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After spending the majority of the last few years focused on page attributes and HTML coding, a good part of these past two months have been spent working on the link-popularity campaign for one of our company’s more prestigious clients. Having come back to link popularity, I soon realized that identifying and requesting links is more complicated than in the past.
We all know that one key (not necessarily the key) to a successful search engine optimization campaign, particularly with respects to Google PageRank and search technology, is increasing the quantity of websites providing plain-text and graphic links to your site. Often, we see that one link provided from pages of higher PageRank and with more applicable content will provide more benefit to your own site’s rankings than will several links from less relevant sources. The goal of a SEO professional then lies in the task of identifying pages that will link to your site that do not fall into the ever-growing range of “link farms” or sites with technology not executable by search engine spiders.
Before You Begin
Begin your link popularity campaign by developing a site title that you will use as part of your link-request submissions. Many sites limit the length and syntax of this variable so try to keep it short (fewer than 25 characters) and relevant to your site’s content. Because most sites use this title to hyperlink to your site, be sure to include the one or two keywords that are most valuable to your optimization campaign; the words that links to your site are just as valuable as the link itself when determining the overall impact of a backlink on search engine rankings.
Next, develop a site description in a manner similar to that above. Try to keep your description under 200 characters as some online submission fields might cut you off after that point. When writing the description, try not to make superlative statements or risk sounding “spammy” by simply listing keywords.
A third suggestion for the preparation phase is to create some way of recording your requests/submissions. A simple spreadsheet indicating the links page ULR and the date on which you submitted your site will suffice. Though not completely necessary, this step will help prevent submitting to the same site multiple times, thus reducing your time wasted as well as reducing the potential for upsetting your requestees.
Identifying Potential Targets
Where can you go to find pages that will link with your site? Begin first by searching a popular search engine (I prefer Google) for key phrases such as “add a site,” “suggest a site,” “add link,” etc.. Be sure to request exact search results as these key phrases are often included on small directories and categorized link pages. Many times this method will return sites at which you’ll submit your site through an online form itemized by category, title, description and other relevant information.
Next, search for key phrases such as industry links, where industry is some keyword related to your site’s field of interest. You might find that this search method returns more results for smaller link-pages that will require you to email the webmaster for inclusion. Start creating a list of the sites you find then come back to these later.
Weeding the List
Not all pages willing to provide a link to your site are worth your time and effort. Install the Google Toolbar on your browser so that you can view a page’s PageRank when visiting a site. Do not submit your site for inclusion on any page with a PageRank of 2 or lower as links from these sites might actually have a negative effect on your optimization campaign.
Next, determine whether a search engine spider will even be able to recognize the link as one to your page. A true backlink is one that directs from visible text or an image directly to your site. Many small online directories use scripts to organize their data; instead of actually providing a link to http://www.yoursite.com they format their directory to include a number of links in the form of http://theirsite.com/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?12345. Though click through traffic is directed to the same place with both formats, the latter provides no real value to your optimization campaign. For reference, a link that opens in a frame from the referring site is a valid link.
The Link Request Process
Many links pages allow you to submit your site’s information to the webmaster through an online form. When completing these forms be sure to provide complete and accurate information. Weigh your options when confidential contact information such as address, phone number and email address is optional; you don’t want your name put on solicitation lists, however, providing an email address allows means for the webmaster to contact you should they have questions concerning your listing. Perhaps the best solution is to create a temporary email address that you use for link submissions exclusively.
In the course of your link popularity campaign you’ll come across some links pages that do not display clear instructions for submitting your site. Some of these sites might not be true-to-form link pages but rather lists of “personal favorites”; in either case it doesn’t hurt to ask to have your site reviewed.
Send the webmaster a basic letter that includes your site’s URL, title as well as the URL of the page on which you would like inclusion (many webmasters are in charge of multiple sites and might not know to which site you’re referring off the top of their head). Be concise yet thorough with the information your provide in this email in order to minimize the effort it takes the targeted webmaster to summarize and consequently list your site. Begin your email with a friendly greeting and end with a statement inviting the addressee to contact you with any questions concerning your site; a polite and personal message is less likely to be confused with spam-reciprocal-link requests.
Tie Up Loose Ends
Lastly and most importantly, thank webmasters who respond to your requests. Regardless of any frustration you may encounter in the process of your link popularity campaign always remember that other websites are doing you a favor by posting your link.
By Jason Mills
www.topsitelistings.com
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