Link Blog

Traffic Acquisition Through Link Development

Most people are aware of the role that links play in relation to the placement of their site in the organic search engine results. There is no question of the significance of links; they are what the web is made of.

However, I think a lot of people get misguided when they are searching out new link opportunities. Too many people are too concerned about PageRank and how the search engines will view the link pointing to them. In my opinion there is no such thing as a bad link. I personally have never seen a link pointing to a site damage the target site. That is not say that if the questionable site is penalized and quits passing "popularity" that the target site won't have a shift in placement. Hopefully the site has a well-rounded link campaign developed and this will not happen. If it does, it does not mean a penalty has been applied to the target site, it simply means the link is not providing the trust it once did. You can overcome the placement drop by acquiring more links from more trusted sites.

I am digressing, that is not the point I wanted to make with this blog. So on to what I really want to talk about.

Now, when you are setting up a link campaign quit thinking, "Will this link improvement my search engine placements?" You should be thinking, "Will this link send me more CUSTOMERS?"

The real point of any commercial website is to provide a service, information or resource, not to be placed in the top of the results. Yes, that is important so that people are aware of what you are offering, but that should not be your primary concern when you acquire links. When you are acquiring links place your focus into getting links from sites that appeal to your target market.

If you own a shoe site consider gathering links from a site that sells belts, purses or clothing. It is very likely that the person purchasing a new alligator belt would be interested in your alligator shoes. It doesn't matter if the belt site has no PageRank, the site still offers you value in the way of potential customers.

A lot of people try to acquire links from sites that offer the same product or service for "themed links". This is something that has never really made since to me. Why would a site want to link to a competitor and why would a consumer leave the site they are currently purchasing from to go to another site that offers the exact same thing? It just doesn't make sense, at least in my mind, from a business standpoint.

In fact, when I am acquisitioning links for a client I VERY RARELY place their link on a site that offers the same service. Whenever I am selecting links I do my best to match up sites that are of similar interest, so that the client can benefit, not only from improved placements, but by having the site refer customers as well.

Why does anyone want their site placed in the top of the search engine results? There is only one real answer, TO MAKE MONEY! Whether the revenue is generated through AdSense or product sales the goal of the site is to earn a dollar.

I know, I know, you are saying what about personal blogs or family homepages? Well I have never ever heard of anyone running a site for their own personal use be concerned about ranking. The people that want to place are businesspersons, not Ms. Smith keeping a blog to correspond with her son stationed overseas.

So when you are looking for links ask yourself, "Does this site have the potential to send me customers?" If the answer is yes then you should request a link regardless of the PR.

Happy Linking
LinkQueen

Just the other day I was asked AGAIN how important are directory listings for link campaigns. In my opinion these are EXTREMELY important.

Directory listings are not only important in link campaigns, they are also important for providing you additional exposure. So there is a two-fold benefit for the time that needs to be invested in submitting your site to directories.

Directories tie in with TrustRank. Again, this is how technology is depending on humans to provide them with quality sites. Programmers are smart enough to know that if someone has submitted a site to a human reviewed directory that a person had to go in and evaluate the site. This person had to verify that the site was truly what the Title and Description outline and that the site is not being cloaked or using hidden text or any other activities of which search engines disapprove. So a listing in a directory gives a little extra "bump" to your site.

However, not all directories are treated equally. For example a listing in a Yahoo directory is worth a lot more, in the eyes of a search engine spider, than a listing from a new independent directory. But you should not be submitting to directories solely for the purpose of link popularity. These directories can bring in quite a bit of traffic on their own.

There are so many directories out there, some of them are general directories and others appeal to a niche. Niche directories can bring you paying customers, as you are placing your product in front of eyeballs looking for what you are offering. And best of all most niche directories do not ask for an inclusion fee. That means you, in essence, get free traffic. What a deal!

If you are looking for a good listing of directories SEO Directory Whiz has complied and excellent list of over 600 directories for you. Info Vilesilencer also has a downloadable excel spreadsheet with a well-organized list of directories. With their layout you know the PR of the directory, if a reciprocal link is required and if you need to register before making a submission. Really handy information when you start out.

For anyone that is doing a lot of directory submissions, I highly recommend picking up RoboForm. They offer a free and paid version. If you are only concentrating on one site then the free version should work fine. But if you are working with several sites, like me, you should go ahead and pay the $30, as the free version limits how many identities you can save. This tool has been so handy to me and has truly simplified the task of directory submissions. In addition it saves all your passwords too!

When you are submitting to directories by sure to drill down the most appropriate category. Selecting a broader category will not provide you more link popularity, nor will it convert into more sales. The more specific you can get the better off you will be for both of those aspects.

After you have selected the best category you should be ready to submit your site. This part can be tricky because you want to be sure you have effective sales copy, without "hype" and you want to be sure and make effective use of your keywords in your title and description.

The title will be very important for link popularity because it typically sets the anchor text to your site. Now, this can be especially sticky for those of you with more generic URLs and site names, because a lot of directories insist that the site name be listed in the title. You can overcome this with a little creativity.

If your site is ABC and you sell widgets. Then write your title something like this "Widgets from ABC". Now, that is pretty bland and I am sure that you will do a much better job, but that is just to give you an idea.

Well, you have your list and surely you are downloading RoboForm while reading this, so you should be set. Roll up those sleeves and get submitting!

Of course if you have questions, come over to the forum and ask so we can all learn from one another!

Happy Linking,
LinkQueen