How to increase your link popularity

2004-09-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Link Myths

2004-09-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

By Scott Patterson of BuildingAStore.com
*****************************************

As competition among websites increase, close attention is being paid to rankings in major search engines. Since a high ranking in a keyword can "make or break" a business, webmasters are looking to find any method to increase their ranking. By examining the algorithms of Google and other search engines, it is easy to see that a high value is being placed on the number of links (and quality) pointing to a website. As a result, most webmasters have realized the importance of finding partners to link to their Internet business.

Although link exchanges are vital to any marketing plan, there are some myths that are perpetuated by many so-called "experts". To run a smart link exchange campaign, it is important to understand these myths and make sure that you do not fall for them.

Brought to you by: www.magic3.biz

Myth 1 - Link to every site

When I first started my link exchange campaign, I would link to every site possible. As a result, my rankings suffered. As I learned more, I discovered that I could improve my listings by linking to sites that complemented my own. In order run a smart link exchange program, it is important to focus on linking to sites that are closely related to your product or service without being a direct competitor.

For instance, my original site sells Ethnic Jewelry. So, I look for link partners among other jewelry stores that do not sell the same type of jewelry that is listed in my store.

Myth 2 - All people will add my site if I add theirs first

To receive a link from an Internet business, most people will usually add the site's link first. Unfortunately, not every potential partner will add your link even if you have already added theirs. Sometimes a website is just not interested in linking with your site. The problem is many webmasters will not let you know that they are not going to link to your site. So, you might be linking to a website that is not returning the favor.

A great way to ensure that you are only linking to reciprocal sites is to put each link into a "temporary position" until you receive validation that the site is listing your business.

Myth 3 - The name of my website should be in the title of the link

Another mistake I made when I first started out, was to have the name of my website in the links that were pointing to my business. Eventually I learned that many search engines, especially Google, pay attention to the title of the link pointing towards your site. So, if you are looking for top placement for specific keywords, then they should be used in the title of the link instead of your website name.

Taking the Ethnic Jewelry example from above, your link title would look like this:

Ethnic Jewelry Store: Here we sell evil eye jewelry and Turkish jewelry.

Myth 4 - Only link to sites with a high Google Page Rank

In my opinion, the biggest "Catch-22" for webmasters is that many sites will not link to an Internet business unless it has a certain "Google Page Rank". But at some point, every site has started out with a low page ranking. So how did they get a high ranking if no one would link to them in the first place?

Instead of focusing on a page rank, many successful websites look instead at the quality of the Internet business. If it is evident that the webmaster has taken the time to create a quality site, then you can assured that a high ranking will eventually happen! By linking to a well designed website, you can be ensured that the value of your link will increase as the website gains a high ranking.

Myth 5: Put all the links on one page in no particular order

When the Internet first gained popularity, webmasters used links as a way to help their visitors. Initially, they placed links as way to complement the content of the website. As the important of links increased, the focus shifted from helping the visitor to helping the webmaster.

Instead of dumping your links onto a single page, you can help both your partners and visitors by creating a directory. Here, you place each link partner into a specific category. This will help visitors (and search engines) navigate your site with ease.

Myth 6: I should avoid all types of "automatic" link programs

Many Internet marketers recommend avoiding automatic link exchange software. They feel that using these programs will actually hurt your rankings rather then help. But, there are a lot of great link exchange websites that automate the process of finding links hurting your search engine rankings.

For instance, linkmarket.net and gotop.com are two excellent sites that allow you to shop for link partners. When you find sites that are complementary, you add them to your "basket" and the link exchange websites sends out an automatic email requesting the link. These two sites allow you to save time, while avoiding the "black hat" techniques that are prevalent among many automatic-linking services.

While exchanging links can be a time-consuming process, it is well worth the effort. By taking time to properly link to complementary websites, you will find that your rankings in important keywords will improve.

******************************************************
Brought to you by: www.magic3.biz

Link Exchange Primer

2004-09-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

One method of promotion that many webmasters engage in is link exchanges. A link exchange is an agreement whereby two webmasters agree to link to each other from their respective sites. The benefits of a link exchange are twofold. Firstly you gain direct traffic from people clicking on the link, secondly you gain another incoming link for search engine optimization purposes.

Not all link exchanges are created equal and this article is going to explain how to optimize your link exchange efforts so that you get the most benefit possible.

Evaluating Partners

The quality of the sites that you exchange links with reflects on your own site. It is important for your site's image that you only exchange links with sites of quality. If the sites you link to look cheap, you do too. A fair link exchange is one in which both sites receive the same benefit. This doesn't mean that both sites get the same amount of traffic though. A site with a high amount of traffic might not advertise it's off site links as much as a site with lower traffic and so the amount of visitors sent each way might even out.

You can simply ask the webmaster how much traffic he receives, or you could use a tool like Alexa.com to get an estimate. You should also note where he places his links, as compared to where you place yours.

You will need to measure the PageRank of your partner's site, you can do this using the Google Toolbar. Specifically you should know their overall PageRank power, or the PageRank of their links page. If a person links to you on every page of their site then their overall PageRank power will tell you how much PageRank the exchange will give you. If you also link to the person on every page of your site then your overall PageRank power will tell you how much overall PageRank (spread throughout your entire site) you will lose in this exchange.

If you both employ separate link pages you can calculate how much PageRank you gain and lose by dividing the PageRank of your or your partner's links page by the number of links (both internal and external) on that page.

Doing the above will allow you to measure both your partner's PageRank and traffic contribution to your site so that you can decide if it is worth while to exchange links with them.

