Link Text: Revisited - Getting Links
(Page 3 of 5 )
Although the most common way ' by far - to get links is through mutual link exchange by email solicitation, there are several other ways.
- Offer a unique feature, such as a tool or valuable article. Mention on your webpage something like 'Webmasters are most welcome and encouraged to link to this [article/tool/xyz]. Simply copy and paste the code below.' with a box underneath supplying your code as above. An example of this can be seen at the end of my SEO tutorial here.
- Most online services, shops, etc., can be affiliated with. A lot of sites with very high Google *PageRank, have such high Pagerank because a link to their homepage is necessary in their terms and conditions. I'm sure we've all seen the 'powered by'' links and such before. If you offer an affiliate program, think SEO, and insist partners provide a link to your homepage with the exact code. If you don't have an affiliate program, then consider one. It should be noted that a written condition to have a back link on a customer's site is vastly different than a partner program back link. For a list of good affiliate management resources check out the Google directory.
* Pagerank ': A measurement visible with the Google toolbar that shows in a scale of 0-10 what Google evaluates as the 'value' of a site based on link popularity and quality of incoming links.
- If you can offer something valuable for free, consider something like a 'Link and Win!' feature on your site. For example, all those that link to your site will receive a free ebook (or whatever). This may well tip the balance if someone is considering linking to your site anyway. If you have something particularly valuable, make it a 'Link and enter our draw for'' kind of thing.
- Where you can, post your own link. You should of course use optimized link text rather than just your company name. For example, submission to theme related directories, or more commonly, contributing in theme related forums where signatures are allowed. This is not to say you spam forums, but you contribute normally and spend more time answering questions than asking them (you gain much more respect and the click rate on your signature links will also be far higher).
- Finally, try putting yourself in another webmaster's shoes, one who has just arrived at your site. Ask yourself this question: 'Why would I link to this site'' Does it have something unique' Is it informative' Is the website well designed and user friendly' Does it have any useful Tools/FAQ' Would I feel comfortable recommending the site to others' Does it consolidate lots of theme related information in an easy to read format. The most important question, of course, is really 'What does this site offer that the thousands of other websites on this theme don't''
It's going to be hard work getting links with a site full of marketing blurb and sales copy. A site full of valuable content and unique features will, in time, be recognised as an 'expert' site, or at the very least a good resource, worthy of linking to. It's a cliché, but content is king.
You may be thinking that your site has more than one main keyword phrase. Should you only use link text for one of them or do you split your incoming/internal links 50/50 for, say, two main terms' The answer is that it depends on the competitiveness of your search terms. If they have less than 150,000 competing pages in Google, for example, then split your inbound links 50/50.
In the insurance example above, you can populate half of the incoming links with 'Car insurance' as the anchor text and use the other half for say 'Health Insurance,' assuming you offer it. For competitive terms (150,000+), stick to the top one keyword phrase for incoming links. When you rank well with this term, then, at that point, change your link text for new incoming links to your second most important keyword phrase.
Next: Internal Linkage and Link Text >>
More Link Trading Articles
More By Webby
