Increasing Link Popularity
March 9, 2008 SEO No CommentsIncreasing Link Popularity
Search engines are the gateway to the Internet; they are the first tool that potential customers use to find the products and services they need. This is why link popularity is so imperative. If the customers do not find your website, you have no possibilities of making any sales. You’re probably wondering what the blazes is popular about a link! Well, in a word - plenty! Link popularity refers to the ranking assigned to your website by the search engines, and it determines the ranking your page gets when keywords are entered into a search engine. So, you’re probably wondering, how do I make my link popular? Search engines are discretionary, giving status and ranking to sites that have links to their pages from related, quality sites. It’s a simple formula, but a very important one. Google created the system, and now virtually all the most popular search engines employ it to rank your web pages in their indexes. The more commonly used your keyword is, the harder it will be to achieve link popularity, but without achieving this step, it is almost certain your site will never rank highly on any search engine. But don’t be discouraged; there are tried and true ways of achieving link popularity using the most competitive keywords. There are a few things you should be aware of. The first is that just linking up with a large number of other websites will not achieve link popularity. In fact, it may have quite the opposite effect. This is particularly true when pertaining to websites that are nothing more than “link farms” - pages containing line after line of indiscriminate links. Search engines may aggressively discriminate against your website if you are associated with a link farm, so steer clear of them! The next thing to bear in mind is the quality of the site you are linking to. Never link to a page you have reservations about your visitors seeing. The last thing you want your website to appear as is indiscriminate and cheap. Linking to sites of poor quality will only lessen your link popularity, if not completely destroy it. So let’s get to what you need to do to achieve supreme link popularity and improve your rankings to stellar status on all the popular search engines. The first step, and the fastest way to get your foot in the door, is to get a listing in a popular directory, such as Open Directory Project and Yahoo. If your site is business-related, you will want to be listed on Yahoo, and despite the fact that it will cost you around $300 a year, it will be money well spent. If your site is non-commercial, the listing will be free, but it will take time and follow-up to actually get it listed. Open Directory is gives you a free listing whether you are business-related or non-commercial, but be prepared to make a lot of follow-up inquiries before you see your site listed. You are aiming to get listed in the highest level of appropriate category, and this just takes some common sense. For example, if your company ships Alpaca wool from an Alpaca farm located in the middle of Nowhere, Tiny State, do NOT submit your listing to “Retailers from Nowhere, Tiny State.” BIG MISTAKE! All you have to do is look a little deeper - and submit your listing to the “Fine Alpaca Wool” category. You will not only associate yourself with culture and quality, but you will be listed in a national category. The next step after you have attained directory listings is to locate other quality sites that will increase your link popularity. Try to find sites that are in some way related to yours, so not only will your link popularity increase, but your customer base may also be expanded. You want to avoid your competitors and look for sites that are useful to your site’s visitors. Let’s look at the Alpaca Wool site example. Linking up to a site that sells knitting supplies would be helpful to your visitors, and the chances of the knitting supply site wanting to link up to your site are also greater. By linking to a related site that will be relevant to your website’s traffic, you are increasing both of your site’s business prospects - and both of your sites’ link popularity. Not all sites want to link to other sites, so you will have to do some research when you are looking for possible linking partners. Google is an excellent starting place for your search. Make sure you enter keywords that you think quality customers will also enter to find your own site. Remember, your criteria are quality, highly ranked, non-competing websites that have a links or resources page. Go to these sites and objectively assess them. Look at the quality of the product, the graphics, and the ease of use. Then check out the other sites they are linked to, and determine if your own site would fit in with the crowd. When you decide you have found a good prospect, you must set out to woo them. The first thing to do is to add a link on your own links page to their site. This is an essential first step; it shows good faith, and ups your chances significantly of their reciprocity. After you have added their link, you must contact the webmaster of their site. Since this is almost always done by email, you want to make sure it is immediately clear that your message is not junk mail. This requires that you tell them right off the bat that you have added a link to their page on your site. A hook like this almost always insures the reader will read on. Next, be sure to be flattering and let them know how much you appreciate their website. Make sure you emphasize that you have actually visited their site, and that their site is not just a random pick. Give them the address of your links page, and ask them to check out the link for themselves. It’s a good idea to mention that they will not only benefit from the increased traffic your website will direct their way, but you will also increase their link popularity. Briefly, explain why link popularity is so essential, but do this in a sentence or two so you don’t sound like a professor! Finally, tell them you would greatly appreciate if they would reciprocally add a link on their own links page to your website. Go through this process with as many appropriate sites as you can find, bearing in mind the criteria of quality and non-competitiveness. After you have emailed all relevant sites, be sure to check these website frequently to see if they have added a link to your page. Give it about a month, and if no link appears, try another charming email. Then give it another month, and if your site is still absent from their links page, it’s time to remove their link from your own links page. The only time you want to pursue a link further than this is if you believe a site is crucial to your link popularity and your business needs. Just remember to keep all your communications complimentary and cordial. Then set up a schedule to check your ranking in search engines frequently to see if your link popularity has improved. This is not achievable in the blink of an eye. It will take some time and a good deal of work. There is no way around the labor-intensive quality of improving your link popularity, which is why search engines regard it with such importance. (Other artickles http://www.kaizer.intway-america.com/) By the way - make sure you have a beautiful, streamlined site or you will never persuade anyone to link up to you. Be prepared to keep plugging away at this process, as long as it takes, until you achieve link popularity stardom!
