Why Link Optimization?
This
article will discuss link optimization and its relevance in obtaining
better search engine positions and how to improve your site ranking with
the major crawler-based search engines that use ranking algorithms to
measure links to and from web sites. Which will also then provide analysis
of links or "Link Analysis" which provides search engines a
valuable means of determining which pages are good for particular themes.
Unfortunately
many webmasters have tried the patience of search engines by spamming
and manipulating keywords creating artificial links and by using dirty
tricks and underhanded tactics. This article leans on search engine do's
and makes you aware of the don'ts.
The
Internet has been built on links from its inception. This article will
also help you understand how linking effects your web site and how to
make sense of seeming similar terms, such as "Link Analysis"
verses "Link Popularity" and "Link Quantity verses Link
Quality".
Tip
#1 One good quality link carries far more weight then having hundreds
of weak ones.
Link Popularity Versus Link Analysis
In
the early days of the web, some search engines like Inktomi made use of
"link popularity" as part of their indexing or ranking mechanisms.
In a pure link popularity system, sheer numbers count. The more links
pointing at your page, the more important your page is considered. Search
engines in the past might add up all the links pointing at pages, then
decide to either index only those pages with a lot of links or reward
pages with many links by giving them a ranking boost. The chart below
is a snap shot of link popularity using a free tool that checks the amount
of incoming links to your site. In case you have not checked your link
popularity yet do it now.
Today,
the major search engines have gone beyond sheer numbers. They understand
that all links are not created equal, especially on a web where some site
owners create "artificial" links in hopes of boosting their
rankings. Because of this, major search engines make use of "link
analysis" rather than link popularity.
With
link analysis, a search engine tries to determine the relative importance
of each link. In addition, it may also seek to understand the context
of the link. By leveraging both of these aspects, a search engine can
make better use of link structures than pure link popularity allows.
Link Quality & Authority
Some
search engines may give a page a quality rating (PageRank) based on the
number of links pointing at it.
PageRank
Explained by Google
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using
its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value.
In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote,
by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume
of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts
the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important"
weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."
Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google
remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean
nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank
with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both
important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number
of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's
content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's
a good match for your query.
Now,
let's consider "outbound" links. These are links on our two
pages that point outward to other pages. Let's assume that both pages
have only one outbound link. The outbound link from page B might be deemed
as more important than the outbound link from page A. Why? Because page
B is more important, it is able to transmit that importance along with
its outbound link(s).
This
is a greatly simplified explanation of link quality and how quality can
be transmitted. Exactly how each search engine may measure link quality
will vary. In particular, they may operate systems designed to identify
unusual or artificial link structures, to reduce link spamming. They may
also not count "internal" links or weigh these differently,
as explained below. However, the main point remains valid -- all
links are not the same. Some are more important to others, and having
just a few links from important web pages can factor more highly in link
analysis systems than having many links from unimportant pages.
Link Context
The
context of links is also considered in some link analysis systems. The
idea here is that you examine words in or near the link to determine the
relevance of the page being linked to.
For
instance, if a link says "Great Place For Books" and points
to Barnes & Nobles, then usage of link text would understand that
Barnes & Nobles is relevant for the word "book."
Here
are some other examples. Consider a web page on HDTV, that has a section
like this:
|
Basic
HDTV Information For Consumers
|
Notice
how the term "HDTV" appears near the links to the three sites
listed. Because of this, each of those sites might be seen as relevant
for the words "HDTV."
Now
look at this example:
|
Consumer information on how to buy
an HDTV.
|
In this situation, the link leads to Wikipedia.
The link text (also called the anchor text) contains
the words "HDTV," so Wikipedia will be seen
as relevant for those words.
Tip
#2 Also of note is rumor that some search engine give greater relevance
to anchor text that is BOLDED and is in a LARGER
FONT SIZE or in heading tags like <h1><h2><h3>.
Putting It All Together
As
we've seen, link analysis makes use of both link quality and context.
Given this, as a site owner, you want to seek links from good pages that
are related to the terms you want to be found for. Even just a few links
from these types of pages is likely to help you more than many links from
places such as "FFA" sites or link farms.
At
a recent seminar on search engines a overhead projector displayed a list
of known offending software programs that number around 50 well known
titles that make use of less than desired tactics to achieve better search
engine rankings. Sweat was observed beading from brows from most of the
software developers who developed and marketed these titles. Standing
on sand and assuming very defensive positions heated debates filled the
room. It became clear that the days are numbered and soon cloaking, and
some optimizing software programs will become less than effective if not
rendered completely obsolete.
