How to build links to your Affiliate Website
Search engine algorithms are highly complex mathematical formulae - the details of which are not, unfortunately, in the public domain - which govern the performance of individual search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. All the available, practical, evidence, however, suggests that all search engines - and Google, in particular - dedicate a substantial percentage of their ranking algorithms to “link popularity” or “link equity”. This includes both “outbound” and “inbound” links. Outbound links are links to other sites on the Web, which assist in defining the main subject, and focus, of those sites, as far as search engines are concerned. Inbound links, on the other hand, are links back to a site from other sites.
The analysis of the content and linkage data of other sites can be used to create a ranking based on connectivity. In other words, if a number of reputable, high quality pages - as defined by a search engine - link to a particular site, that site, too is considered to be useful, and its search engine ranking increases. Inbound links speak volumes for a site, in search engine terms, so persuading other websites to link to your own can prove to be a highly effective method of driving traffic to your site, at a reasonably low cost. Links are, of course, one of the most popular methods by which human visitors find new sites, so the more high quality sites that link back to your own, the better.
Effective Linking Strategies
Outbound Links
Many people are surprised that the publishing of outbound, or external, links - provided, of course, that they are relevant - can be beneficial to the owner of a website, and not just to his, or her, visitors. Many believe that directing visitors away from their own site may mean that they never return. This, however, is rarely the case - provided, of course, that an outbound link is not to a competitor, or to a site which links to a competitor - and, in fact, providing access to additional, relevant, resources can keep visitors away from search engines (where they will, definitely, come across competitors). Valuable outbound links can help to establish your site as an important resource for visitors, who are likely to return again and again. They also help with search engine rankings if well-chosen.
You should, of course, exercise caution with outbound links, particularly if they involve so-called “deep linking”, that is, linking to any page of a website other than the home page. Many web publishers allow you to link, freely, to any page on their site, but others restrict linking to their home page only. Information regarding the linking policy of any site can usually be found in the “Terms and Conditions” section, but if no policy is stated, explicitly, you should contact the website owner before linking to the site. In any case, avoid linking directly to content, such as photographs, or video clips, which may be copyrighted and link to the HTML page instead.
Inbound Links
Inbound links are also known as “one-way” links, because a website receives a link form another site, without giving back, or “reciprocating”, a link in the opposite direction. There are a number of ways of generating inbound links. Simply “begging” links to other sites, however, is unlikely to prove fruitful. It is far better to offer something of value in return. Some sites use a ‘link baiting’ strategy wherein fresh, high value on-site content attracts numerous link partners who view this as a significant value-add to their readership. Other successful strategies include ‘hosted web content’ or ‘content-for-links’ trading wherein you produce a piece of unique content or other valuable website material and give it, without cost, to a link partner in return for a link back to your site. There may also be some merit to submitting your website to some of the better on-line directories but these are relatively few and far between these days. Over-submission is counter productive. Similarly, article syndication — the creation of articles and submission to dedicated article sites — is relatively ineffective in comparison with, say, two years ago when it was a key part of many linking campaigns. The article sites’ rankings have consistently slipped in the search engines as a result of poor policing and the addition of endless ‘low rent’ offshore content.
Linking Do-s and Don’t-s
You should also be aware that there are some practices for acquiring inbound links that are likely to hinder, rather than help, the search engine rankings of a site. One of these is buying links from a so-called “link farm” - a practice recognised, and penalised, by the ranking algorithm used by Google, for example. Some also claim that “link triangulation” (which avoids a direct exchange of links) is falling out of favour. Opinions vary as to the extent to which this is detrimental to the ranking of pages, but it does appear that search engines have learnt to recognise certain techniques for artificially inflating the number of inbound links to a page. In all cases NEVER pay for links. Many sites charge for links and the search engines, particularly Google, are known to heavily penalise both parties if they become aware of this behaviour. Don’t assume that because you establish a paid link ‘on the side’ as a private arrangement, that you will be immune from a penalty. Many SEO firms actively report paid linking directly to the search engines. Some claim that reciprocal links are holding less and less sway but the evidence suggests that good quality, properly on-topic link exchange is still of value.
After all, how else are the search engines to find and rank new sites?
Measuring Success
The only way to judge if a linking strategy has been successful, or not, is to set some objectives - at everyday, and core business, levels - before you commence a linking campaign. These may include, for example, generating a certain number of inbound links, or a certain percentage increase in the number of visitors, to your site, and converting a certain percentage more sales leads into actual sales. Comparison of your results - over a period of months - with your objectives also allows you to adjust, and refine, your linking strategy to maximum effect.
Ultimately, there is no substitute for hard work when it comes to linking. You may decide to outsource it but if you do, check the fim’s reputation with great care — there are some charlatans in the industry! As with any natural search activity, the ranking improvements you get will occur over a period of many months rather than weeks with any shorter term gains being a bonus.
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