Other artickles http://www.kaizer.intway-america.com/
Real Estate SEO Services Posted By : Garrett31 Pierson31
REAL ESTATE SEO If you have a website then make sure it is seen on the internet when people search for Real Estate agents and Homes. Real estate search engine optimization is a very necessary tool if you are to catch the attention of your customers. More than 80% of the people use the internet to search for Agents and Realtors.
Improve Your Online Business With Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
So you?ve got that wonderful work-at-home online business up and running. You?ve got a dynamite website with easy to use navigation, a slew of well written, entertaining and pertinent articles, and more revenue-generating links than you can handle. But for some reason, the hits just aren?t coming and your business isn?t making as much money as you deserve. How do you turn a struggling online business into a profitable online business?
The first thing you have to ask yourself is, ?How are people hearing about my site?? In an Internet dominated by search engines like Google and Yahoo, high search engine ranking is a must. Why? Most search engines show ten results per page, ranked in order, and most users never make it past the first page. That means that if your website is going to be found, it needs to be top 10. But how? How!? Take a look at the title of this article. That?s right. Through search engine optimization. SEO is a simple concept. Use the words that people will probably enter into search engines strategically in the content of your website. This article is using a couple of SEO keywords, like Online Business or Search Engine Optimization, the very subjects people might search for if looking for an article like this. See how easy it is? Two more keywords without interrupting the flow of the article!
Using search engine optimization effectively may mean redesigning most of the content on your website. When you?re doing that try to keep in mind these Six Commandments of SEO.
THOU SHALT KNOW THINE ENEMIES
Knowing what keywords to use is the most important part of SEO. This means research. Lots of research. Start off by trying to find your site on various search engines. Chances are you won?t, at least not on the first page. Write down the top 10 results you do get. These sites are your competition. Try a few different combinations of search terms. Are there any sites that appear more than once? Check those out. What keywords or phrases are used over and over? What are the titles of pages? What is the content about? What is the web address? These are potential keywords Record them. These will be the basis for your own search engine optimization.
THOU SHALT NOT USE KEYWORDS WANTONLY
Keywords should be thought of as compliments; the more you give, the less meaning they have. By the same token, not giving enough won?t get you noticed. Use them wisely. Find that happy ratio of keywords to normal. A general rule of thumb in search engine optimization is 2.5-4% of your content should be keywords; no more, no less.
THOU SHALT MAKE SURE ALL CONTENT IS SENSIBLE
Don?t fall SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION into the tempting ONLINE BUSINESS trap of SEARCH ENGINES using keywords randomly SEO in order to increase your search engine rank. Tough to read, wasn?t it? Kinda made you want to scream and tear your hair out? Content above keywords. If your articles are so keyword rich that they don?t make sense, users won?t return and you?ll lose repeat revenue. All the search engine optimization in the world is useless if your users don?t stay on the site long enough to put cash in your pocket. Search engines pick up on this tricks anyway. Besides, it?s just plain dirty fighting.
THOU SHALT VARY KEYWORD USAGE
So you?ve done your research and have a list of 25 keywords you want to use in your site. Each article has a primary keyword or two. Unfortunately, every article on the site is using the same two keywords. What about the other 23? Don?t let yourself be tempted by the ease of using the same words over and over. Write articles about all 25 keywords. You spent all that time researching them, now use them! And just because one article is about one keyword doesn?t mean you can?t use other keywords in the article. Use the non-primary keywords like salt sprinkled over the entire site.
THOU SHALT UPDATE
Getting that number one search engine rank was hard. It took hours of work, and now that you?ve reached the pinnacle it?s time to sit back and reap the benefits. Right?