Deceptive Practices

There are many ways to mask links so that search engines do not see them. This can be done for a valid reason, such as denying a search engine access to a shopping cart script, or to stop the flow of PR to an affiliate program when you sending them PR is not part of the affiliate agreement. However it is my opinion that using such methods in a link exchange is unethical unless your partner is fully educated about the matter and decides he wants to exchange links anyways.

One thing that can be done is to run links through a redirect script. Such scripts aren't always made to block the transfer of PR, often the site owner might just want to track clicks. However if the redirect is not done correctly a search engine may not be able to follow it. Additionally if the redirect script is blocked by robots.txt then the search engines definitely will not be able to follow it. If your partner uses redirects you should have a look at his robots.txt file and also see if you can see links from his site when searching for backwards links on one of his current link partners.

Another thing that someone could do is block their links page altogether using robots.txt. This is quick, easy, and effective. Yet another reason why you should check out the robots.txt file of any page you wish to exchange links with.

Limiting Loss

There is nothing wrong with not wanting to give too much PageRank away to your partners, just so long as you're not deceptive about it. Things you definitely do not want to do is link to someone from every page of your site (unless they're doing the same and your values even out) or link to your links page on every page of your site.

For instance supposed you have 5 items on your menu, one of which is a link to your links page. That means that 20% of your PR flows through your links page. Then what if half of the links on your links page are external? That means that 10% of your overall PageRank is being siphoned out by your links page.

The best thing you can do is link to your links page from only one place, such as your home page, also the more internal links you place on your pages the more PR will continue to run through your site. If you have a large number of links you can break them into multiple pages by grouping them into categories. This will greatly reduce the amount of PR loss you have due to the larger number of internal links one will be exposed to while browsing your categories.

Maximizing Benefit

Other than picking good partners, which is discussed above, there is almost nothing you can do to maximize the benefit you receive from link exchanges. I did say almost nothing however. One thing that will increase your benefit significantly is if your partners put your keywords in the text they use to link to your site. Since changing the wording of your link will in no way hurt them they'll usually be very accommodating to your request. So if you want to rank highly on the words "purple widgets" you'll want your link partners to use that as either all or part of the anchor text they use to link to your site. This is very important and can make a substantial difference in your rankings if you have a lot of link partners.

Conclusion

Remember that just because you have read this article doesn't mean that you potential link partner has, so do not be afraid to ask a site that is larger than yours for a link exchange, they might just accept. Additionally if a site that is smaller than yours wants an exchange you might want to consider it. If the site looks like it has potential it might one day rival or exceed yours in size and developing a relationship with the site now may pay off at a later date.

brought to you by www.magic3.biz

Four Easy Steps to a Powerful Joint Venture

2004-08-06T04:13:00.000-07:00

If you have been online very long you have probably heard
the term 'Joint Venture'. Today I'd like to take a moment to
define just what a Joint Venture is and also share my simple
four-step formula for creating a win-win Joint Venture.

Before we begin, please allow me to say that my business has
been built on Joint Ventures. My site went from a handful of
visitors a day to over 8000 a day in less than a year.

But this article is about YOU, not me.

First, the term Joint Venture simply means a partnership
between you and another business person. A Joint Venture
(JV) usually involves selling a product online by means of
sending an email to a mailing list.

Sometimes you have the list and your JV partner has the
product. Sometimes it's the other way around. And sometimes
a JV includes you both sending a sales message about each
other's products to your own list.

In each case, it's a Joint Venture.

One of the most common misunderstandings about Joint
Ventures is that you have to be a 'Big Dog' to do a
successful JV. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If
you have a good idea, access or resale rights to a great
product, or a responsive mailing list (size really doesn't
matter) you are a perfect candidate to create a winning JV.

Now let me share with you my proven, four-step formula for
JV Success.

1. Do It Now.

This may sound simple to you, but I can't even count high
enough to count the money people have left behind by simply
not asking.

Remember, you do NOT have to have a big name or reputation
to approach someone on a JV. What matters most is the fit of
your product or service to their list, or vice versa.

2. Approach The RIGHT Partners.

One common mistake is approaching sites based on what you
perceive about their reach. We all tend to think 'Wow, he
has a huge list; we could make a fortune.' While a big list
is appealing, what matters most is the fit.

So, who DO you approach?

You approach sites that *compliment*, but don't compete
with, your product or service. Simply think through what
your customer might buy next and approach those sites.

People who just bought cars often change insurance carriers.
People who just bought copywriting might need an
autoresponder for the messages they had created. So, if you
own the autoresponder service (or you are an affiliate) you
approach the copywriter.

Another great match could be weight loss and clothing (show
off that new slim you!) You get the idea.

HOT TIP: Don't forget your competition. Check out who links
to your competitors' web site and see if they might like to
offer their clients another option.

3. Automate And Personalize.

While it's smart to use software to find and approach
potential JV partners, it's wise to also let your
personality shine through.

If you are approaching someone with a big mailing list, you
can be sure others have approached as well. Write your email
in such a way to be personal, and to the point. Many times,
the letters you will find in software products designed for
the JV market are the perfect place to start.

4. Think Win-Win.

The best Joint Ventures are those where both parties win.
Sure, making money is good; but great JVs are about more
than just the cash. A GREAT JV is one that benefits both
parties and starts a relationship that carries on to the
next profitable project.

No matter what product or service you promote, you CAN find
great JV partners to help you sell more in less time. And
when that happens you may also create the foundation for a
beautiful friendship as well.

******************************************************
Published by Roy Oron
www.magic3.biz

.