Getting web sites to link to you

Awarded at Toronto "Ultra Advanced SEO Symposium" Nov. 2005.

Anybody can make a site popular just be creating thousands of web pages all of which link to the main page but none need contain any worthwhile information. Now if these hundreds of web pages all covered good and similar topics to the one to which they were linked then the linked to site would not only be popular it would have authority.

High link popularity and authority is normally but not always a prerequisite to get an improvement in Google PageRank.

Beware of the FFA (free for all) web linking sites and similar sites offering to get you 1,000 links in 24 hours for only $30 etc. Google is aware of this spam technique and may well apply the zero PageRank factor to penalize sites using these services. It was pointed out in a previous chapter that Google is aware of and records the source of the link as well as the destination of the link.

An interesting experiment was carried out some time ago that highlights the power of back linking and how it can be abused. Simultaneously a large number of determined web users all linked back to Microsoft.com using the words Go to hell or something similar. Sure enough when the search query Go to hell was used Microsoft.com came up as number 1 SERP. This technique became known as Google bombing.

Google possibly overcame this problem by carefully checking what was earlier discussed namely matching link text with text in the destination web page and source page and giving more importance in its algorithm to matching situations.

you should go out of your way to ask for links into your site from similar sites. Some sites will be prepared to do this especially if you offer to link to them in return. When you ask for a link (normally e-mail the web master) use a personalized note and give the specific words you would like to have used in the link e.g. please take a look at this great site about garden ponds .

CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS

You should ask customers and suppliers to link to your site. Since you know each other this is generally an easier opportunity than asking perfect strangers. In addition the links would tend to be about similar or related topics.

FREE WORK, FREE OFFER FOR A LINK

Offering to do something for free that will benefit the website from which you want the link can work wonders. As an alternative perhaps you have a valuable piece of work you might be prepared to share free of charge in return for a link.

RECIPROCAL LINKS IN GENERAL

Spend time finding web pages that you would like to be linked to. This would include all top SERPs for example for your chosen keywords and especially if they have high PageRank. Identify these sites and write to the owner/webmaster requesting a reciprocal link. Be prepared to offer a link from your own site in return. This is called reciprocal linking.

More techniques are also suggested in the book. The desire to gain good quality links should never stop. The more links the better. Remember they are just like recommendations.