The Two Most Important Things To Know About Linking
by Dirk Johnson
- LinkStrategy.com
I read everything that I can find related to linking,
just to know what's being said out there. Unfortunately, most of
it is not worth the disc space that it's written on.
Back before Google existed, very few people said
much about linking. It was considered to be unsophisticated, grassroots
web marketing, best left to the hobbyist. The dot.bombs couldn't
have ignored it more if they tried, which speaks volumes about their
managements' understanding of the World Wide Web. Oh well. They're
gone. We're still here.
Then Google came along, and people began to realize
that links were one way to get to the top of that search engine.
Linking went from the backwater to one of the most talked about
subjects in the search engine optimization world. Instant experts
were created. Theories on how to "beat" Google with links
grew like fruit flies in a biology lab.
What's unfortunate is that the average reader can't
possibly differentiate between someone who writes about linking
but only dabbles in this work, and someone who does a lot of it.
To me, the dabblers inevitably give away their inexperience when
they start talking about their process. They use the most inefficient
methods possible. If they were good at this, or smart, or experienced,
or serious, they'd quickly develop more sophisticated, efficient
ways to get this work done. So, I have to discount their complex,
contradictory linking theories, which usually don't hold up under
close scrutiny anyhow. (see also - Linking Myths
and Links - Good or Evil?)
If you want to skip past all that noise, here's
an alternative approach that works extremely well, and it has for
years. Just link as if Google did not exist. Treat reciprocal linking
as a branding function
for your business. Set out to get as many links to your site from
other appropriate, relevant sites as possible. Start now, and never
stop. Eventually you will be the king-of-the-link-hill in your area
of interest. And you will be very hard to knock down, unless someone
else is as determined as you are. More than likely, they won't be.
As a bonus, when anyone else in your realm of interest
starts their own link campaign, they will most likely link to your
site first. Because you are out there everywhere, to be easily found.
With linking, the big do get bigger, at a much faster rate than
everyone else.
Second, realize that linking seems very simple at
the outset, but it is actually a rather complex data management
problem. The gurus always seem to get it all backwards. They make
their strategy complex, but talk as if the process is straightforward.
If you try to do this work without a good process and a software
tool, and you try to manually edit a link directory using FrontPage
or Dreamweaver, you will quit after about two or three evenings
of bug-eyed frustration.
For the do-it-yourselfers, get a link management
tool of some kind. These include desktop applications like Zeus
(www.cyber-robotics.com) or Arelis (www.arelis.com), or an online
tool like LinksManager (www.linksmanager.com), or a server-side
script (many are listed at www.cgi-resources.com). These will allow
you to manage the process for a medium to large-sized link campaign.
For a truly ambitious project, you will probably want the efficiencies
of a home-grown solution, but don't try to build one until you've
tried the pre-built tools, so you know what's needed.
Or hire a professional, if you really want to off-load
this work, and focus on your core business. You might want to read
our article "Do It Yourself, Compared
to Using Us"
So, that's just two things to know about linking.
One, link as if Google did not exist. Imagine that you had to survive
on the traffic from links alone. And two, get a tool or a process
in place to deal with the considerable data challenges that you'll
quickly encounter.
Sites that do this seriously over a long period
of time are usually the ones that are at the top of their niche.
Links are like a concrete block building foundation. One or two
don't amount to much, but pile them up, and you have a rock solid
base on which to build.
Would
you like more detailed information about our services? Please send
an email to djohnson@roiwebsites.com
with your site address and contact information, and we can begin
the process of building a firm quote for our services.
copyright 2004 Dirk Johnson www.linkstrategy.com
The next page on the tour is:
Pricing
- Our competitive advantage
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out about reciprocal linking, the right way....Please
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