One
of the biggest complaints from search engine representatives was the over
usage of "Reporting" features, which create abuse and
consume huge amounts of bandwidth which literately constitute a DOS attacks
on some server's. It became clear that offenders should be blocked, banned
and shut out.
It didn't fair much better for those hawking link farms or "FFA"
pages. The definition of a link farm is a collection of links that are
thrown on a page that have little or no relation to each other and anyone
can join. Stay away or you will be penalized.
It's
also important to remember that while all major search engines make use
of link analysis, they do not depend on it entirely. They also continue
to make use of traditional "on the page" ranking systems, where
pages might be ranked better depending on how often they use a search
term and the where the terms are located on the page. (Page Optimization)
Given this, as always, you should ensure that your pages are making use
of the terms you wish to be found for.
How Do I Find Links?
Traditionally
locating an important page that can provide you with fresh content and
relevant links has been quite a task involving many hours of research.
You would of course start with search engines and search for the top search
keywords that you want to be found under. Next, review the pages that
appear in the top results, such as those that appear in the first two
or three pages of listings. Now visit those pages and see if they trade
links and if so then locate an e-mail address if you can. Next ask the
site owners if they will link to you by sending them an e-mail and hopefully
they will not consider your request spam.
After
many requests, you may get someone to link to you. You must of course
also create a reciprocal link page and make sure that all the links work,
meta tags are in place, upload it, more work. You also want to be sure
not to bury the page too deep into your site. It should be no more that
3 clicks off your index page, other wise search engines will never find
it and all the hard work to get the link will be in vain. Savvy link traders
will spot buried links pages and quickly pass you over if there is no
direct link from the home page to the link page.
Links
are the doors and windows of web sites and bring in fresh air and visitors.
Reciprocal Linking Software
I
have used several different tools over the years and my favorite is Arelis
because it is user friendly and highly responsive to the real world. It
uses a custom templets to seamlessly become part of your web site and
it has a superior methodology for finding links. Arelis finds relevent
sites quickly by using just a few keywords and then uses a search engine
friendly browser based interface to query dozens of engines that you can
choose from, it finds highly relevent sites in minutes.
I
have used Zeus in the past but it has several problems including one major
problem which I consider serious and that is obtaining and maintaining
Google Page Rank. Several componets of the database output are read by
Google and currently hundreds of Zeus users directories have Zero page
rank or Page Rank Disease. The software designer has tried to blame
the problem on the Zeus user's saying that they need to have a tightly
themed directory. I have conducted a few tests on some old directories
and by removing the Zeus refferences and renaming the pages I was able
to create Page Rank instantly. So it's not the user causing the problem
its the software which has been red flagged by Google.
Zeus
also follows links from a web site that you initially pick out and it
can build a data base of 50,000 links to visit in a few days. Unfortunately
if you pick the wrong site to start with you could spend weeks using the
delete button trying to get rid of sites that don't match. The designers
solution to this time wasting problem was to install a button that allows
you to skip 500 sites at time. Once Zeus starts it just keeps going and
if it goes in the wrong direction your stuck or worse you have to delete
the data base and start over.
Arelis
on the other hand can be set to visit as few as 20 sites and if for some
reason it's not finding what you want you can eaisly change the keywords
and go off in another direction. This is a powerful feature espically
if you want to build up sites for a specific category, you can focus in
one area and then change it to another.
Zeus is like a run away train going down the wrong track.
Arelis
version 3.00, now scans your competitors site and gathers all the sites
that link to it. You can then ask for a link to your site too. I have
applied this technique and on the very next Google indexing I saw the
site move above the competitors.
If the competitors
site has a lot of links like mine does, no worries Arelis neatly stores
the information so you can pick up where you left off when your ready.
You can also sort by PR and Alexa rating to get connected fast to those
authority sites.
Getting
The Good Links
Naturally,
not everyone will link to you, especially those sites that are extremely
competitive with your site. However, there will be noncompetitive and
related sites that will link to you -- especially when you show them the
link back to their site already in place. Finding them will be easy using
software like Arelis.
Tip:
Be sure to add keywords like "related links", "reciprocal
link exchange", "link directory", "link resources",
etc. Arelis software will return those sites that have those words listed
along with the other focused keywords you choose.
