| One of the trickiest aspects of search
engine optimization is the process of building high quality incoming links. And, as you've
undoubtedly heard, it's also the single most important thing you can do to improve your
rankings. The more inbound links a page has, the more popular it is - and search engines
like popular pages.
The challenge for most sites is to accumulate enough
incoming links to appear relevant to the engines without tripping any one of the many spam
filters and penalties that are applied to sites that cheat. So, the secret to getting it
right is to...
take the search engine's point of view when building your
incoming link structure.
The key point to remember is that search engines like
natural link structure - they hate artificial link structure.
Natural vs. Artificial Link Structure
- natural link structure inbound anchor text varies inbound
link count increases gradually site links-out to only reputable pages links are rarely
reciprocal
- artificial link structure inbound anchor text identical
inbound link count increases suddenly site links-out to link farms or web rings high
percentage of links are reciprocal
Natural vs. Artificial Links
Natural links vary in anchor text while artificial links
tend to be identical. Natural links increase gradually as referral sites add links one by
one over time; artificial links can sprout in great numbers all of a sudden.
Sites designed around natural links don't usually swap
links, so their outgoing links tend to point to pages that are known by the engine to be
in good standing. Oftentimes these pages have been indexed for many years and may even be
white listed - a term that identifies trusted sites not to be penalized. Sites designed
around artificial links will often participate in link swapping and have outgoing links
that point to pages that resemble link farms, web rings, or isolated nodes (i.e. page
groups linking to each other but lacking inbound links from outside trusted sites).
Natural links tend not to be reciprocal. Artificial links,
however, rely heavily on link exchange tactics, suggesting that the sole purpose of the
link is reciprocity - having little or nothing to do with adding value for the site
visitor by way of providing worthwhile content.
Keeping these facts in mind, one should strive to build the
most natural-looking incoming-link structure possible. From a search engine's point of
view (SEPOV), the best kind of links are unrequested links. The engines are looking to
bestow high rankings on only those pages that people voluntarily link to due to great
content - not because some webmaster has spent a lot of time swapping links. Read on for
tips and tricks on how to build the best incoming-link structure and boost your PageRank
dramatically.
Choose Your Links Wisely
While it's true that almost any link from anyone will add
something of value to your page popularity, it's best to get links from authoritative
pages. Such pages are considered important and are usually identified as such by Google
within their PageRank scoring system. The higher the PageRank, the better the link.
Directory examples would include sites like Yahoo and DMOZ. Others like PBS.org, National
Geographic, CNN, or ZDnet would be exceptional authoritative site links regardless of
topic since each has been assigned a PageRank of 9 or better on Google's ten-point scale.
Your next best option is to acquire links from pages that
are trusted. Trusted pages are sites that have been indexed for a while and have already
been assigned a Google PageRank - usually PR=5 or better. It helps even more if these
pages are on-topic - i.e. they match the topic of your page. Links from on-topic trusted
pages can give you a significant boost in rankings.
The Number Of Links On The Referring Page Matters
Another point to remember is the fewer the number of links
on the referring page, the better. Ideally, the referring page would have only one link
and it would be to your page. Of course, that's rarely practical. But, having your link on
a page with 100 other links is almost pointless because the value of your link will be
divided by the number of links on the page - a condition we call link dilution.
While easier said than done, the ideal would be to get your
incoming links from popular, on-topic pages that have few outgoing links within trusted
sites scoring PR=6 or better. Now, short of the ideal, bear in mind that every link you
can get is likely to help you somewhat - and if you can control how those links appear (in
terms of incoming URL-format and anchor text), you'll be in even better shape.
Maintain Consistency In The Format Of Your Incoming Link
URL's
Question: Are you aware that...
http://your-site.com
http://your-site.com/
http://your-site.com/index.html
http://www.your-site.com
http://www.your-site.com/
http://www.your-site.com/index.html
...are all technically SIX different URLs even though each
will land the site visitor on the same webpage?
That's right. And, if those who link to you use six
different URL formats to point visitors to your "home" page then your PageRank
is being diluted by a factor of six - not good!
You simply must do everything in your power to standardize
your incoming URL-format in order to consolidate your PageRank. Doing so will produce the
maximum relevancy-boost possible from your incoming links.