WRONG!
How long do you think that number one ranking will last? You know your competitors got mad when you beat them and are redesigning their sites right now. Right now, I say! Eventually they?ll pull ahead of you again, unless you manage to stay ahead in the game. Update your site constantly with new keyword rich content to make sure that you?re on the cutting edge and can keep that number one ranking.
NEVER FORGET: THOU ART NOT ALONE
Search engine optimization can seem like a daunting task at first, and maybe it is. But never forget that there are people out there willing and able to help you; it is, after all, how they make a living. Some writers specialize in SEO and there are websites available that do most of the research grunt work just waiting to hear from you. So no matter how daunting a task it may seem, don?t ever give up on search engine optimization. In an internet where everything depends on page hits, your search engine rank can never be too high.
David Hudson can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours…To learn more, visit: <a href="http://www.dreamsr.us/pips.html">Dreamsr.us</a> or <a href="http://www.googlebaycash.com">GoogleBayCash</a>
Links For (Search Engine Optimization) SEO - Part 2 Posted By : Lory Sargu
In the previous article on this topic, I covered the main types of links you want to get for your site. On the last part, I will clearly state which types of links to stay away from pursuing, and I will further explain some misconceptions about the good types of links.
Is Click-to-Call what Local Search Has Been Waiting For?
Click-to-call is an emerging contextual advertising format that will help spark the growth of localized search. It links online users to offline advertisers by combining Internet telephone capabilities. Although it has yet to hit its stride as a platform or even pierce consumer consciousness, the biggest interactive names, like Google, Yahoo, and eBay, are positioning themselves for a future in click-to-call. Let s take a closer look. Click-to-call ads (CTC) are delivered, like pay-per-click, through standard online search results. They mostly resemble standard paid search ads, too. The user sees the familiar text in a box, except there is an icon that can be clicked to connect the interested party with the designated advertiser via telephone. This process is fully online until the user activates the CTC functionality by clicking that icon delivered with the ad. Next, the user is prompted to enter their telephone number, which may or may not be already stored with the search engine. Once the phone number is entered, the search engine calls the user and connects the advertiser at no cost to the user. It should be noted that search engines will be adamant about protecting the anonymity of user phone numbers in order to placate any understandable fears of being added to telephone marketing lists. It will be imperative for search engines to build user confidence because trust is precious, especially when introducing new products. Since CTC incorporates phone use through the Internet, VoIP specific companies like Vonage and Fusion will be parlaying their niche of Internet telephony into partnerships with bigger Internet properties, as evidenced by Skype s sale to eBay. Even an online advertising agency like ICMediaDirect.com has to consider the impact of a hybrid service, like click-to-call, will have on search marketing. Isn t it funny how convergence, the calling card of technological progress, can make the telephone cutting edge? Experts aren t expecting great revenue generation straight out of the gate, but click-to-call could be at the forefront of yet another giant tech-based advertising expansion. One area that click-to-call may impact is local search. I believe CTC has enough functionality to ignite the long anticipated surge of localized search as a leading format of small business advertising. For example, if a person finally has had enough of a bad back ” where do they go to find a chiropractor, the Internet? Could be. That s where we can research and get a phone number. Just think what a chiropractor would pay per click of that icon that rings his office and the sufferer simultaneously. And you thought pay-per-click was targeted and relevant? Finding out which businesses will advertise on local search via click-to-call is an easy task ” they re the ones filling the yellow pages of your phone book. These small businesses (think: pizza parlors, law offices, florists) are already heavily vested in local advertising, yet almost none use search advertising because the format has yet to incorporate small business. It s believed that there are nearly 15 million small businesses in the United States today and almost none are benefiting from local search the way that it s envisioned. When geo-targeted search is smoothed out and more popular, and CTC gets rolling, local advertising will realize more convenience and more targeting ” and the world will witness another online advertising revolution. Click-to-call is even more targeted than the pay-per-click search format as we know it today. Advertisers are going to pay more for CTC because anyone who takes the time to call is certainly a higher-percentage paying customer than your basic web surfer who indicates interest. While some web surfers may click ads to satisfy curiosity, few visitors will be clicking icons to make idle talk with businesses ” as far as I can tell, this isn t an issue for businesses listed in the Yellow Pages. Click-to-call is a potent ad format and advertisers are going to shell out top dollars for it. Keep an eye out for developments in this format and be ready to adjust your strategies accordingly.
