Value of Link Exchange for your website
This is a basic introduction to external link building and its relevance to your website. Many of our search engine marketing customers are not familiar with linking strategy and its relevance to search engine ranking.
Link Definitions
First, the definition of a link is text or an image on a website that, if clicked on, takes you to another area of the website or to an outside site. Links to websites outside of your own web address are called “external links”. Reciprocal linking or “link exchange” happens when a link is placed on one website leading to an external website and the second website provides a return link to the first website. These sites exchanging links are called “link partners”.
Links to other websites can be inserted anywhere on a web page or website, however, most websites that use link exchanges to improve search engine ranking list their reciprocal links on a page designed exclusively for that purpose. It is often called a links page or resources page and there should be a direct link to this page from the website’s homepage for it to be most effective for link partners listed on the links page. If you are designing a new look for your site, Opt-E-Web advises you to ask your webmaster to include a links page during the site design process.
Why exchange links?
Exchanging links with other websites can improve your search engine rankings when done in a responsible manner. One way major search engines gain information about your site is through the links to your website provided by other websites. In essence, a link to your site from another credible site with related content is a point in your favor.
If that link contains keywords matching the keywords that your linked page is optimized for, the search engines view it as increased probability that their users will find your page relevant for those search terms, thus helping to raise your ranking for those keywords. That link text that you want to contain keywords is called “anchor text”, meaning the words that you click on to follow the link.
Link exchange best practices
Links should only be exchanged between websites that are related and contain information that is potentially useful to each other’s visitors. Before agreeing to a link exchange, review the site to see if it contains articles or other information that your site visitors may find valuable.
Never link to sites that exist solely to increase the link popularity of other sites. These are called “link farms” and often consist solely of long lists of links to unrelated sites. Participating in link schemes such as link farms can actually cause search engines to penalize your site.
Some link management software promises to find and automatically email potential link partners requesting a link exchange. Our experience is that many of these automated link exchanges find unrelated sites and link farms as their primary results. One of the best ways to find link partners is to perform keyword searches on major search engines and directories. The top listings are all great potential link partners, though keep in mind you will also have to demonstrate the value your site provides to them when making a link request.
Maintaining your link partners
Once you have established a link partnership and posted each other’s links, this is not the end of your work. It is important to make sure that all link partners are maintaining the back links to your website over time and that the links page when you are listed is linked from their homepage so that it can be found by the search engines.
If you discover that your link has been deleted, politely contact your link partner via email with a reminder that you agreed to exchange links and provide your website’s link information again. Hopefully your partner will repost your link. If not, it is time to remove their link from your website.
Link Exchange Summary
While the number of incoming links to your site is not the only criteria in determining search engine ranking, building valid link exchanges is one way to help you stand out from the competition. Finding relevant link partners is worth the time and effort invested to improve your search engine rankings, and just as important is periodically checking that back links to your site stay in effect.
If you find that these web marketing tasks are consistently staying on your “to do” list, contact Opt-E-Web to find out how we can manage your link building program for you.
Link Definitions
First, the definition of a link is text or an image on a website that, if clicked on, takes you to another area of the website or to an outside site. Links to websites outside of your own web address are called “external links”. Reciprocal linking or “link exchange” happens when a link is placed on one website leading to an external website and the second website provides a return link to the first website. These sites exchanging links are called “link partners”.
Links to other websites can be inserted anywhere on a web page or website, however, most websites that use link exchanges to improve search engine ranking list their reciprocal links on a page designed exclusively for that purpose. It is often called a links page or resources page and there should be a direct link to this page from the website’s homepage for it to be most effective for link partners listed on the links page. If you are designing a new look for your site, Opt-E-Web advises you to ask your webmaster to include a links page during the site design process.
Why exchange links?
Exchanging links with other websites can improve your search engine rankings when done in a responsible manner. One way major search engines gain information about your site is through the links to your website provided by other websites. In essence, a link to your site from another credible site with related content is a point in your favor.
If that link contains keywords matching the keywords that your linked page is optimized for, the search engines view it as increased probability that their users will find your page relevant for those search terms, thus helping to raise your ranking for those keywords. That link text that you want to contain keywords is called “anchor text”, meaning the words that you click on to follow the link.
Link exchange best practices
Links should only be exchanged between websites that are related and contain information that is potentially useful to each other’s visitors. Before agreeing to a link exchange, review the site to see if it contains articles or other information that your site visitors may find valuable.
Never link to sites that exist solely to increase the link popularity of other sites. These are called “link farms” and often consist solely of long lists of links to unrelated sites. Participating in link schemes such as link farms can actually cause search engines to penalize your site.
Some link management software promises to find and automatically email potential link partners requesting a link exchange. Our experience is that many of these automated link exchanges find unrelated sites and link farms as their primary results. One of the best ways to find link partners is to perform keyword searches on major search engines and directories. The top listings are all great potential link partners, though keep in mind you will also have to demonstrate the value your site provides to them when making a link request.
Maintaining your link partners
Once you have established a link partnership and posted each other’s links, this is not the end of your work. It is important to make sure that all link partners are maintaining the back links to your website over time and that the links page when you are listed is linked from their homepage so that it can be found by the search engines.
If you discover that your link has been deleted, politely contact your link partner via email with a reminder that you agreed to exchange links and provide your website’s link information again. Hopefully your partner will repost your link. If not, it is time to remove their link from your website.
Link Exchange Summary
While the number of incoming links to your site is not the only criteria in determining search engine ranking, building valid link exchanges is one way to help you stand out from the competition. Finding relevant link partners is worth the time and effort invested to improve your search engine rankings, and just as important is periodically checking that back links to your site stay in effect.
If you find that these web marketing tasks are consistently staying on your “to do” list, contact Opt-E-Web to find out how we can manage your link building program for you.
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