Organize
a Themed Link Directory
Have
you noticed that some search engines are more organized than others? Yahoo
for example started out with just a few web sites and has been forced
over the years to find a nook and cranny for everything under the sun.
They use themes and then build out into sub themes or categories.
Home > Business and Economy > Business to Business >
Marketing and Advertising > Internet > Promotion > Search Engine
Marketing>
So
don't reinvent the wheel, just keep your directory focused.
Pick your theme and become the very best at it.
Reviewing a Web Site
Traditional
methods of finding a good web site to link to can be time consuming. Keeping
track of the data, like remembering when did I send out that link request?
Did they link back yet? To name but a few of the tasks involved in a linking
campaign that eat at your time is a concern we all have. Yeah it’s
wonderful to have a 1000 links pointing to your site but they don’t
magically appear.
Link
generating software tools can help you become organized but you must still
visit every web site you wish to link to and make an inspection.
Ask
yourself these questions:
1)
Does it serve pop up windows? Google rejects sites from it's WordAd
Program if the site has pop up's. Personally I hate them and I don't
know of anyone who likes them, except for their creators.
One of the largest free downloads on CNET, is the pop up window killing
software. Remember your web site is a storefront not some obnoxious
shove it in your face ad machine. If you have link partners that offend
your visitors you become guilty by association.
2) Does it have a link directory?
3) If it has a link directory, is it clearly visible from
the home page?
Surprisingly some people will hide the link to there link page and if
you can't find it neither will a search engine so don't waste time with
sites that play hide and seek. While visiting the link directory be
sure it has a related category to your site. Don't try to fit a square
peg into a round hole. Don't waste your time linking to unrelated subjects.
4) Does the site have a good navigation lay out?
5)
Is it pleasing to your eyes?
6) Does it have pages under construction?
7) Does is lock up your web browser due to poor coding?
8) Does it work using Netscape?
9) Is it fast loading?
10) Does it have it's own domain? You don't want to spend time
linking to junk sites as link partners or those without their own domains.
http://www.geocities.com/~something/ or
http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/merchantaccount99/
If a site owner can't spend $10.00 per year to maintain a domain you
can safely bet that site will not be there for very long. There is nothing
more frustrating than to obtain a link and in a few months later find
out that the site is now a 404 error and can't be found. Worse are the
tricky web site owners who add your link and then in a few weeks take
it down. They must have rocks for brains because it does no one any
good to play games. They are counting on the fact that you're not going
to be diligent and check back on your link and that they will get a
link to their site with out giving one back. Fortunately if you have
Arelis it
has a built in Link Checker that works and you can check incoming links
to your site in seconds. If it finds a broken link Arelis will ask you
what you like to do about it. The Zeus link auditor does not work very
well and it take days to check about 50 sites, it seems to forget that
it checked a link and if you interupt the operation it has to start
all over.
Making Contact
The
first challenge is often figuring out how to reach the site owner.
Look
around the page for an e-mail address. If you don't spot one, then seek
out an "About" page or "Contact" page. Most sites
will usually have these, and you can often find them when you visit the
site's home page. If you use Arelis it will find all the addresses on
the site.
Be
sure to carefully review all the contact options that may be available.
You want to send your request to the most appropriate person possible.
For example, some sites might list an e-mail address for their webmaster,
editorial staff, their technical department and their advertising department.
In this case, it is probably the web master you'd want to reach. Sending
to the ad department would probably cause your request to be ignored.
Some
sites seem just plain unfriendly and offer no way to contact them except
via a form. The webmasters who uses a form has probably been abused by
spam and e-mail harvesting robots, whose sole purpose is to find your
email address to sell to marketers.
The
best way to approach them is fill out the contact form with your request.
Many sites that exchange links will have a link
request form on their site making it easy to request a link.
Be sure
to follow the all the instructions. If they ask for a link to be visible
on your site first your better have one on your site where it can be found.
You should always send them the exact URL of where the link is. Don’t
send them to the index page of your link directory and make them dig to
find their link.
They are busy people
too and it shows your disrespect for their intelligence when you try to
make them find a link just so you can a get a few extra page hits. When
I run into these jokers I delete there links and there requests. I also
regularly delete requests from people who purposely add false information
or bad email address.
The Link Request
Everyone's
busy. That's why it is important that you make your link request as easy
as possible to process. Format your message so that adding your link is
a cut and paste process. Provide the title of your web page, your URL
and a suggested description and the place where their link can found.
Like
this:
Better Search Engine Marketing.
