How To Link Your Website To Success…

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Many people see the number of inbound ‘links’ to their web/blog site as a measure of success.

Myth: The more links you have to your site the higher ranking you will receive from search engines; i.e. Google, Bing.

Fact: Anyone can get a link from anyone else’s site just for the asking. So, if search engines gave the greatest value to those sites receiving the highest number of inbound links wouldn’t that be contrary to what search engines do?

Search engines want only the most valuable, informative, credible, and popular websites to receive their highest rankings. So offering a high ranking to a site with a ton of inbound links from non- similar, poor quality, weak content, information sites would be counter to their objective.

Google, the ‘Great One’ has an extremely elaborate algorithm formula that ranks every link BEFORE it even considers the fact that it is linked to your site. Google considers the quality of the site from which it came. Is the site contemporary? Does your site compliment the product or service of the host site? Is the information valuable? How many people are really interested in this product? Is the host site considered a ‘hub’ site (another search engine, directory, manufacturer, or education site, in which case outbound links are diminished in value)?, etc.

However…

Having a large number of inbound links to your site will give you an ongoing stream of visitors from the host sites.

An friend of mine had a website that Google said had 6450 link visits in one month. But according to her own server statistics her site had 8215. That’s 1765 links unknown to Google (I hope no one from Google reads this).

How did this happen?

These links came from other non-major, non-specific, non-similar sites that share complimentary products and/or services:

-A site offering embroidery patterns with a link on a site that sells magnifier lamps

-Custom upholstery shop with links on a boat manufacturer, marina or yacht club site

-Professional magician’s link posted on a party/wedding planner’s site

-Knife sharpening link on the ever-popular recipe/cooking sites; etc.

-Natural ointment for sore muscles on a real estate site for seniors

Never allow your business links to be consumed by a monopoly of search engines; i.e. Google.

You wouldn’t want your business to be totally dependent upon just one really good customer (well…maybe for a while!). If you lose that customer or if Google changes the value of your links your business is severely impacted.

Use the major search engines…but use them wisely.

I know business people whom have lost large portions of their internet businesses literally overnight, due to simple indiscriminate changes in ranking processes and algorithm formulas made by search engines managing their links.

That can be a real game changer.

Prior to 1998, (known as the Pre-Google Age), search engines didn’t have the sophisticated and technical algorithmic formulas for ranking that we are familiar with today, and no one cared. If you had a link on the New York Times financial page it wouldn’t have helped your ranking one bit.

But it would have increased the visits to your site tremendously because of the “human” connection; i.e. interest in your product or service by the thousands of readers of the NY Times financial page.

Yes, but the times (no pun intended) have changed. Yes they have. Links, rankings, page position, PPC, each and all are very important keys to the success of our businesses.

I was mentored by a wise ole entrepreneur, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” (in case you trip and fall I guess?). She said I should have at least 20% of my inbound links coming from ‘human’ sites.

WHAT?

‘Human’ sites are those sites that in some way, many times in obscure ways have a connection with the visitors from another site’s i.e. product or service (like the above list).

A human connection and a link to your page. These links are coming from real customers that have no interest or concern in the ranking status of the page they’re viewing. Rather they are on the host site to educate themselves or research a purchase; and while browsing see and Click your link. These are real people with credit cards!

But will you stay competitive in your market? Better.

In fact by adding the human touch to your link strategy you have hedged your marketing plan and your business’ stability more than those whom are totally consumed by the power of the search engines.

But how do I find these ‘human’ sites and get them linked to my site…you ask?

Check this out…

Alexa.com Type in one of your competitors URLs (or your own). You’ll receive not only the traffic ranking for that site; you’ll get the number of links to it. Click the link # and you receive the Top 100 links to that site! Hmmmm. Good to know.

Note the More Searches block to the right. More competitors, more key words, more keyword phrases, more info, etc.

Here’s another; Xenu’s Link Sleuth will analyze all your existing links to make sure each is working. You’ll also receive a text file of 10 URLs that are currently linked to your site.

How about a little reverse-link investigation of your competition?

Use Google’s syntax code word: link:

link:http://www.put your competition’s URL here

This will give you a list of all the links inbound to the URL you typed. There are generally several pages so spend some time with this one. It’s important because you want your link to be on these host sites as well, linking to your site. Just contact any website with whom you would like to be connected and ask for a link! It’s that simple. Try it.

Each of these tools offers a great opportunity to view other websites and see the complimentary relationships that exist. You’ll find several connections to your niche that you never even imagined. More relationships with other products or services open up a whole new world of key words that you haven’t been using, and customers in demographics you haven’t been contacting.

Understand that Google is the undisputed world leader in providing information…to anyone who asks.

And when someone asks more than once, Google has the intention and ability to anticipate and pinpoint with a laser focus their shopping and information desires to an alarming and ever increasing degree of accuracy.

But they haven’t yet figured out what a customer is thinking while browsing…not yet!

Talk soon,
-Jonathan Right

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