Get Your Keywords Into Your Anchor Text
It's very important that you get your keywords into the
text of the link (anchor text) that other sites are using to point visitors your way.
True, this may be difficult with directories unless the name of your company includes your
keywords. Regardless, the boost in keyword relevancy is significant enough that it's
worthwhile to contact everyone who is linking to you with a specific request regarding the
text being used in your link.
If you happen to be selling model airplanes, then anchor
text such as airplane models or model airplanes will be infinitely more valuable to your
relevance efforts than anchor text simply saying 'click here'. From an SEPOV, the former
states the theme of your page while the later gives the engine no clue whatsoever what
your page is about.
A word of caution: it will look more natural from an SEPOV
if the text links that are pointing at your site are not identical. Strive to maintain
slight variations as would occur if the anchor text were being generated independently by
the sites that are maintaining them. Of course, the nature of your business and the name
of your company might dictate the range of options available to you. However, do
everything in your power to insure that the text being used to point visitors and engines
to your site looks natural from an SEPOV.
This strategy can make a HUGE difference. Generally
speaking, from an SEPOV, it's the anchor text that determines the theme (topic) of your
webpage.
The Best Place To Start Getting Links
Rather than swapping links (which should always be your
very last strategy), consider some of your alternative options for acquiring incoming
links. Probably the best place to start is by submitting your site to web directories.
Here's a list of links to the most important general-topic web directories:
http://dmoz.org/
http://dir.yahoo.com/
http://www.joeant.com/
http://www.skaffe.com/
http://www.bluefind.com/
http://www.zeal.com/
http://www.goguides.org/
http://www.gimpsy.com/
http://www.wowdirectory.com/
http://www.sevenseek.com/
http://www.thisisouryear.com/
http://search.looksmart.com/
Some of them are free and some charge a fee which, when
considering the value of your time, might be worth it to get a new site's foot in the
link-popularity door. Yahoo, LookSmart, and JoeAnt are popular directory sites that fit
this description of directory sites that charge but may very well be worth the fee in
exchange for the trusted inbound link.
To add your site, look around on the main page of each of
these directories for a link that says something like Add URL, Suggest URL, Add Your Site,
or Suggest a Site. Follow that link to get details about exactly how to add your site to
their directory.
By the way, to avoid unnecessary delays in getting listed,
be sure to submit your site to the proper category within each directory. Submitting your
site to the wrong category can result in a ridiculously long delay or simply not getting
listed at all. Remember that the directory editors receive an enormous number of site
submissions. So, save yourself some grief by carefully considering exactly which category
your site belongs in before submitting.
We highly recommend reading the Zeal Style Guidelines,
which provides detailed information about submitting your site to directories - http://www.zeal.com/guidelines/style/
You should also review the DMOZ Submit FAQ at: http://dmoz.org/help/submit.html
Starting out, it's time and cost effective to focus on
getting into the major directories listed above. Each one that links to you substantiates
your site in the eyes of the engines. You get an incoming link from a trusted site and
another new source of targeted traffic. However, you need to know that after you get into
a few of the major directories the relevancy boost from being listed in general
directories drops off pretty fast.
At this point you should start tapping into the power of
getting on-topic links. Again, directories are the quickest and easiest way to accomplish
this task. For a list of topic-specific directories, go to: http://www.isedb.com/html/Web_Directories/Specialty_Directories/
By the way, when getting listed in topic-specific
directories, be sure they provide a direct, static link to your site. In other words, you
do not want a dynamic link - one that is processed or created on-the-fly by some software
the directory has running on their server. This is not a concern with the major
directories as they all tend to use static links. However, many smaller directories like
to create their links dynamically. Although this will add to your traffic count, it does
nothing to help your search engine ranking efforts. That's because engines fail to see the
connection between the dynamic link and your site's actual URL.
Link Outside The Box
Figuring out where to get your incoming links from is like
solving a puzzle. It takes a little creativity coupled with following formulas and
patterns. Ask yourself, who else has a site that might benefit from linking to me?
Suppliers you do business with or professional
organizations you're involved in might be willing to list you on their referrals page.
Legal advisors, accountants, or financiers you do business with might also like to list
you as a client or maybe showcase your business in their online portfolio. Your employees
may have blogs or personal homepages that could link to you, and so forth.
