Link Popularity
Link Popularity is essential to improving your Web site's visibility in search engines. Many search engines place tremendous value on Link Popularity—that is, they review the quantity and quality of inbound links pointing into a Web site. They believe that incoming links indicates how important, credible, or authoritative your site is. We help you to improve your Link Popularity score by creating a strategy designed to help increase the number of targeted, high-quality links to your site.
We will help you to increase your Link Popularity by enhancing the natural linking process. Although there are automated programs that are intended to increase Link Popularity, they pose an unnecessary risk—often the automated programs use links from low-quality Web sites that have been penalized by search engines, eliminating their value. So, if you request a link from a site, check it carefully to make sure it is a quality site that doesn’t use negative practices, such as hidden text, doorway pages, link farms or keyword stuffing.
Natural links are those that occur because an internet user enjoys your content, or some aspect of your site, and adds a link from there site to yours. The best way to encourage natural linking is to create an engaging site. “Link bait,” Web pages made for the sole purpose of generating buzz and encouraging users to link to you. can have a positive impact on your site’s overall performance.
Types of Links
There are three types of links that can help to increase your Link Popularity and drive traffic to your Web site:
- Free Links
- Reciprocal Links
- Paid Links
Free Links
Free Links are just what they sound like—completely free. These free links can be included in posts on message boards, by asking a Web master for a listing on their “Links” or “Resources” page, or by completing automated forms that allow you to simply upload your site's URL and description. Natural links or “link bait” links are also free. While Free Links are there for the asking, you should review each Web site carefully for negative Web practices.
Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal Links are link swaps—a Web site adds a link pointing to your site if you add one pointing back to them. This can be advantageous if the site has content that is related to your business and may drive qualified traffic to your site.
Paid Links
In addition to paid directories, like Yahoo and LookSmart (Zeal), many Web sites will add a link to you for a fee (also called Contextual Advertising). It is important to make sure that the page where your link will live has content related to yours.
Paid links are a controversial topic at the moment, and many search engines have specific guidelines for using paid links that they wish Web site owners to follow. While we do not purchase links for our customers, we can educate you about the risks and rewards associated with purchasing links.
Questions? Call us at 978-298-1525, or e-mail SalesSMS@idearc.com.