|
Author: Sandi Moses Article source: http://www.advertisingknowhow.com/. Used with author's permission.
All of us want to increase traffic to our web sites. It helps our search engine rankings, and is a very cost-effective way to provide us with potential new customers. One of the best, and certainly least expensive, ways to do that is by exchanging links with sites similar to our own, or that contain content our own visitors are likely to find interesting and useful. It is important to restrict our exchanges to such sites because if we indiscriminately exchange with everybody and anybody we become what is known as a "link farm" and wind up being banned by the search engines.
No one wants to be banned by the search engines, so this article will discuss how to find relevant sites with whom to exchange links, and how to keep track of them after you have exchanged the links. Even though there are software programs that will do most if not all of this for you, they have various flaws and inadequacies. If you are one of those people who prefer the personal touch, this article is for you!
The first thing to do is to type your key words or phrases into a search engine and see what comes up. The sites you see on the first few pages have made it to the top of the search engine rankings. Go to these sites and look around on the home page for the phrase "links exchange" or sometimes just "links." Some sites now use "resources." They will have instructions for how to place a link to their site on your site, and instructions on the information they need from you in order for them to place a link to your site on theirs. Some have a form for you to fill out; others want you to e-mail it to them. Have your information (your site Title, URL (your home page where you want them to point their link), Description, and the URL of your links page where you have placed their link, your name and e-mail address) saved in a document ready to cut and paste into both forms and e-mails. It will save you tons of time.
Always remember that the Golden Rule applies here. You want them to place a link to you on their site so you need to reciprocate. If you are uncomfortable with the content of their links page and would prefer not to be associated with that site, then just move on. There are plenty of others.
Some of the higher ranked sites will have non-content related restrictions about with whom they will exchange or will not links. They will only exchange with you if your site and/or links pages have achieved a certain Google PageRank. (To download the Google Toolbar click here.) Even if you do not have such a page rank yourself, you can request an exchange with such sites but do not be surprised if they decline or ignore you. If your site is new, be sure not to stop looking after the first page or two in the search engines. There are many wonderful sites not on the first few pages and most of them would be more than happy to exchange links with you.
Repeat this search frequently because nothing is static on search engines; you might get different results every day searching for the very same word or phrase!
Once you have exchanged links with a site check out the other sites on their links pages. Some sites have links pages loaded with other sites that would be a good match for you. Go ahead and offer to exchange links with them, also. Beware however that some sites may not have been very discerning in their choices of exchange partners. You, however, will be very discerning and will choose wisely the sites with whom you will exchange links! Be careful not to be too narrow, though. Remember that you want to exchange with sites that have content your visitors may find interesting and useful.
If you only exchange with clones or near clones of your site, nobody will be interested for very long. For instance, if your site is about a particular breed of dog, don't limit your exchanges to other sites about that breed, or even other breeds. Try sites that deal in dog food, dog care in general, grooming products, training methods, dog accessories, shows and other events, etc.
Set your site up so that each category has its own page or set of pages, and alphabetize the links on each page by site title if your software does not do that automatically. What you want to avoid are sites that have nothing whatsoever to do with the main topic of your site. In our example of a site about a breed of dog, avoid exchanging links with sites offering bargain vacations on the other side of the globe, casinos, real estate, music, etc. You get the idea. Remember that people who visit your site are looking for dog related information, not that other stuff.
Now that you have accumulated several pages of links, you need to be able to keep track of them so that you don't request exchanges from the same webmasters more than once. It would be embarrassing for them to respond to your request with "I exchanged with you 2 months ago" or something like that. So, what do you do if your software does not do it for you?
Set up a simple spread sheet. Don't worry about setting it up to print out on neat pages, because you shouldn't have to print it out. Make the columns as wide as you need to. You will need to set them up as follows: Title / Description / Category /URL / Reciprocal URL. You can add optional columns for webmaster name and e-mail if you want. Your categories in our hypothetical site would be food, training, accessories, etc. As you add a link to your site, add it to the bottom of your spreadsheet. You can then alphabetize your spreadsheet by whichever column you need. Not only will you know which sites you already have, but you can see at a glance where on your site you have put it! I have used this system extensively and it works extremely well.
One last thing. Please don't ever refuse to exchange links with someone without a high enough page rank because they are new. Everyone was new once and started out with a page rank of "0" including those who are now at the top of the list for their chosen key words and phrases. As people help you to get started when you are new, turn around and help others behind you as they get started.