Here are a few more ideas to help you spark that
creativity:
Many online business owners write articles about topics
related to their sites. Then they offer to let other sites use them as content in exchange
for a link back to the author's site. You're probably an expert in the business you're in
and therefore an authority on certain subjects that may lend themselves to interesting
reading that becomes worthwhile information for a basket of ancillary products and
services.
"Swap" links with a partner company that you
closely do business with - or whose services compliment your own. Look for business
partnerships with other websites that are useful to your own customers and whose customers
are useful to you. Look for compatible (but not competing) businesses, then form a
partnership where you link to each other actively through mutual promotion. Not only can
this bring in new traffic and boost your PageRank, but you may also develop important
business relationships this way.
Press releases are an excellent way to gain relevant links
to your company's site. Again, be creative - chances are that there's a number of reasons
(product launches, staff additions, promotions, partnerships, new services, etc.) you can
find to release news about your company to the press. Press releases are quickly picked up
by the engines and the links contained within them are typically trusted. They also tend
to remain on the web for a good long time.
Another interesting way to promote your own site is to
submit testimonials, along with a link to your site, about products you are really
enthusiastic about. If the testimonial is well-written, the company will often post it on
their site.
One of the more under-utilized "secrets" for
gaining incoming links is to participate in forums that allow a text link to your site
within your forum signature. Look for subjects in which you are knowledgeable and begin
posting - asking and answering questions. Be sure to make legitimate contributions and
you'll find that your participation will be a welcomed addition in spite of the plug for
your site.
One of the most potentially productive tips - Find out
who's linking to your competitors and convince them to link to you instead. Go to Yahoo
and enter: linkdomain:www.your-competitor.com -site:www.your-competitor.com in the Yahoo
search box and you'll learn who you should contact. Bear in mind that whenever you're
successful in getting someone to switch, you gain twice. Once for gaining a new link,
twice for reducing the incoming link count of your competitor.
If the link is an especially good one (authoritative site
in good standing with great incoming links, few outbound links, and high PageRank, then
pay them if you have to. Offer them a better deal than the one they have (if any). Do
whatever it takes to get those quality links! Write it off under the cost of advertising.
By using your imagination and dovetailing the nuances of
your own business into the mix, you'll no doubt discover a plethora of opportunities for
gaining legitimate incoming links.
The "Problem" With Reciprocal Links
When all else fails, you may begin considering reciprocal
links. We don't like this strategy all that much because search engines are continuously
getting more sophisticated about detecting artificial linking patterns. Unfortunately, one
of the most artificial linking patterns is reciprocal links, since natural link patterns
are not typically reciprocal. If Yahoo lists a site in their directory, that site doesn't
routinely link back to Yahoo. Of course there are plenty of exceptions, but, regardless,
the engines are looking for pages that rank well due to popularity based on content - and
they want to avoid sites where it appears the webmaster has spent a lot of time swapping
links.
So, look at things from the search engine's point of view.
If CNN runs an article about how great your company is and your company's site links back
to the CNN article, does that look normal from the SEPOV? ...sure it does. Besides, CNN is
an authoritative site that is white listed. They can do no wrong in the eyes of the engine
and the link exchange looks like a natural link structure from the SEPOV. And, your site's
page can expect a substantial boost in ranking.
On the other hand, if your site (with it's PR=4 or 5) is
linked by Joe Blow's homepage with a PR=1, 2, or 3 and you link back to Joe's page, you
shouldn't expect much, if any, boost in your rankings. In fact, it's entirely possible the
two links are discounting each other based on an assumed link exchange arrangement that
looks contrived because neither page is "authoritative" from the SEPOV.
Now, if you had, say 50 similar link arrangements, and the
links were on-topic, and none of the pages involved had tripped the spam filters, then
your page should get a reasonable boost in rankings. Still, you'd fair better simply by
getting a single killer link from an authoritative site like CNN, Yahoo Directory, DMOZ,
ZDNet, and so forth.
The point is, focus your efforts on collecting all the
links you can from authoritative sites. Most importantly, be very careful about who you
link back to because you might just be diminishing any benefit that would otherwise be
derived from your incoming link. And, in terms of building page relevancy, there is
rarely, if ever, any benefit to linking back to sites that are insignificant, untrusted,
or suspected of behaving badly in terms of SE protocol. It can even hurt you.
