What is link popularity and why do you need it

Link popularity is the parameter that weighs the most in determining a website's search engine ranking, a widely discussed topic lately. It literally means the number of inbound links (backlinks) of your website. Building link popularity is the main tool of website marketing.

There are some clearly defined parameters that determine the success of a website: technical rules, highly informative, useful content and good marketing techniques. Doing your best in marketing your site influences in a high degree the results you'll get — high page ranking and traffic which will determine credibility enhancement, business referral increase and obtaining return on investement. In order to get these, the first step is turning your web-site into a relevant one, that is increase the relevance from the point of view of Search Engine analysis.

"How do I do that, how do I raise the SE relevance of my website?", you'll ask. An essential condition (beside quality content) is to make it easily findable, that is, getting a good SERP positioning.

Why should I care about Search Engine relevance? It is a fact that most surfers use Search Engines to find what they are looking for. Obtaining one of the top positions at a search is the measure of a website's value. So, now it's between you (well, actually, your website!) and the Search Engine! How do you "convince" it that your website is valuable and relevant and thus worhty to be a prime pager?

So, how can I optimize my web site for Search Engines?

There are two ways:

• on page optimization
• off-site optimization

On page optimization

It means building your text and content and designing your page in such a manner as to get the best ratings from the search engines. It consists of:

• Keyword-rich text, written in a natural manner, without forcing in as many search phrases as possible by repeating them over and over again. This will result in SE penalty and a lower site ranking. The first paragraph should contain the target keyword. Although not definitely proven, it seems that bolds and italics play a role in helping the SE identify easier the keywords.
• Good Meta description tag, title tag, header tags.
• Good ALT tags applied to images.

It is an implied condition that you make sure your web page can be properly spidered by the search engines.

Off-site optimization

Is talking of links, it's about link building and using techniques and strategies to increase link popularity for your site. Moreover, it appears that this particular activity weighs the most in establishing the quality of your website. To put it explicitely, the quality of your off-page optimization work influences directly the value your website gets.

Why does link popularity play a decisive role in website ranking?

A Search Engine will "analyze" your website considering a multitude of factors when it builds the results for a certain query. The one that weighs the most in ranking a page is link popularity.

To see why let's take, for instance, the system applied by the Google Search Engine, which, proven successful, was extended to other SEs. When creating the hierarchy of the results of a search it considers mainly the PageRank (PR) -- alloted to websites according to Google's own ranking system. Also, the anchor text of inbound links to your website is associated with your website, so using the right link text (varied, with keywords) will increase the degree of relevancy for the keywords.

Google page ranking system is the result of a complex analysis materialized into an elaborated algorithm, ranking a web page value and relevance on a scale from 0 to 10. It analyzes mainly the webpage's link popularity but not just the quantity of inbound links; various other parameters, such as the referrer PR and theme, the position of link on referrer page are taken into account. It's an advantage if the referrer is an "expert" site. Necessary condition: your site must be listed in directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo or LookSmart.

Thus, the essential need that you can identify from these facts is to increase link popularity for your site and to do it systematically. To be truthful, no one can get a clearer image of your web site and what it needs than you, as you are personally involved. So, in order to get the most of it, nothing is too much when it comes to learning about ways to increase link popularity.

How to build link popularity?

You do this by mastering the currently used link building methods and strategies. Link building is the essential tool of off-site SEO.

Link building means a lot of sustained work

• Prior to any action in the process of link building, you'll need to make a market research and identify potential partners, websites that you might want to link to and that are relevant for your content and might bring you benefit by their value.

  Suggestions you might use when searching for partner websites:

  • Browse themed directories in your topic area and search for partners on links page for a site in your niche.
  • Non-competitive sites that link to direct competition might be an "asset" — try to identify and approach such sites.
  • Another search method would be to search for the resulting listings for your targeted keyword and then do a search within for terms such as add/submit url or add/submit link, so as to establish links on websites in your niche.
  • Look for sites of organizations/associations/educational establishments in your activity area.
• The effective steps in the process of link building — fill out add request forms or send emails soliciting a link trade etc.
• After reaching the aimed amount of links, there comes another phase of build linking: the maintaining part. You have to permanently monitor your activity — check affirmative replies for a link, check the validity of the existing links.
• Tracking and monitoring any links made to your site — there are specialized softwares that can make it easier for you.