In case you might be wondering how to tell the difference between a new site with a page rank of "0" and a link farm with a page rank of "0", the new site with have a cached page and the link farm will not. The link farm will have a bizillion links and the new site will have few if any. To find this information look for the icon on the Google Toolbar that looks like a blue circle with a lower case white "i" in the middle, located right next to the little green bar that shows you your current page rank. When you click on that icon you will see a drop down menu that includes both "cached snapshot page" (what your page looked like last time Google checked out your site) and "backward links" which shows how many links Google shows point to your site from other sites.
If when you click on one of those drop down menu choices you find that Google has no record of that site, it's best to wait to exchange links until you find our why there is no record. If the site has been up for more than a few days, there should be at least a cached page. If there isn't, the site may have been banned, and you should not associate with banned sites. Sandi Moses has been involved in internet marketing since
November, 2003. Visit her sites at
http://www.123iwork4me.com
http://www.123-home-based-business-works-4-me.com
Qualities of a Great Manager
In the call center environment we are often only as successful as the people we hire. While our front line employees are critical to our business, choosing the...
Write an Article a Day: Use This Simple Outline Template for Writing Online Articles
So many readers wrote in to ask me for my simple article writing template mentioned in "5 Ways Posting to Article Banks Can Spark Your Writing", that I decided ...
I Must Be The Luckiest Person Alive! Spam
I must be the luckiest person alive! My inbox is just crammed with good news, great advice, and millions in accounts just needing the ok from me.
Right now, I'...
Guide to Internet Business - Design and Content
This is part 2 of a 5-part Step-by-Step Guide to internet business. Covers website design and structure, creation of content and keyword optimization.
Your Intelligence – IQ, EQ, or SQ?
How often have we heard others talk about how 'intelligent' they consider someone to be? Can we be intelligent in more than one way and what is the most importa...
Training Your Dog For A Happy Healthy Life
Proper training and dog care can help your dog live a long and full life. They give so much to us, don't you owe it to him to give some back?
Instant Weight Loss Strategies That Anyone Can Use
Description: You've probably heard it a hundred times before but I will say it again, incidental activity is very important in the process of losing weight as y...
Dumb Dating Mistakes Men Make with Women
Common mistakes men make when dating women that turn women off. If you're making any of these dating blunders get them corrected immediately because they can ma...
Fill Your Readers with Confidence
A lot of people stress about the design and architecture of a web site. But the truth is, most visitors will forgive a horribly designed site, so long as the te...
Ten Creative Financing Techniques
How many ways are there to finance real estate? Who knows, but here are ten creative financing techniques to get you started.
Dying On the Inside: A Childs Grief
The impatient tooting of a car horn startled us into awareness. No one had thought beyond making it through the grievous night. Now the sun was up, and it took ...
What YOU Should Know Before Getting A Web Site!
Everyday thousands of new businesses make the leap and take their business on line, what about yours? If you haven't already, I'll bet you have thought about i...
Marriage Missing its Spark?
Here are some sure-fire tips to spark passion in your relationship right now!
How Slimming Down Can Add More Cash in Your Wallets
Did you know that your wealth can increase dramatically as your weight goes down? Find out how your weight and your wealth are related, and how you can use thi...
Electronic Score Boards
Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has turned to Electronic score boards that not only look breathtaking from every angle and distance, but pr...
The Avenger v/s The Angel
About knowing what you want and not accepting less...
What Do Cowboys-n-Campfires Have in Common?
I bet you're wondering where the heck this articles going. After all what could cowboys-n-campfires have in common? Well lots actually!
The Importance of Nutrition and Lifestyle
The Importance of Nutrition and Lifestyle Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to obtain optimal wellness. Most people roll their eyes or mo...
3 Steps To Immediately Increase Sales
Want to increase sales within your company? It's not as hard to do as some might have you believe. Though we as a nation are in the midst of an economic downtur...
Serious About Writing A Business Plan... Start A Business Plan Library
Tap these treasures of ideas. The best money you can spend is money invested in your business plan education. Don't shortchange yourself when it comes to invest...
Why Most Marketing Videos Dont Work
Marketing videos can be an extremely effective tool for increasing sales in your company. Yet, there are some videos that fail to improve the bottom line. Thi...
How Effective is Attend in Helping Children with Attention Disorders?
Our study involved subjects ranging in age from 8 to 22. In our clincial studies we found that 70% of the subject using "Attend" for 30 days made statistically ...
Low Blood Pressure – Why is Your Blood Pressure Low?
Low blood pressure is a major problem but the cause of low blood pressure is not always easy to find. Symptoms of blood pressure problems can show themselves in...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment
About a year ago I wrote an article on Oppositional Defiant Disorder discussing the condition, symptoms and treatment options. This article is an update describ...
|
Print this page