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Linking With Integrity
Getting One Way Links The Right Way
By Jerret Turner
It's just as important to know what not to do when executing a website
linking strategy as it is to know what to do. With inexpensive linking
software and services so readily available, there's a strong temptation
to take shortcuts when it comes to getting quality links.
Avoiding these traps will help your search engine placements rise naturally
and stay that way for a long time. In this article, I describe two ways
that you can help yourself avoid being labeled a link sp@mmer.
Link Farms
What is a link farm? A link farm is any website designed and set up for
the sole purpose of getting search engine spiders to crawl and index web
pages. These websites provide absolutely no end user utility or benefit.
So how do you recognize a link farm? First, you need to ask yourself,
is this site heavy laden with links? Most link farms will have a "farm"
of links with little to no content. As for an explanation of the site's
existence, it's usually missing too.
The next question you need to ask is, what does the URL of the site itself
look like? Most of the time, link farms will have long, hyphenated URLs
(i.e. our-great-linking- directory dot com). This is a generalization
so not all link farms will have these types of URLs. Many of these link
farms are generated using software. The software will go out and find
a domain name that contains specific keywords even if it settles on something
with several hyphens and numbers. You may still consider a long, hyphenated
site for linking purposes but make certain you conduct more research before
you submit a link.
Next, look at the domain name extension and note if it's .ínfo
or .bíz. In order to sell these extensions, many domain name registrars
provide a one-time, deep discount. I know of several registrars that sell
.ínfo domains for 89 cents per year. These cheap domain names allow
sp@mmers to generate thousands of sites at a huge discount.
The next criteria I use to help identify a link farm is what I call the
"cheese factor". Although some link farms will look professionally
designed, most are either 1) generated with software or 2) are designed
with the same cookie-cutter, non-altered templates that fill search engine
results. This is especially true with blogs. Sp@mmers and Internet newbies
will not take the time to brand their websites or blogs. These are commonly
referred to as "pump and dump" websites.
Another question you should ask is, does it look human? That is, does
it look like someone hangs around and takes care of things? You should
also be able to contact the webmaster either via web form or e-mail. If
there's no contact information available anywhere on the website, be very
afraid.
If it's a directory site, check out the links in a few of the main directory
headings. Are the URLs hyphenated just like the main URL? If you visit
one of these sites, does it look the same as the site you just came from?
Are there more URLs crammed onto one page than anyone could possibly visit
in a lifetime?
Last but not least, if you have your suspicions that a site might be
a link farm, for any reason, stay away. It's better to miss a great linking
opportuníty than to post your link and get downgraded in your search
engine placements.
Non-relevant Links
When you're placing your links, you want to make sure that the site you're
linking to has something to do with your site and, vice versa.
A non-relevant link is defined as a hypertext link placed on a website,
or in a directory, that has little to no relevance to the linking site
or directory. These links are placed for the sole purpose of 1) increasing
page rank or 2) getting a website crawled and indexed or a combination
of the two.
The most obvious way to combat not-relevant links, over which you have
complete control, is the placement of links on your site. Avoid placing
links on your site to another that has no relevance to your content; even
if it's legitimate. Why? The link doesn't do anything for you or the person
whose link you placed. On the other hand, don't ask someone to place a
link on their site which doesn't relate to yours.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN all look closely at whom you're linking to and
who's linking to you. In fact, Google's PageRank definition specifically
states that link relevance (quality) is looked at more than just the link
itself.
So what's the solution? As in researching a potential link farm, you
need to check out the sites that you're linking to. If you're submitting
your site to directoríes or article directories, make sure that
you're submitting your content and links to the most relevant topics and
sections.
Don't worry about getting an exact match in terms of relevance between
your site and the linking site; just make sure that each site complements
the other.
Know the Linking Pitfalls
In summary, you can be accused of being a link sp@mmer even if you think
you haven't done anything wrong. To keep your linking strategy clean,
I've outlined two specific techniques that will keep your site safe with
the search engines.
First, watch out for unscrupulous link directories and sites (i.e. link
farms). Use the techniques and ask yourself the questions I've outlined
to recognize and avoid these harmful sites.
Second, make sure you're posting to relevant sites/directories/ articles/
blogs or wherever you choose to submit your content and links.
Most importantly, if you think you might get accused of being a sp@mmer,
by attempting to use a linking technique you just read about or software
you just bought, trust your gut and don't do it. Linking software creators
claim that you can get thousands of back links with the press of a button
or for only "$49". The only way to get good quality back links
is to do the research yourself and hand-submit every single link.
If you avoid these two traps, you'll be well on your way to getting the
links you need to get your website placed higher in search results and,
as a result, generate more sales.
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