Inbound links
Even though the title of a page influences how Google and other search engines will rank your page, linking is the next crucial component in search engine optimization of your site. Also known as back links, it is imperative to have inbound links to your Web site (and within your Web site) using relevant keywords.
Note that having multiple links on the same page pointing to the same section on your web site will only be counted as one link by the search engines. It would be foolish to have link after link on a page pointing to the same page of identical information and a reader would be certain to quickly stop using the links. Instead, use several links to several pages of information located within your Web site that will help the reader with their needs, and generate higher page rankings for your site.
Search engines regard some links as more important than others. Links inside of text are regarded as more valuable than a list of links or links set apart from paragraphs of text. To effectively link to a section within your Web site, or from another Web site's page to yours, it is best to have the link embedded in an article or paragraph relevant to the keywords and the link.
If another business offers to link to your site and vice versa, it will make more of an impact to the search engine if the link is being referred to a topic rather than just listed as another resource, although being listed as a resource is better than nothing. (Search engines could downgrade a page if it appears to be doing a lot of reciprocal linking.)
Rather than linking to the home page, links to another page inside the site might be more highly valued depending on the keywords and content used.
Spread the use of keywords around the site on various pages rather than concentrating the majority or all of the links from one page. This distribution presents the search engines with small bites of phrases and keywords to catalog rather than a big gulp of either.
Search engines cannot read images including graphics and banners linking to sites, and do not obtain keywords from them. Although they are handy to use, they do not perform any search engine optimization function. The Use of ALT tags for images will help search engine ranking using keywords to describe the images.
Use search words in links to attract the search engines' attention. Instead of using a contact us link, use a more descriptive link with keywords such as Begin your debt management consultation now, which would use the keywords debt management, and would link to the contact information page of the Web site. The results to the user are the same, but the increased ranking from linking the keywords to your Web site is to your advantage.
Attracting links and back links
Even though there is some value to a page linking to your site, a link with contextual value is often more valuable to search engines, and most certainly to the user.
Web pages with a high search engine PageRank that link to your site have more value than links from a page with a lower PageRank ranking.
It is more valuable to have a page with only one link pointing to your site and no others than a page with several links to several pages or sites, because the single vote is not shared by other links. Exclusivity adds value to the links to your site.
It is as important to have valuable links to your Web site as it is to have valuable content. The best way to establish good links to your site is to request them from other Web sites with a brief letter explaining why it would be valuable to the other Web site's audience. There is no need to try to attract links from other sites if there is no audience for your Web site's value. That would be analogous to a mime performing for the seeing impaired.
Your Web site needs an audience that needs your company's products or services. Your Web site must convert visitors to your Web site into customers, and to encourage visitors to tell others about your site and your business. Establishing your business as an authority in its sector is a powerful way to attract the attention of search engines.
By submitting articles to networking sites such as www.LinkedIn.com, syndication directories such as www.ezinearticles.com, RSS feeds, press release sites, and blog responses, your information and Web site URL is exposed to people that actually want to know about your relevance to topics that are of interest to them. Your articles and press releases, etcetera, generate links to your site while getting the attention of search engines that will increase your PageRank.
Your free articles should be registered with as many syndication sites as possible, as should the press releases and RSS feeds, and it will take time. The J Howard Company can provide all the services including providing content for articles, RSS feeds and press releases for you.
You can use forums to create incoming links, blogs with Do Follow links in the comments, and you can also pay for links to your Web site.
If you decide to have a blog, be sure to register it with mybloglog.com or technorati.com and start generating quality links to site with great content in your blogs. The J Howard Company can assist you.
Popular links
There are many online search tools for discovering what pages are linked to Websites, and can be found doing a search for link popularity tools.
To find out what other sites such as those your competitors have been linked to, use services such as LinkPopularity.com and enter the URL of the site in question, and then select the search button to see the link results from Google, HotBot, and AltaVista.
At www.marketleap.com/publinkpop links are searched in Google, AlltheWeb, MSN, HotBot, and Alta Vista.
Recently, Google quietly removed PageRank in its Webmaster Tools. Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa said that people "shouldn't focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it's the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true."
One useful tool is at www.linkpartners.com with a large directory of sites that want to exchange links with others. Use the information found to choose pages with the higher PageRank to determine what pages and sites are best for your Web site's linking strategy, and to establish a link exchange.
Your outgoing links are valuable, too. Make sure that your link is on a site that will reinforce your position as an authority in your business as much as for search engine optimization.
The J Howard Company can structure your content and develop a strategy that will generate all the links you want on an ongoing basis. |