Effective proven link building methods and ideas

1. Submit to directories such as Yahoo!, Open Directory, LookSmart, Gimpsy, Zeal, JoeAnt, GoGuides -- these directories are used to assist indexing. Submit to a guidesite such as About.com in your topic category; the popularity of such a site makes it mandatory for a marketing campaign.
2. Submit to regional directories or industry specific ones -- the majority of such directories are indexed by search engines, thus this can improve your link traffic.
3. Provide valuable content -- as this criterion is the basis and the aim in ranking a page's value, relevance and importance, this should be placed among high priorities. Great content will ensure a sound link popularity for your website -- not only will it become attractive for users for the information it transmits but it naturally becomes a desirable reference for other valuable sites, increasing the number of your incoming links.
4. Create your own affiliate program -- this strategy offers advantages on both sides, to the web merchant and to the affiliate (an ad is placed on a website and the referrer is comissioned when a sale is made). The owner of the program will benefit from increasing traffic without initial costs; even with no sales, if there are more affiliates, the traffic will increase considerably with no costs.
5. Write articles for free re-publishing (on condition of links) or blog post. Providing free interesting piece of content may have a snowball effect -- a great way to attract one-way links. Creating an article section in your website where you place such articles will add value to the content of your website.
6. Content syndication/RSS Feeds (Really Simply Syndication). This method will allow you to share your news headlines and other web content with other sites. A necessary condition for this method to work is that you update regularly the news section of your site with information interesting for other sites.
7. On-line newsletters -- there are directories just for newsletters you can get links from. Write a press release containg any piece of news on your company (such as discounts announcements etc) and distribute it on the net. Certain news networks will allow free press release submissions.
8. License content from your site -- allow other sites to use parts of your content for free in exchange for a link back to you.
9. Free pictures -- as strange as it may seem, the majority of businesses may benefit from this, not only travel sites but also sites selling various product. Providing great pictures (even if they are just various angles of your products) is done by a restraint number of sites. Their use will be conditioned by appropriate credit and a link to your site.
10. Post on message boards -- look for link opportunities on your topic, leave your link in chat rooms.
11. Promote inter-site linkability -- a good structure of internal links is taken into account in page ranking.
12. Link exchange -- this is a very widely used method, as both sites benefit from it. It requires a great deal of patience and method for a laborious procedure involving research for the most appropriate sites to exchange links with, waiting (sometimes longer) the results, surpassing dissapointment and rejections sometimes.

However reciprocal links seem to be outrun in value by inbound links, as link exchange is seen as a trade in many cases. For example, a handy method to obtain reciprocal links would be to ask your suppliers to link to you and you to them.

13. Cross-link your websites -- existing ones or create new ones. This should be done only if they are theme-related.
14. Offer a free tool -- if you have the means to create an easy, useful software tool (or a better one, if already existing), offering it for free would be a great generator of an impressive number of incoming links.
15. Create a link directory containing links to quality sites which visitors will appreciate as a valuable resource. This will stimulate other sites to link to yours. You may include your own sites here, your affiliate sites or your clients' sites and thus you will be able to build link popularity legitimately, even if they are not theme-related.
16. Give testimonials on products you enjoyed in your domain -- which companies might use on their own sites on condition of linking them.
17. Start awards and contests programs -- thus, granting an award to a site means it gets published (and it will have a link to your website).
18. Offer a discount of your goods or services for anyone who agrees to post a small graphic on their site that links back to your site.

What to avoid in the link building process

Not only will these be useless for promoting your website but some of them are sure to get your site penalized:

• Participating in link popularity farms.
• Linking with Free For All sites -- sites that allow free links. These links will not bring you benefit as not all inbound links are considered equal by the search engines.
• Linking with irrelevant sites that are not related by theme with yours, just for the purpose of obtaining link popularity.
• Participating in spamming -- sending out e-mails soliciting swap links.
• Automated link exchange programs -- that offer random and irrelevant link exchange.
• Links with low-integrity websites will cause drawbacks for your website.
• Your link directory must be unitary in theme -- only listings matching the themes or subjects of your site will be included.
• Sites with an intricate structure -- with the links pages difficult to find -- so will they be for the spiders.

Find building link popularity really demanding?

Mainly, these are the aspects that you should consider when working to build link popularity for your site. From what you can see it's no easy process, nor is it costless -- you'll have to allot a great deal of effort and a good part of your time. And you'll have to do that on a regular basis to see results. This might mean your exclusive preoccupation for a while, as it's a demanding process.

Fact is you have to have someone specially designated for this. Since this is a must, you have the option of resorting to professionals. Why? Because you may find that some offer what you cannot achieve entirely by yourself.

