by Derek Gehl - 2008-08-10
There is a kind of inbound link that the search engines use to decide that your site is worth putting at the top of a search result. Links to your site from relevant, respected websites are a way to hit search engine gold.
An easy way to build up your inbound link count is by approaching website owners and
asking for a link, or by sending them articles (with a link to your site) that would
be interesting to their audiences. But before you do, here's a list of what to look
for.
Great inbound links...
- Come from relevant sites. If your site is about dog training, don't go after a
link from a site that sells piano lessons.
- Look natural. If people were linking to your website randomly, they wouldn't all
use the same anchor text, and they wouldn't all link to you in the same week. So
when you give out the links you want people to use, vary the anchor text and build
them up gradually over time.
- Aren't among dozens of other links. You don't want the page your link is on to
have more than two dozen outbound links - the fewer the better (unless the link is
from a directory).
- Are placed in a good position on the site. Negotiate to get your link embedded in
a natural position -- usually within some text in the main body area. The search
engines can discredit links found in the footer, right-hand side, or other popular
areas where advertising usually goes.
Don't worry about getting your link on their homepage. Deep links within a strong
complementary website are great.
- Are found on sites that are indexed regularly. Check the Google cache date of the
page the link would come from and make sure it's recent.
- Are on sites that have been around for a while. Older sites are more credible
- Are on sites with high Google PageRank. The more links you can get from high
PageRank sites, the higher you'll get ranked in Google's listings. However, if you
find a website that would be a great partner but the PageRank is 3 or lower, they
are still worthwhile
Getting inbound links is one of the most powerful strategies for getting high
rankings in the search results. It's worth spending time on.
Copyright © by Derek Gehl 2008-08-10
About the Author:
Derek Gehl, CEO of Internet Marketing Center,
provides proven Internet Marketing and search engine marketing strategies for
entrepreneurs starting online businesses. His
Insider
Secrets To Marketing Your Business Online is available now.
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