Get Linked, Get Noticed!
How often do you get emails such as this:
"Hello, I was visiting your website <www.yourwebsite.com>
and am interested in exchanging links. Links will help increase traffic
to both of our sites...[etc] "
Trading links is a big thing, if you can base it
on how many of these types of emails get sent. It's popular
because it's a relatively simple way to get more traffic --
you "share" traffic with other sites, plus the
more relevant links you have (I stress the word
"relevant" here), the more "popular"
your site is considered to be. That can help you with your
search engine positioning, who love popular and relevant
websites.
People are often reluctant to link to other sites. To some
extent, I can see why - obviously no one wants their visitors
to wander off to some other business in cyberspace.
At the same time, though, realize that no single site can
possibly hope to provide all the information available on any
topic.
There's nothing wrong with linking to other sites. You can
keep visitors coming back by providing a convenient list of
useful resources. Just don't provide outside links on
pages meant to convert visitors (ie. into making a purchase,
subscribing to a newsletter, answering a survey, etc).
Accepting a Link Request
Chances are you're going to receive requests to exchange
links. It's not always bad to accept such a request. Just
be selective about it. Links aren't all equal. When deciding
whether or not to accept a link request, ask yourself:
- Is this a competing site? Obviously you don't
want to send your visitors to the competitor.
- Does this site offer something of value to your visitors?
Take a few moments to visit the site and see if it offers
content or products that are complementary to your own.
- Would you pleased to be listed on their site?
Yes, there really are sites that you don't want to be
listed on... for instance, would you want to be on a site
that promoted racism? Or one that clearly tried to scam
unsuspecting people of their money? Or simply one that
has content your business doesn't condone, or shoddy
products?
- How many links are on their links page? There's not
much point in having your link placed somewhere in the midst of
hundreds of others.
- Does their links directory have a "theme"?
We've all seen directories that don't seem to have a common
thread - they'll link to gambling sites, gift shops, internet
marketing sites, dating sites... basically any site that will
give them a link in return. Avoid these.
- How popular is their site? If it's not popular at
all, then you're not going to benefit from a link. Likewise,
you're also giving up valuable space on your own site that
you can use for other resources.
I generally don't link to sites hosted on free servers such
as Geocities. It's not necessarily that these types of sites
can't have great content -- some do -- but I've found that
they tend to disappear or move, which makes maintaining a
clean resources directory that much harder.
The emphasis is on quality links rather than on
quantity. Weigh it out and accept a link exchange if
you think it will be beneficial.
Passive Linking
If you offer a great site, other sites will naturally want
to link to you. You can make it easy for them by providing
them with the link text, HTML code and/or graphics to do so.
A popular way to do this is by placing the HTML code for your
link text into a text box, so that people can just "cut
& paste" it onto their own site. The code is pretty
easy - here's one for a text box 55 columns in width, 3 rows
in height:
<P><TEXTAREA COLS=55 ROWS=3 DISABLED>
<A HREF="http://www.YourWebsite.com/">Your Link Text</A> - link description
</TEXTAREA>
The above code would display a box like this:
Content Links
These types of links are great because they help to build
credibility. Examples include:
- Your business gets mentioned within the context of an
article. For instance, pretend you sell unique hair clips.
Some online magazine writes up an article about hairstyles
for the upcoming prom. They mention your hair clips and
link back to you. You benefit from the link, of course,
but also from the reputation of the magazine.
- You get a link on a page high in unique content. Some
sites will place a "Related Links" section at
the bottom of their articles. This is a prime location for
a link since the people who took the time to read the
article are much more likely to be interested in what you
offer.
- You provide the content and get a link back in
your article byline. Your "payment" for supplying
the content free of charge is to have a brief resource box
placed at the end of the article that links to your site.
Clearly state the reprint rules for your article. Again,
articles give you the opportunity to demonstrate your
"expertise" and thus build credibility.
- Someone reviews your product and provides a link back
to your site.
Your link strategy should include a combination of both
passive and active links, eg. you can sit back and wait for
people to contact you with regards to links (or just make
it easy for people to link to you - regardless of whether
or not they tell you about it) ... and you can take the
initiative and contact others about a link.
If you do the latter, you'll find that some sites will
require a link back while others do not. You can find
sites that will potentially provide a link to you by
going to Google and typing in:
"your key phrase" +"add a site"
"your key phrase" +"submit a site"
"your key phrase" +"suggest a site"
"your key phrase" +"suggest a link"
"your key phrase" +"add url"
... and many other combinations. If you don't want to have
to link back, add:
-reciprocal
... to the end of your search string.
Check out WebFerret
for a handy free tool to help you search out potential sites
for links.
By the way, if you do send a request to a real person
(instead of through an automated link submission form),
make sure you personalize your request. Be polite, be concise,
and be specific. Suggest what page & what section your link
would fit best. Your message should be personalized enough to
show them that you're not using one of those automated link
managers that send generic link requests to everyone
it can find.
The more relevant links you have back to your site, the
easier it will be for people to find you - so put aside some
time every week to implement your linking strategy, and it will
pay off in more targeted traffic for a long time to come.
This article may be reprinted on your website or in your
opt-in newsletter, provided that it is reprinted in its entirety
and without modification, and the following resource box is left
intact:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela operates the Online Business Basics
website, which offers free marketing tips and articles for beginners to
the 'net. Visit www.onlinebusinessbasics.com
for more tips on how to effectively market your business on a limited
budget.
Originally published in October 2004
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