August 15th, 2010 by Dan
Good linking is absolutely crucial for good search engine optimisation. Links to, from and within your site not only allow for transparency, they form a key basis when it comes to search engines determining how useful and relevant your site is. If you’re new to internet publishing, there are some things you really need to know if you’re to avoid common mistakes and get on the right road to achieving the results you need.
A good SEO agency will usually provide link building services which help you to really get the most out of links. If you’re wondering what their advice might sound like, we’ve compiled a list of five good linking practices you’re likely to hear a lot about.
1. Keep it relevant. This is our first tip because its importance these days cannot be overstated. You’ll be judged by the quality of links to and from your site, and quality these days means relevance. Bought links from sites that aren’t related to what you ostensibly do can reflect negatively on your site and result in penalties being imposed by the very search engines you wish to impress. Relevant links, on the other hand, show that you’re popular with other sites that are related to you and count as ticks in your favour. Really good links are those that come from sites with recognised authority on the web. Domain names tell you a lot about how authoritative a site is.
2. Take care of links from your site. In much the same way as you want good links to your pages, you want to link out well too. It all counts in terms of relevance. Professional SEO services will tell you to avoid links that send users to sites they’re unlikely to be interested in. Obviously, from a marketing point of view you really don’t want to appear careless in the eyes of users. Irrelevant links are bad on many levels, as are out of date links that lead to non-existent sites.
3. Play the detective. Use some of the free means at your disposal to find out who’s accessing your pages and linking to them. This will enable you to create a list of useful contacts. If people are linking to you, they’re likely to be willing to feature some of your content or to engage in mutually beneficial practices. Trackback software is available for anyone to use, and search engine optimization services will almost certainly recommend you use it. Another way in which it pays to have your eyes open involves no software. Look at your competitors and what sites they’re linking to. If they have links that are obviously bringing them traffic and high rankings, then why not get the same ones? It always pays to know what the competition’s doing, and link building is no exception.
4. Feature keywords in links on your site. Effective linking within your site will give users a good experience of navigating your pages. Links back to your homepage should feature on every page. A sitemap should be created which also features keyword-rich links in abundance. These keyword-rich links are like gold, and you shouldn’t miss any opportunity to feature them. Having keywords in your anchor text is important too. Don’t miss the opportunity of having beneficial keywords in the text that leads users to your site from search engines. Try to make it memorable and concise, so that users can type it in easily whenever they want to visit you.
5. Avoid every kind of spamming. Be active when it comes to making the Internet a good place to spend time. Use ethical practices and discourage any form of duplicity when it comes to links. So-called ‘black-hat’ SEO strategies like cloaking can ruin user experience and lead to severe penalties from the search engines. Some of the worst methods include over-filling pages with keywords, misleading search engine software, and featuring popular keywords that aren’t really related to your content. As a general rule, stick to sound, ethical marketing practices if you want to get ahead and avoid penalties.
These tips will help you on your way to results pages and in the world of the Internet, no one stays new for very long. You’ll quickly become experienced and find that SEO starts to be second nature. Get advice from a good SEO agency on ways in which you can climb the ladder to the top and stay there.
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