The search
engines regard a web site as very valuable if there are several
links pointing to it. The rationale is that an informative and
useful site will attract the interests of several web site owners.
These owners will link to this site as a benefit to their viewers
and to increase the "content" value of their sites.
To increase
your link popularity you should get involved in a link exchange
program. This is often referred to as reciprocal linking. To
be very effective, link exchange or reciprocal linking should
be done with web sites that have similar theme or subject matter.
Before ranking
your site, Google and some other search engines will look at
the popularity of the sites you are exchanging links with and
how they relate to the theme of your site. You can exchange
links with just about any site but the search engines prefer
the link to be formed with sites in your field.
Basically,
search for web sites with similar or complimentary theme to
exchange links with. For example, if your site sells floral
arrangements exchange links with a wedding planning site. Visitors
to that site will be interested in what you offer and some of
your visitors will find value in the wedding planning site.
Some web
site owners may not exchange links with you. If your site only
attracts 5,000 visitors per month and the site you want to link
with pulls 50,000 visitors per month, one site will benefit
much more than the other. Take this into consideration before
you request a reciprocal link. Reciprocal linking should be
mutually beneficial to those involved.
Search for
complimentary sites at your favorite search engines. It is recommended
that you create a link on your site pointing to the site you
want to exchange links with. Prepare a simple letter addressed
to the owner of the site, requesting a reciprocal link. The
letter should look something like this:
Dear ________
(Use a real name; never use Dear Webmaster or Webmistress),
I found
your site while doing a search on home business (or whatever
search term you used.) You deserve a lot of credit for putting
together a very informative and appealing web site. The visitors
to my site would benefit from the content of your site, so I
have added a link that you can view at www.mysite.com/resources.html.
This link will send more visitors to your site.
Please take
a brief moment to review my site. Since our sites are not in
direct competition with each other, would you please consider
a reciprocal link to my site? I truly believe we will benefit
from the increased traffic that a reciprocal link will bring.
Please inform me of your decision. I can be reached at me@mysite.com.
Best Regards,
Tony Lloyd
I recommend that you allow 5-7 days for a response. After that
time send a tactful reminder and wait another 5-7 days. If no
response after 2 weeks, it is safe to assume that the owner
of the other site is not interested in linking with you. The
rule here is patience. Never assume you should get a reply within
48 hours and never send annoying letters reminding the owner
that you are waiting for him or her to link to your site. (Some
people actually do that.)
The process
of searching for sites to link to, placing links on your site
and contacting the owner of those sites takes time. This is
actually an ongoing process. You should request a few reciprocal
links each week, document the date of each request and the date
on which you will do a follow- up.
HERE IS
A SECRET! Go to Google and enter a search term related to your
business. Let's say your business is copywriting. Do a search
for copywriting or copywriter. Make a note of the sites that
are listed in positions number 1, 2 and 3. Next, go to this
link popularity site -
http://www.marketleap.com/publinkpop - and enter each URL.
Click on Generate Report to see how many sites link to that
site.
Notice that
there are close to 1,400 sites that have links to www.copywriting.net.
Click on a number under one of the featured search engines and
browse some of the sites listed. While browsing these sites
you will soon get ideas as to where you can request links to
your site. This is a "fantastic" tool you can use
to generate a list of sites to contact for reciprocal linking.
It is possible
to get a top search engine ranking in your field. A lot of hard
work is involved but it is worth it. Stick with your link exchange
program. Keep requesting reciprocal links and watch your ranking
improve steadily.