Offers search engine marketing services by creating optimized pages using
reciprocal link exchanges to obtain the best positioning for quality traffic.
Think
carefully about the description you provide. You'd be surprised at how
many people will use exactly what you give them, especially if you've
written it without marketing hype. Thus, by providing an acceptable description
making use of your target search terms, you might get exactly the link
context you desire.
The
above example contains the site keywords in the hyper link in bold, some
search engine rank these type of text listing higher because they are
bold or are in a larger the usual font size.
The
description also makes use of other site related keywords in a readable
sentence. Obtaining a good site description the key to better search engine
placement.
You
also want to note exactly where on their site you'd like to have a link.
Provide the exact URL and reasonable reason why you should be there. This
will save them time and make it more likely they'll process your request.
Using
the Arelis mailing features is a fast and easy way to create custom messages
that include mail merge tags similar to Excel or Word documents. This
feature archives a complete copy of the e-mail you sent out. Zeus only
records the date and strips out the content making it impossible to remember
what your custom message said, especially if you send out more than one
request.
You
want to make sure the listing in your directory reads smoothly too. This
require extra effort on your part but it can pay big dividends by landing
you a quality link. You'd be surprised at how many descriptions could
use a face-lift, as the site owners visit your reciprocal link directory
to see their new listing, they will notice that you spent some time reworking
their description. Caution! You need
to let the owner make this discovery on their own, if you tell them about
it they may become offended, remember no one wants to be reminded of their
foolishness.
How to Write a Good Link Request
Subject: Trading Links?
Hi, Would you consider adding our site Better Search Engine Marketing
to your page at:
http://www.very-cool.site.com/links/search-engine-companies.html
I
think our site could be of benefit to your visitors. Our site provides
recommendations and articles on search engine tools and often-overlooked
strategies that help site owners increase web traffic and many free software
downloads.
Here is our sites Title URL and short description:
<a
href="http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/" Target="_blank"><b>Better
Search Engine Marketing</b></a> Offers targeted marketing
services by creating optimized pages using reciprocal link exchanges to
obtain the best positioning for quality traffic.
You
may also select other text and banners links here:
http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/add-url.htm
We've
also linked to your site from our Search Engine Placement category in
our directory, on this page: http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/links/marketing.htm
Thanks
for your consideration!
Your
Name
Your E mail Address
Your Web Site URL
This
request would look like this using the mail merge tags and is saved in
.txt file format. With an understanding of basic HTML you can create colored
backgrounds, send logo's and utilize many other options. Its very important
to make use of the <personal_comment> tag, which allows you to enter
in a personal comment about your visit to the web site. (See examples
of bad link requests)
Subject:
Let's trade links!
Hi,
Would
you consider adding our site Better Search Engine Marketing to your page
at:
http://www.your-cool-site.com/links/promotion.htm.
I really think your use of the flash movie on your index page is tasteful
compared to those who force you watch a movie with no controls.
I think our site could be of benefit to your visitors. Our site provides
recommendations and articles on often-overlooked strategies that help
site owners increase web traffic along with free search engine tools.
Here is our suggested Title, URL and short description:
<a
href="http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com" Target="_blank"><b>Better
Search Engine Marketing</b></a> Offers quality marketing services
by creating optimized pages and using reciprocal link exchanges to obtain
the best positioning for better traffic.
You may also select other text and banners links here:
http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/add-url.htm
We've also linked to your site from our Javascript category in our directory,
on this page, http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/links/javascript.html
Thanks
for your consideration!
Brian Cohen
link@bettersearchenginemarketing.com
Better
Search Engine Marketing
Arelis
will also keep track of every e-mail you send in a data base that is linked
to the site your are requesting a link from. By providing the URL of where
you would like to see your link shows that you have a genuine interest
in your link partners site and that you really did visit the site. When
you trade links you will also come across the.....
Bad Link Request
Below
is an example of a bad link request, an actual one that I received and
almost deleted. I decided to save it for just such an occasion as this.
My
company represents Black-Eye.com in their online marketing
efforts and is currently assisting them in developing their resource page.
Black-Eye.com would like to feature your site on this page
as it is targeted and contains relevant information for visitors to Black-Eye.com.
In exchange, Black-Eye.com asks that a reciprocal link be
placed on your site, ensuring that visitors to both sites may have more
resources. You may or may not know that reciprocal linking is one of the
most basic forms of Internet marketing, is free, and is highly effective.