Joseph Pratt Media Analyst ICMediaDirect.com http://www.icmediadirect.com e: joseph@icmediadirect.com
SEO Tips: How to Select Keywords
When beginning a Search Engine Optimization campaign, there are a few basic steps that every SEO knows to take before they begin. The first is always to build a keyword list of which there are varying methods of doing so. The right methods will aid you in creating and supporting a site-wide SEO strategy. The wrong methods will run you in circles, wondering what went wrong.
It is the intent of this article to teach an effective method of keyword selection that will enable you to land more keywords on the first page with less work.
Getting Started: Know the Site
To create a great keyword list, you will need to know your website backwards and forwards. You should know what the site features, and just as importantly, you should know what it doesn t feature.
The first step is to brainstorm a list of somewhat generic keywords. For example, if you are a shoe store in Poughkeepsie, the temptation will arise to try and rank number 1 for the term shoes. Well, that s a start, but ranking for the word shoes is probably aiming a little too high for a mom and pop shop in Upstate New York, which is why it s very important that you know the site well enough to come up with a good list of pseudo-generic modifiers for your keyword:
- Location (Poughkeepsie shoes, shoes upstate New York, shoes 12601)
- Price (cheap shoes, affordable shoes, quality shoes, comfortable shoes etc)
- Types (running shoes, walking shoes, jogging shoes etc)
- Industry specific (anti-pronation shoes)
Lengthening the List
At this point you should have a good list of pseudo-generic keywords. The next step is lengthening that list using your favorite Keyword tool (I will be using Overture in this example).
Each time you plug a keyword into your tool of choice, it will return the number of searches conducted for that term over a given period of time. It will also suggest keywords from the tool s database that are similar to the one you entered.
The basic idea now is to go through the list returned by the keyword tool and copy any and all similar terms as well as their corresponding search values, which relate directly to the site you re optimizing. Then, paste them to a spreadsheet program so that they can be further edited later.
Once you have copied and pasted, just go through the list row by row. Delete keywords that don t have to do with the website you re optimizing (which is why it s important to know what the site doesn t feature) and repeat with the next pseudo-generic keyword on your list. The idea is to identify as many keywords as possible.
Narrowing the List
So you have a long keyword list; it s time to narrow it down. I narrow my lists by deciding if the potential gain for a keyword is relative to the competition. In order to make that decision, I need to know three variables:
- The number of searches on a particular keyword (already got those from Overture)
- The Amount of Competition (I ll show you how to find your competition in this section.)
- Will the keyword lead to conversions (this is up to you)
Below is a method for thoroughly determining competition for various keywords:
- Do a search for one of your keywords
- On the first SERP find the last listing with the keyword in the title tag that is either a homepage of any kind or is a sub-page which is not associated with a domain whose Pagerank is greater than 6. (This is the page you will need to beat, if one does not exist, ranking will generally be easier)
- Find out how many unique links with the keyword in the anchor text whose linking page has a Pagerank of 1 or higher for the competitor (This is how many quality backlinks you ll need to acquire)
The aforementioned is a meticulous method for determining the competition for all of your keywords, and unless you re planning on building a tool that will automate this process, I would suggest taking a more general approach by using advanced search strings in the search engine of your choice.
The technique that I am about to demonstrate uses the following string: intitle: Keyword Phrase inanchor: Keyword Phrase . This string will return the total number of pages with, largely, the two greatest factors contributing to ranking for a keyword:
- Having the keyword in the page title
- Having the keyword in anchor text pointing to the page
It s a down and dirty method for assessing competition. This is how it s done:
- Go to http://www.startlaunch.com/research/
- Copy your list of keywords into the box, click submit
- Click on each link
- Find and copy the number of pages that the search engine returns for this query from the top right of the SERPs to a new column next to the corresponding keyword in your keyword list spreadsheet (this is your competition).
- In another new column, divide the number of competitors by the number of monthly searches for each keyword.
- Sort the table from low to high (ascending) using that column.
What you have done is created a ratio of competitors to searches. When determining competition, you generally want the keyword to be searched on more times than there are competitors for that word. So the closer the ratio is to 0, the better the keyword.
These techniques will point out which terms have the most competition, but competition alone should not dictate which words make the final list.
Keyword Layout
Remember when selecting keywords: words on a higher competitive level should be placed on pages that will receive deep links in groups of 2 or 3 where all of the keywords are very similar like:
- Running shoes, Shoes for running and buy running shoes online
- Web design in Atlanta, Atlanta Georgia web design, Atlanta web site design
This way, you won t have to remove highly competitive, but potentially lucrative terms from your list, provided that you make a concerted effort to perform link-building for the pages on which those terms reside.