Be Careful Who You Link Back To!
Gaining links from off-topic and perhaps not-trusted sites
may not be your first choice, but, reportedly, it won't exactly hurt your rankings - they
might even help a little. However, beware of getting yourself into a link exchange
relationship with these sites and remember that you should not link back to them.
Currently, the rule is that incoming links won't hurt you but outgoing links to sites that
behave badly, can.
In other words, if you're left with only the option to swap
links, be sure you do so carefully because linking to a site that has been penalized for
policy infractions (i.e. search engine spam) can cause your site to be penalized as well.
To help you avoid such a scenario, here are four cautionary steps you should take before
linking to another site:
Search for their domain name on Google and Yahoo. If
they're not listed on one or either of the engines, that's a bad sign. Linking to them
could get your site penalized and possibly banned. Besides, even if they aren't a
so-called "bad" site, linking to a site that the engines don't know about won't
help you in the rankings anyway.
However, if they are listed you can proceed to step two.
Determine who is already linking to them. The more incoming
links they have, the better. And, the more important the sites that are linking to them,
the better. Their PageRank score is one indicator of how important Google thinks the site
is.
Beware of linking to sites or pages with a PR=0 (zero).
This could mean that they've been penalized by Google. Granted, this test may not apply to
very new sites, but if a site has been around for a while and lacks any PageRank, then you
should be wary of linking to it.
Avoid linking to sites with controversial topics. Good
examples of such sites would include gambling, adult, pharmacy, or loan/debt sites (unless
you happen to be in one of these industries and the topic matches the content of your
page) Remember:
You probably won't be hurt by who links to you. However,
you can definitely be hurt by who you link to. Train Your Eye On The Primary Goal -
Profits!
Of course, our biggest assumption is that you're optimizing
your site with profits in mind. That being the case, you'll want to always focus your
efforts on strategies and relationships that will generate the most revenue relative to
effort. Therefore, look first for link relationships that will produce traffic that fits
the profile of your customer market.
While it's true that incoming links from just about any
site provides a slight boost to your page popularity (leading to better search engine
ranking), such links all-too-often fail to produce targeted traffic which is what you
really should be looking for. This is one of the many reasons a link from a topic-related
site is immeasurably better than a link from an off-topic site.
Summary
We've covered a lot of ground so let's review where we've
been:
Focus on creating a natural incoming link structure that
builds steadily but gradually over time.
Focus on getting links from authoritative sites with high
PageRank. If they also happen to be on-topic, then all the better.
It's ok to get links from less important sites but
remember: the lower the PageRank of a referring page, the more you'll want it to match
your topic.
Strive to get your inbound links placed on pages with few
outbound links...the fewer the better.
See to it that the URL format of your referring links are
consistently identical.
Get your keywords into the anchor text of your incoming
links as much as possible. However, avoid having all identical incoming link anchor text.
Strive for some variety.
When starting out, focus on the major directories as a
source of important links then shift to the topic-specific directories to solidify the
theme relevance of your site.
Work your trade directories, press releases, suppliers,
customers, and testimonials as an outside the box approach to building a gradual, solid,
lasting, and natural incoming link structure. Think creatively.
Don't waste a lot of time getting reciprocal links. Their
value is diminishing in the current SE environment. We see a time coming when the value of
reciprocal links between non-authoritative sites will be discounted or entirely canceled
out.
Avoid reciprocal links with pages that are designed solely
for exchanging links.
Avoid linking back to sites that are unlisted by Google or
Yahoo. Seriously avoid linking to link farms, web rings or any site that exhibits behavior
contrary to a search engine's recommended protocol. Avoid linking to controversial sites
unless they perfectly match the topic of your page.
Always remember that profits are your goal. More links does
not always add more customers. Avoid wasting energy on projects that may increase link
counts but add little or nothing to gain customers that generate profits. There you have
the top 12 essential strategies for building and structuring your inbound links. Of
course, building such a natural incoming link structure takes time. That's precisely why
the engines tend to highly rank the sites that conform to this pattern. Over time,
experience has taught us that overnight success strategies are fickle while the solid
content and slow but steady link building approach remains the cornerstone for succeeding
long term.
Follow these guidelines and sooner or later you'll be
looking like a top ranking SEO genius. |