It will improve your ranking on many of the top search engines.
1) Increase your web
site popularity
2) Improve your web
site traffic
3) Deliver qualified
prospects and customers to your web site
Please feel free to
visit our site at Black-Eye.com If you are interested please
contact me at your earliest convenience.
Why
is this bad?
First of all, I actually do know that reciprocal linking is "one
of the best forms of Internet marketing," and I also have a pretty
good understanding of how it can "improve your ranking on many of
the top search engines." Clearly this person had no idea what Better
Search Engine Marketing is about, and their lack of knowledge made me
unenthusiastic to follow up on the request. Similarly, I think few people
are going to give links to others who don't show any degree of effort
in understanding what their site is about.
There
were several other important reasons why I trashed this request.
1)
They've not told me where my link could be found
2) There was no way to view the resource page
3) They've also not told me where they want me to list their site.
4) They've sent this same e-mail to hundreds of other and I know they
never took the time to visit my site.
Apparently,
I might get more information if I followed up by contacting them "at
your earliest convenience." I never have an earlier convenience --
does anyone? This is what really kills this request. It's not convenient.
It's not a beneficial offer. Instead, it's just more work.
Go
back and consider the "good" link request.
Yes, it also requires work. You would need to expend effort adding the
link. However, any work is kept as minimal as possible. All the key information
is presented -- where they'd like a link from, their URL, their site title,
and a description. The follow up can be a short reply; your link has been
added. Best of all, a reciprocal link has already been placed, making
the benefit apparent.
As
your link directory grows and becomes a focal point of interest others
will want to request a link to your site. We have tried many different
forms; I think we created one that works for both parties and you can
inspect it by clicking on Add URL
Follow Up
"It's
the squeaky wheel that gets the oil."
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
Both
sayings above are true when it comes to link requests. If your initial
attempt to get a link is unsuccessful, you need to follow up and try once
more.
Using
Arelis makes this task a breeze. Simply sort your database every two weeks,
when the sites load up the original e-mail appears. You can add to it
or make reference to it for your second request.
Wait
a reasonable amount of time and politely follow up asking again whether
a link request will be considered, include all the original information.
This is easy using the mail merger features of Arelis.
Reciprocal Linking
It
make perfect sense that if you're going to ask for links you should give
one back. That's how the World Wide Web was built. Don't worry about people
leaving your site they're going to do it anyway. By providing a quality
themed link directory your outbound links will send your link partners
traffic and in turn you will receive traffic. So, cast aside any fears
you have about reciprocal linking and embrace the idea.
One
of the big pluses to having a reciprocal links page is that it can become
what some may call a "reciprocal guilt page."
In our "good" link request, we already tell our contact that
their site has been added to our own link page. As a result, the contact
will probably take our request more seriously, and there's also a good
chance they may even feel a little guilty if they don't link back. Both
increase the odds of us gaining a link.
Creating your Link Directory
Creating your reciprocal link directory is a joy using a tool like Arelis.
In addition, if done right, it may even turn into a top feature for your
web site. If you've assembled a good list of links on a particular topic,
people who find it may bookmark the page or tell others to check out the
resources you've compiled.
In
addition, many people have found that their links pages end up ranking
well with search engines. In fact, in link analysis, there's even a term
for link pages -- "hubs." Remember the concept of "authorities"
mentioned earlier? Those were pages that had a lot of links pointing at
them. In contrast, a "hub" page is one that has many outbound
links to authorities. Just as authority pages may do well in link analysis
systems, so may hub pages.
Go
study Yahoo
index for a moment
Business & Economy
B2B, Finance, Shopping, Jobs...
Get
organized and keep your themes related.
URL Issues
A
question that often comes up is whether link analysis works to benefit
your entire site or just particular pages. For example, if you have links
pointing at several pages within your web site, do those all somehow add
up to make your entire web site (or domain) more important?
The
answer is no. Major search engines representatives say that they run link
analysis on a per page basis. In other words, each particular page stands
alone from other pages in your web site.
Because
of this, it's important to pick one page and try to build links to only
that page, as much as possible. In this way, you are concentrating links
to build that page into an authority.
When
a saturation point is reached or you achieve say a page Page Rank of 7
or 8 for a particular page, you can then adjust your efforts into what
is known as Deep Linking and round
out your sites over all authority.
