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Free Website Content - Four Kinds of Links
4 Kinds of Links
By Sharon Housley
Links are an important component in an online
marketing campaign. Websites usually need a significant
number of quality links to perform well in organic search
rankings. Once upon a time, high-quality links were plentiful.
But with the growth of the web, and an ever-increasing number
of competing websites, garnering link love and attention
is a time-consuming and tedious process.
There are 4 different types of links that
webmasters can work to obtain...
1. One-Way Links
A one-way link is a hyperlink from one website
to another. For example, Website A links to Website B.
Undeniably, these are the best kind of links
for a website to have, albeit the most difficult type of
link to obtain. A website will usually need to contain unique
and compelling content in order for another website to link
to it without any payment or reciprocal returning link.
2. Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal links are when two websites exchange
links. For example, Website A links to Website B; and Website
B links to Website A.
The value of reciprocal links is questionable,
as you are essentially 'trading' links. Some search engines
track the link patterns, and consider reciprocal links as
"exchanges". Many webmasters believe that search engines
place a lower value on reciprocal links than for one-way
links, which is why their value is questionable.
3. Paid Links
Paid links are just that: links that are purchased.
For example, Website A gives $ to Website B; then Website
B links to Website A.
Compensatory links range from purchased text
links to pay-per-click links, where a webmaster pays for
clicks that are generated from the link. The upside to paid
links is that they are not difficult to obtain if you are
willing to pay. You can also control the rate in which the
links increase, and how long the paid links last. The downside
is that major search engines discourage webmasters from
purchasing text links outright (most search engines accept
pay-per-click links). In fact, if a search engine suspects
that a website is trying to "buy" their way to the top of
their organic rankings by manipulating the number of websites
linking to a webpage, they may ban the website from the
search engine.
4. Network Links (3-Way)
Network links are links that are triangulated.
For example, Website A links to Website B; Website B links
to Website C; and Website C links to Website A.
Network links are an expansion of link exchanges,
and generally make it more difficult for a search engine
to discern the link patterns. As a result, search engines
may assess the value of network links as one-way links rather
than the reciprocal links that they really are. Excessive
use of network links can be more easily identified by search
engines.
Most webmasters incorporate all the link
types into their linking strategy.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll
http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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