Why Search Engines Love Inbound Links

by Derek Gehl

There is a kind of inbound link that the search engines use to decide that your site is worth putting at the top of a search result. Links to your site from relevant, respected websites are a way to hit search engine gold.

An easy way to build up your inbound link count is by approaching website owners and asking for a link, or by sending them articles (with a link to your site) that would be interesting to their audiences. But before you do, here’s a list of what to look for.

Great inbound links…

- Come from relevant sites. If your site is about model trains, don’t go after a link from a site that sells motorcycles.

- Appear natural. If people were linking to your website randomly, they wouldn’t all use the same anchor text, and they wouldn’t all link to you in the same week. When you give out the links you want people to use, vary the anchor text and build them up gradually over time.

- Aren’t among dozens of other links. You don’t want the page your link is on to have more than two dozen outbound links – the fewer the better (unless the link is from a directory).

- Are placed in a good position on the site. Negotiate to get your link embedded in a natural position — usually within some text in the main body area. The search engines can discredit links found in the footer, right-hand side, or other popular areas where advertising usually goes.

Don’t stress about getting your link on the homepage. Deep links within a strong complementary website are still great.

- Are found on sites that are indexed regularly. Sites that aren’t indexed regularly will not carry as much weight.

- Are on sites that have been around for a while. The search engines assume that an older site is more credible

- Are on sites with high Google PageRank. The more links you can get from high PageRank sites, the higher you’ll get ranked in Google’s listings. However, if you find a website that would be a great partner but the PageRank is 3 or lower, you will still want to work with them

Collecting inbound links is one of the most powerful strategies for getting high rankings in the search results. It’s worth spending time on.

About the Author:
Improving your website performance with inbound links.

The most important part of any internet marketing campaign is to obtain inbound, one way links from other websites. Search engines use link popularity as the main yard stick by which they judge the importance of your website. Finding good...

Search Engines 101: Paid Search Vs. Natural Search

Search Engines...

10 Ways To Indirectly Get To The Top Of Search Engines

There are millions of web sites trying to get listed in the top 20 spots of the major search engines. That amounts to a lot of competition! I say if you can\'t get listed at the top, indirectly get to...

How to Climb to the Top of All the Search Engines

There is only one reason to build a website or create a blog; to get people to read your message. It doesn\'t matter whether you created your website or blog for fun, to share your views about a subject important...

Search Engine Marketing: How Search Engines Work

Have you ever wondered how exactly search engine marketing works or how search engine optimization can help your business? Search engine marketing relies on the basic principles of search engine optimization. Search engine optimization makes it possible for a search...