For smaller terms, in my opinion, the more the merrier. They can be given their own pages or be mentioned on other highly trusted pages of your site.
That’s it. You should have all the information you need to select a strategically viable keyword list. Remember, keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful SEO campaign. Knowing the competition for your keywords will aid you in site layout, as well as focusing effort on SEO only where it is necessary. Ultimately, it will make your optimization process more efficient, allowing your sites to rank for more keywords with less work, which is a goal that all SEOs strive to attain.
Mike Bradbury is an employee of Objectware, Inc, an <a href="http://www.objectwareinc.com">Atlanta web design company</a> specializing in <a href="http://ecommerce.objectwareinc.com">ecommerce solutions</a>, custom web applications, wireless integration, search engine marketing and <a href="http://ecommerce.objectwareinc.com">custom shopping cart software</a>. Mike is a search engine analyst for Objectware, creating value for clients by building greater search engine visibility.
Duplicate Content: Is It A Big SEO Problem?
Duplicate content penalties have become a real big talking point in the Internet marketing community in recent months. Some say that duplicate content hurts your rankings badly in the search engines, while others say it dosen’t. Search engine companies do not reveal all their secrets, so it is only by experimentation by some hardcore search engine optimization specialists that we are able to at least find some answers, no matter how inconclusive they are. There are many theories on the duplicate content penalty and whether it exists. One theory is that search engines will look at which website first published the article or content. The website which published it first will be attributed with the content and hence not punished if another site publishes the same content. Another theory is that search engines use the site’s reputation to judge whether it is using duplicate content. In this case, the site with the lower reputation will get punished. The site with the higher reputation will receive the search engine’s attention. Yet another hypothesis suggests that no penalty exists at all. Many websites for many search terms contain the same content, and most of them exist on the same page, or just a few pages apart. Many news sites, some argue, contain virtually similar content, yet are not ‘punished’ by the search engines. The bottomline is: it is probably better to play safe. Search engines are designed to give users a better search experience, so try to use unique and useful content wherever possible!
Fabian Tan is a netpreneur who uses the <a href="http://www.seoeliteexposed.com">SEO Elite</a> software to boost his search engine rankings quickly and easily.
How to Measure Keyword Density For Your SEO Posted By : Lory Sargu
This article will guide you through the main myths around keyword density and SEO. Even though keyword density should be a part of your SEO efforts, there is a lot of confusion about what density is and how to apply it properly. Also, how much is density percentage is good? This will apply to both new and existing sites, and I am covering here what to know about keyword density.
PPC search engine marketing: the new age marketing technique Posted By : Marcus
Search engine marketing is fast becoming one of the easiest methods of marketing your products and services via the internet. Although as a medium the Internet is an indispensable tool yet the whole marketing shebang is quite difficult because your audience is a nameless and faceless entity that you really dont know anything about. All you know is that a certain type of website appeals to a certain type of user but thats about it.
Online Market Place for Web Development Companies in United States
Online Market Place - is a platform that brings together service providers in the web development arena with the clients requiring the services for their business. It is an online web directory that provides 24/7/365 access of your company information to highly qualified buyer network. Our exceptional advertising approach in our web directory will gain highest ROI for the campaign you are generating with us. Benefit of putting your link in our web directory will start from global visibility and ends with targeted lead generation. Learning from pitfalls of different existing companies, Direct Connect Web provides right set of usability for the buyers and service providers. Our web design directory listing has many categories for service providers to list their companies like Web Design, Graphic Design, Website Programming, Online Marketing, Web Hosting, etc These categories have sub categories like website design, eCommerce solutions, ASP.NET programming, PHP programming, Java programming, Flash website design, Interactive flash animation, MS SQL database, MySQL database, Search Engine Optimization, Online Advertisement, Email Marketing, Domain name registration, Shared Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Linux Hosting, etc The directory provides best solutions for web site design and development companies located in various states of America, like California, Florida, Washington DC, New Jersey, etc to get listed in various categories and get business leads without any burden to their marketing expenses. All the business leads are pre-screened and then forwarded to the right company which matches to the client requirements thus eliminating the junk leads saving considerable time. For more information, you may visit the site and let your marketing team decide about advertising in the website. Copyright © 2007
<a target="_new"href="http://www.directconnectweb.com/">Directconnectweb</a> - is one Web Design Directory helps you find and engage a professional design company. From web designers, web developers, logo designers, flash designers, search engine optimization etc
