seoance

We all know search engine performance is critical in gaining website traffic. So where do we start if we want to increase our chances of getting a high listing? If only it was as easy as twigging a few meta tags they’d be no need for the growing number of SEO (search engine optimisation) professionals. Everything in relation to search engine performance has become vastly more competitive. Increasing numbers of organisations in all sectors and markets are adopting ever more sophisticated methods to increase their visibility on the web. If we are considering Google performance (which is generally the case) rather than overall search performance, then link popularity remains the main criteria by which websites are judged. Assuming we have done our level utmost to optimise our pages, then link generation has to be our main concern.

In trying to manufacture links there are several approaches we can take. Possibly one of the most common methods has been to ask. Simply scanning for likely websites and then making contact has become something of a preoccupation for some webmasters. While this approach is possibly the most straightforward, those that have tried it will have found it somewhat time-consuming. Not to mention the nine out of ten willing participants who’ll want something in return…..usually a link back their website, slightly diluting the overall result. The best that we can do is dig their link deep within our site but hope they feature ours more prominently.

For a good quality link, conceivably from a website with similar content to ours, with a high page rank and a page one search result, it may be worth offering a highly visible link (say on our home page) in exchange for a lesser listing on their links page. Although it appears we’ve given more way, we stand to gain by association with their high page rank.

As people have begun to realise the power of inbound links, methods to achieve these links have become increasingly devious. Through plugging our website URL at every opportunity, such as forums, blogs etc, a gradual boost to our link popularity measure can be achieved. A word of caution however, general opinion suggest there to be a correlation as to the quality of links pointing to our websites. By quality we mean the relevance of the link partner website / page to ours. Hundreds of links from sites with little in common to ours can be greatly outweighed by just one with a similar topic or theme.

Other approaches to building inbound links include submitting websites to general directories along with article syndication. Directory submission can be a good option in avoiding a reciprocal link situation. Some require a fee while others are free, so we need to determine how useful the link will be before parting with any of our hard earned cash. Article syndication on the other hand works by producing quality articles that we then post to high-traffic websites. We stash our URL at the bottom of the article and so self generate a link. Again, the point concerning link quality is important here, but often our article will be featured by webmasters looking for relevant content. So long as they respect our copyright requirement and leave the link intact it can frequently provide high quality linking.

Taking the idea of article syndication one step further we could consider seeking out product review websites. Amazon is the most obvious that comes to mind, but as with everything on the web – there are trillions to choose from. If we can track down products (they’ll nearly always be a good book) that somehow relates to our website then this is an excellent way to generate an inbound link, plus we may actually get people clicking through in the belief we are an authority on the subject.

This article is free to republish provided the resource information remains intact.

Paul Coupe is lead designer / developer with Zoom Online. paul@zoom-online.co.uk
Zoom Online is a UK based specialist web design company providing total online solutions.

http://www.zoom-online.co.uk/e-marketing/The_power_of_inbound_links_How_to_win_friends_and_influence_people.htm

Technorati Tags: link popularity, inbound link, link, pagerank, link quality