We're not saying it's excruciating, we're not saying it's a piece of cake. We're just telling you once more (as if it were necessary!) that well done SEO can help your business a great deal. We're saying that we're aware of these aspects and we consider them while doing our job.

Text Link Brokers can put toghether all these for you:

Total focus on link building:

Professionals can respond to your needs: give this vital aspect the highest priority, as this is what they do, this is their activity.

Maintain posted up in the web marketing issues of the day:

As the process of websites' rating and quality ranking sublimates each passing day, the factors that count the most for scaling your website do the same. The latest trends are of refining at most the evaluation of the link popularity of a site. This implies high dynamic of analysis parameters. So, website optimizing means awareness of every up-to-the-minute detail on the matter and constant preoccupation to understand the ever-changing relationships of search engines and link building.

Ballance of all the aspects of building link popularity and customization the options according to individual needs at a given moment:

What makes Text Link Brokers of real help for your business is an individualized approach of every request. Getting links isn't just what it sounds -- that is, it's not just providing some links, it's about identifying particular needs of the client so as the final effect is the same as if handled by yourself. It means going all the way to the final results, it's about combining a complex of features in order to obtain the expected results.

Fast link placement

This is the advantage of resorting to professionals. Text Link Brokers have the possibility of providing text links in 2-3 days.

Text Link Brokers' proposal:

Convenient, customizable link building programs with a complete range of services:

Site Evaluation and Competitive Backlinking

Site Evaluation Steps:

• Expert site check from the SEO point of view -- any potential problems will be highlighted.
• Comparative analysis of your site and of the top ten sites in your area of activity -- you get to find out what it will take for you to be one of them.

Backlinking: profesionally handled. We search the thousands of sites in our inventory and locate individual sites and pages that are relevant to your keywords.

Optimization Services-- any type of SEO program is available with Text Link Brokers:

• Text link sales -- the most important part of the SEO. This service does not include optimization advice. It is recommended for experienced SEOs.

Link types:

• Permanent links -- represent an investment because once they are placed on the page they will remain there and the surfer and the spiders will see them there every time they visit the site. Plus, there will be no other charges if the PR of the page goes up.
• Monthly paid links -- you may choose links by:
• Price range -- relevant links for every budget;
• PR -- different PR pages from relevant sites – not only PR is one of the most important factors for higher ranking results but sites that contain mostly high PR pages get crawled more often, so your links can be found in shorter time by the spiders;
• Topic area -- there is a wide variety of domains to choose from;
• Packages -- multiple links on a single site or on multiple sites. Features:
  • Packages with multiple links on different pages are lower priced than individually purchased links;
  • When links are positioned on different sites we make sure that they are on different C-class IP ranges;
  • We offer also massive packages containing links on networks of sites. These are a huge save because the sites are high traffic/high PR and they are connected in a natural way

Links can be rented as single links or packages (multiple links on different pages in the same site or multiple links on different pages from different sites).

• Keyword reports:
• establish clients' target keywords from the client;
• make site analysis and establish a would-be most beneficial keywords list;
• create an analytical keyword report containing all this information.
• Full service SEO -- includes:
  • a comprehensive keyword report;
  • site analysis (site critiques and suggested ways of improvement);
  • page optimization for search terms;
  • on-site and off-site new content to improve credibility and link popularity;
  • internal link structure analysis and suggestions for improvement;
  • recommendations to prevent SE penalties;
  • estimation on how many quality backlinks are needed and take the necessary steps to obtain link exchanges.

Well, there are some things that Text Link Brokers do not do (and neither should you!):

• disregard the relevance of the web page where your link will be placed -- it seems to be primordial as importance. The referrer must by all means be in the same topic area.
• disregard the backlinks of the referrer -- these backlinks are taken into consideration by the SE in evaluating the referrer and consequently in evaluating your site;
• place the link on a Web page which is not hosted on a unique IP address -- links should be placed on pages from a wide range of IP addresses hosted in various locations;
• use the same anchor text -- it is unnatural for links to have the same anchor text;
• disregard the content of the anchor text -- it must contain the top targeted keywords;
• disregard timing -- your links must not all " burst" at once, neither should they linger. Their gradual occurence must be handled so as they appear natural.
• place links only on high PR pages or not consider ballancing between/varying the pages' PRs -- the general tendency of aiming to high PR sites (especially for new sites) does not look good. In all cases, fact is that in order to have quality links you must first of all have a quality site yourself.