Moreover,
it's not just one page you want to promote -- it's one URL. A single web
page can sometimes be reached by more than one URL. For instance, consider
all these ways to reach the Better Search Engine Marketing home page:
http://bettersearchenginemarketing.com
http://bettersearchenginemarketing.com/
http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com
http://bettersearchenginemarketing.com/index.shtml
http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/index.shtml
All
of these lead to the same page, yet as different URL's, they may be seen
as five completely different pages in link analysis systems. The safest
course of action would be to pick one of these URL's and promote that.
The
main URL should contain a link to a site map that contains a link to every
page in your web site. Its also important that every page in your web
site should link back to the main URL you are trying to promote. Some
search engines give your site extra credit and it makes it easier for
the spiders to establish authority.
By
this point, you may be experiencing some concern. After all, people may
link to any part of your web site they want, using any URLs that are valid.
How can you control all that? You can't, and don't try to. You want any
good links that come your way, because they are better than none. You
may even want to run link building campaigns to various sections of your
web site, because each section might appeal to different places where
you want to get links pointing to. That's fine -- every little link helps.
While
you can't control who's linking to your site, you can influence it. Consider
which URLs you are going to promote, then stick with those URLs in your
campaigns.
Also,
take a look at what URLs were used by the major directories of Yahoo,
LookSmart and the Open Directory. Your listings from these sites can carry
a lot of weight in link analysis systems, so it may benefit you to continue
promoting whatever URLs were used.
When
you have reached a saturation point by achieving the top listings in your
market it would be wise to promote pages deeper within your site also
known as "Deep Linking" discussed
in another article.
The Link Auditor's
If
you use Arelis it is quite easy to check for links that are broken to
your site from your link partners. In a matter of minutes Arelis can check
every link in your data base and show you exactly where the link used
to be. Sometimes a server will go off line and if your checking it will
show up as a broken link. The best thing about the Arelis checker is that
it is fast.
Are Affiliate Links using Redirection?
Affiliate
programs are used by many sites to generate traffic and commission. Affiliate
programs often use redirection systems to track clicks. For example, an
affiliate link to Amazon through the popular Commission Junction program
could look like this:
http://www.cj.com?=78231234
In
this case, a link analysis system isn't seeing a link to Amazon. Instead,
they are seeing a link to Commission Junction. Because of this, the link
gives Amazon no benefit in link analysis.
If
you add an affiliate program, you may find that old "direct"
links to your site are dropped in favor of redirection links. In this
case, your ranking in link analysis systems may be adversely affected.
Web sites use redirection in order to track what people are clicking on.
When using affiliate programs, these links don't count to benefit your
site in link analysis systems.
So far, affiliate links using redirection have little impact on search
engine rankings. In addition, the major search engines say that there
are enough "free" or "direct" links out there that
link analysis can still work. Google recently said that it was taking
redirection into account.
So,
take your links where you can get them -- through affiliate programs,
through sites that redirect, or whatever. After all, that's still valuable
traffic. However, do work on obtaining direct links where you can. They
may become even more valuable, over time.
If
you must use affiliate programs ask the web team at cj.com to include
this bit of code to the link:
<a href="http://www.cj.com?=78231234"><img
src=http://www.bettersearchenginemarketing.com/images/1.gif" height="1"
width="1"></a>
This coding was picked up by search engines when we ran cj affiliate programs.
It did require some teeth pulling to get the web team to act. Then there
always the clever script master who looks at the code and says to themselves
that image tag is not necessary and strips it out, not realizing that
its there to help with search engine rankings.
Straight Up
If
you are a Webmaster that has a lot of web sites, don't try to create a
bunch of links between the sites using the old bag of tricks, like hiding
the links to blend in with the backgrounds, or stuffing them in hidden
layers off to the -left or -top. Link quality and link context algorithms
makes creating effective fake links harder than it may seen. The major
search engines say that it's not to difficult for them to spot unusual
or suspicious patterns of linking. This type of linking will quickly get
your site downgraded, and don't be surprised if your site gets banned.
Its also easy to spot who you are because the IP numbers come in blocks.
But if you have multiple servers located around the world wide IP ranges
you could probably get away with Link Spam but why do it?
Another
idea to influence link analysis systems have been the emergence of "link
farms" or the promotion of "Free For All" pages, also called
FFA pages. At FFA pages, anyone can add their link instantly -- thus the
"free for all" name. In either case, the idea is that many different
web sites will all band together to swap links. These programs are of
little value in helping you with link analysis systems. They provide neither
link quality or context, they will get you a tremendous amount of junk
mail.
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