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=============== Marketing Viewpoints by Larry Chase =============== Top 10 Tips To Increase Link Popularity Word-of-mouth is one of the most compelling forms of marketing in the world. The online equivalent is linking - when a trusted site links to you, people follow the recommendation. That's how linking works. Below, Ken McGaffin gives us his top ten tips to increase link popularity. You can download Ken's extensive complimentary report and workbook from http://www.linkingmatters.com. 1. People make linking decisions Link building is about building relationships with people, and that is something that you cannot automate. The business that carefully identifies and researches important websites in its target markets and then approaches each website individually will always outperform the business that sends out a "Reciprocal Link Request" email to zillions of anonymous webmasters. There are some great software tools that will help you in your people-led approach but do not misuse them by sp*mming webmasters and search engines. Such tools will only bring rewards if they are part of a carefully thought out and managed linking strategy. OK, sermon over - on with the tips. It's people who make linking decisions, so get to know the people behind your target sites. Study the style and type of content they like and the partnerships and relationships they have. How? Visit their sites regularly, spend time going through their content and try to understand their objectives. Yogi Berra was on the money when he said, "You can observe an awful lot just by watching." What you observe can be turned to your advantage by way of informed, tailored link requests. 2. Define your target markets An effective linking strategy will extend your market reach. List and rank your top six target sectors. Identify ezines, newsletters, blogs and directories that serve each sector. Craft a basic linking message for each sector and use these messages to create customized link requests. 3. Define your link value What motivates another site to link to you? Fundamentally, it's because they see some value in doing so. The more "link value" they perceive, the more likely they will be to link. To maximise your site's link value, you've got to balance three perspectives: - The value that you add to the website that decides to link to you - The value that their audience will derive from following the link - The value that the additional traffic brings to your business. Some examples of great link value can be found in the Interactive Office Planner tool from IKEA: http://www.ikea-usa.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/office/download1.html and in the Customer Focus Calculator from FutureNowInc: http://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htm. 4. Get listed in important directories Spiders trawl the leading directories for links. You can set a solid foundation for your site by getting listed in the appropriate sections of the most important directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo! and LookSmart. Once you've done this, make sure your site is listed on industry-specific directories and portals as well. Often it is as simple as asking to be included or adding your site yourself. 5. Be bold, approach top sites Aim high to maximize results. Pay close attention to top sites in your market segments and ask: "What would it take to persuade them to link?" Then put most of your effort into providing that persuasion. Articles, special reports, reviews and controversial comments can all be picked up by major sites with high traffic. 6. Don't ignore sites with low PageRank Google PageRank is only approximate, so never base a linking decision on a site's PageRank score. Instead, look closely at the quality of content and audience that a site has. Low PageRank sites can be reasonably easy to get a link from and it can pay dividends. For example, I created a link for a client on a small site which had, by chance, sparked a journalist's interest. She wrote a story that in turn was picked up by the BBC, resulting in a feature on their high-traffic news site. 7. Use a news release to support your linking efforts Learn how to write news releases and include linking text at the bottom of your release. Editorial coverage draws attention and links to your site and encourages others to link to you. You can use no-cost or low-cost services such as PRWeb.com to distribute your news releases. But such services are only a start. Gradually build your own list of press contacts week-by-week. You'll be surprised at the number of quality media contacts you can gather in six months. 8. Use keywords in your linking text Use keyword phrases in your link text both internally (the links you use to guide people around your site) and externally (the linking text you ask other sites to use when linking to you). For example, on a site selling insurance, the linking text "click here for more" is a poor choice. The linking text "more information on insurance" is slightly better, while the descriptive "get a quote for car, travel or home insurance" is even better yet. It is informative for the customer and the use of keywords in the linking text will give your website a boost on Google. 9. If you're doing reciprocal links, add some spice Reciprocal linking is marginally less boring than watching paint dry. So spice it up a little and have some fun. Rather than just creating lists of reciprocal partners, write an overview article that mentions 10-12 of them, publish it and then ask for links back. A digital camera retailer that writes an article entitled "10 Reasons to Join a Camera Club" and reviews a dozen clubs as part of the copy is very likely to get links back. 10. Monitor your referrer logs every day When someone follows a link to reach your site, the URL they come from is recorded in your referrer logs. Analysis of these logs will show which links bring the most traffic. Get into the habit of checking your referrer logs daily and look out for new links that appear. Follow these URLs back to the sites that linked and see what you can find. Why did they link to you? What business are they in? Who are the people behind the site and do they offer any business opportunities? Drop them a line, thank them and follow up if you think it's appropriate. A well-thought out and strategic approach to linking really is the very best way to create a perpetual stream of "personal referrals," Internet-style. What better foundation could there be on which to build your business? |  Order Larry's Book Now from Amazon.com |
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