Free Website Content - Everything You Need to Know About
Linking
Websites that are able to amass a large number
of links from related websites that contain relevant content,
tend to have an advantage when attempting to rank well in
the large search engines. The tricky part is understanding
how to build a large quantity of quality links. With the
growth of the web and increased competition, search engines
are weighing link relevance, and link authority as part
of their ranking algorithm.
Earning Links
Link popularity is a form of "social bookmarking". Think
about it, a link is akin to a "vote" from the source. Just
like in the real world, a vote from a source that is known
to be trusted and respected in a specific industry carries
more weight and contains more social clout, so does a link
from a credible online source. Web links are seen as a recommendation
or a website endorsement. If the endorsements are from established
respected sources in a specific sector, the link is weighed
heavier than an unrelated link or links from a source that
is not yet established.
The easiest way to earn a link is to provide
quality unique content.
How do you know who is respected?
One way to determine the value of a website is by accessing
its PageRank. PageRank is visible in the Google Toolbar
and is calculated based on the number of quality incoming
links that a website has. Alexa Rank and TrustRank are also
indicators of a websites popularity. Alexa tracks the websites
that people who use the Alexa toolbar visit. Based on these
visits, they determine the popularity of a website and rank
it accordingly. TrustRank is a little more difficult to
pin down. TrustRank is based on the assumption that good
websites rarely link to bad neighborhoods.
PageRank and Alexa Rank can be used to help
webmasters assess what webpages and websites are valued
by search engines. Keep in mind, this is not an end-all/be-all.
The rankings should only be used only as guides. Relevance
matters, a link from a respected tree website will not help
a software website unless they are selling software related
to trees or landscaping.
Authoritative Links
Some websites wield great power. They are not topic specific
and are considered quality credible sources or "authorities".
Examples of authoritative sources would be other search
engines or directories like Yahoo, DMoz and Wikipedia. They
are respected resources on almost any industry topics. Authoritative
links are desirable and can help increase a websites popularity.
Deep Linking
Regardless of a websites topic material, if the website
is well designed and informative, its generally not too
difficult to attract links to a websites' main page. But
what many webmasters do not realize, it is equally important
to attract incoming links to a variety of pages on the website.
The more varied the links to various webpages within a single
domain, shows search engines that a website contains an
abundance of quality material.
Anchor Text
When a publisher links to a website, the search engines
consider the link text used in the link. Varied but related
text in the link shows what the material is about. All links
that contain the same text look "unnatural" and may be considered
as "purchased" or unreliable. Search engines are partial
to natural incoming links. Ideally attempt to establish
varied linking text that unite in a common theme.
An example: Software Marketing Resource http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com
has a number of links with text containing things like:
software marketing; shareware marketing; software promotion;
online software marketing; promoting software; promoting
shareware. All are synonymous with software marketing and
are natural phrases that would be used to describe the same
website.
Directory Linking
Directories should not be overlooked in linking strategies
and while webmasters should not rely on directories solely
when developing strong links, they can be advantageous.
Particular attention should be paid to topic specific directories.
A topical directories are often consider authorities and
a related link can boost exposure.
Competitive Intelligence
Webmasters looking for links and don't know where to look,
should have a peak at who is linking to their competitors.
Use competitive intelligence to track down quality link
sources.
Give it Away
An easy way to earn links is to give something away. Whether
you are providing quality content free of charge or a free
software application, webmasters appreciate quality content
and products that are available free of charge. Use the
free item or content to draw attention to your website,
if you are truly providing something of value, it will generate
unsolicited links that are invaluable. Develop a linking
strategy as part of your website marketing plan.
The aim should be to attract authoritative
links from related sources.
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 NotePage
http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
**********************************************************
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
**********************************************************
|
