in and then you are working along with
the search engines toward the same goals. This includes how
you approach your linking strategies.
The SE’s are now clamping down on “campaign
finance violations” in the form of paid text links.
These links typically have poor anchor text and may be on
a page that is oversaturated with links. Many times these
identical links appear on hundreds or even thousands of web
pages. The search engines, particularly Google have set-up
methods for detecting these links. These links now are being
devalued or filtered out completely.
Search engines are also clamping down on “unfair campaign
practice” This includes link farms, hidden links, search
engine spamming, cloaking, doorway pages and other black
hat SEO practices.
So exactly what is a link farm? This is a type of “ballot
box stuffing.” A link farm is a web page (or even an
entire website) that is set up for the sole purpose of allowing
webmasters to exchange links with each other for search engine
ranking purposes only. These links are usually unorganized
and many have little or no relevance to the topic of the
website. The key element here is that link farms are not
created for the website visitor, but for the sole purpose
of getting good rankings.
What do the search engines consider ethical “campaigning”?
Don’t opt for the quick fix in order to generate instant
sales. Focus on good content and designing your website for
your visitor, not the search engine. Make your website compliant
with what the search engines want, rather than tricking your
way to good rankings.
Does reciprocal linking work today? Absolutely! Here are
some things you should consider as you develop your linking
strategies. The websites you select to trade links with should
be of interest to your site’s visitors. Choose a theme
and topic that is consistent with your website. Keep the
maximum links per page to 10 and categorize your links to
make it easy for visitors.
Choose only websites that are high in quality, high in PageRank,
and links with your targeted keywords. To get links, try
www.freelinkcentral.com . I like this link exchange directory
because of its research resources. It has keyword search
capabilities and shows the PageRank of every link… and
best of all it is free.
Other ideas to consider, try adding a paragraph of text
or content to each links page. This tends to give a natural
look and less like a link directory. During any link trading
campaign change your link text regularly. Add your links
on a slow and regular basis rather than all at once.
Link building has always been on the scene, and links have
a nice benefit, they drive direct traffic to your site when
clicked. They have an added benefit in that they greatly
improve your standing with the search engines. But be very
careful if you are doing link building purely for the sake
of the search engines.
Link building is usually the most time consuming and most
powerful part of effective broad based SEO.
This article may be reprinted in its entirety for use in
newsletters, websites, article archives and newspapers provided
that this resource box is left intact and all links are left
active.
Copyright December 2005
Doug Williams is the founder of Doug Williams and Associates
(DWA). Doug, a results oriented business consultant, is experienced
in designing and implementing strategic plans and business
systems. His key strength is the ability to originate and
implement change. Doug has expertise in financial, operations
and general management in companies experiencing rapid change
in both high growth and start-up situations. He has served
on the Board of Directors for 2 companies.
Since 2002, Doug Williams has focused on Internet marketing
and search engine optimization. Doug has developed a number
of specialized web applications and tools for search engine
optimization. He specializes in ethical SEO that does not
spam the search engines, but rather focuses on building traffic
within the search engine guidelines.
www.dougwilliams.com DWA
operates a managed linking service “Don’t Worry
About Links” at
www.dwalink.com.
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