So, What's
This Link Popularity Thing? And How Does it Effect Search Engine
Placement?
Link popularity is a ranking criteria used by some search
engines in an effort to provide popular, relevant search engine
results. The basic idea behind link popularity is that high quality
web sites tend to have more links pointing to them then low quality
sites do. "Popular" sites (those with higher link popularity)
are given a boost in search engine rankings. Link popularity is
just one ranking criteria used along with other relevancy factors.
Google was the first search engine to use link popularity and
they have been highly praised by searchers for providing relevant
results. Many search engines have followed Google's lead, including
Excite, Lycos, AltaVista & others.
Link popularity is not just determined
by the number of links alone. Other factors are analyzed including
the quality of links and the context of links. Quality means that
a link from Yahoo would weigh heavier than a link from Cindy Lou's
Home Page. Context means that a link to your Weather Information
page from the National Weather Service would weigh heavier than
a link from Smitty's Favorite Bloody Mary Recipes site. Those
search engines are pretty clever, aren't they?
Improve
Link Popularity to Boost Search Engine Rankings
Now that you know the importance of link popularity, you should
all be working to increase the links pointing toward your web
site. How can you do this? Should you go crazy getting as many
links as you can possibly find, adding your site to every FFA
(Free For All) links page? Should you go out and create a whole
bunch of domains yourself and link them to each other? Nope,
don't waste your time, neither of those activities is going
to help you. Don't forget that you are seeking quantity as well
as quality & context.
Since you're going after quality
links, look for sites that already have top search engine placement
or that are linked to prominent sites. We also know that context
of the link is considered, so target links that are related to
your industry. If your keywords appear in or around the link,
then the entire better! Of course, you don't want to approach
your direct competitors, so try to locate web sites that are somehow
related to your own site. If you sell shoes, you might want to
link up with a company that sells socks.
How do you go about asking for
a link? Either submit your site online through a "submit
your site" page or email the webmaster to request a link.
In your email, explain why you think your site should be added
to the site in question. Express why you think your site would
be a great resource for others and also include a suggested listing.
This will save the webmaster some time if they don't have to write
up a description on their own. You can also be sure to include
your top keywords in the description, which is helpful for the
context issue. It's always best to offer a reciprocal link back
to the site in question, if possible.
Don't stop there though. Make
it easy for other sites to link to you. Put up a page on your
site that has simple instructions for linking. Including the html
code of the link to copy and paste is a great idea. You might
want to consider adding content that encourages linking. Write
an article that serves as a helpful resource or post useful information
that others are seeking. Even purely commercial sites can do some
creative thinking to come up with some useful content that goes
along with their products or services.
Oh yeah, there's another great
benefit to establishing links besides the link popularity element.
The links that point your site will also drive traffic on their
own. Make sure to analyze your web logs to see which sites are
referring the most traffic to you. (That's a whole separate
article!) And then make a point to foster those relationships
by communicating your gratitude and offering a reciprocal link
if appropriate. Establishing links should be an ongoing exercise.
Always keep your eyes open for linking opportunities; you may
be surprised how often you come across suitable linking candidates.
