One of the most important elements of the Google (and other search engine) algorithms is link popularity. If you have a high link popularity, among other factors, your page will be considered important and have a higher PageRank, which will result in a higher position on the results page when someone searches your keyword phrases.
“PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages ‘important.'” according to Google.
So, what are the keys to encouraging other sites to link to yours? Maybe you look at the other sites in your keyword phrase searches and wonder what they have that you don’t. You’ve got your meta tags perfected, your home-page text is just right, but you’re still on page two. And your customers are trickling in.
Content is the most important key The most important key here? Content — both on your site and on site that are similar to yours. You need to add content, frequently changing, to your site so that your readers will be drawn in. Once you start including quality content, you have the foundation for a successful site. If your site is an online cellphone shop, you do not want to include an article on the mating habits of squid. An article comparing the features of your newest cellphones would be a great draw, however.
Second key: Links to your site The second key to increasing your link popularity is, again, links on other people’s sites. I know what you’re asking and the answer, again, is content — written by you and offered up to other sites for publication. Of course, there is a catch. The other sites can publish your content — but they must include a resource box at the bottom of the article. And you guessed it. The resource box includes information about you/your business and a link back to your site.
Put those articles up for publishing on people’s websites and soon your link popularity will increase exponentially, right? Well, that’s the plan. Your articles most be relevant and high quality. Relevant articles address issues that are important to people and that fit within the theme or subject matter of the sites you are targeting. This also means they must be well written, which means free from grammatical or spelling errors. Microsoft Word features grammar and spelling tools that can help you clean up your writing.
If you’re targeting cloth diaper makers as the people who you want to publish your articles, writing about your first experience with sushi will not get the results you want. An article about how to cloth diaper while on a road trip will get a much better response.
Targeting the right market The third key in getting your freshly written and edited article printed is capturing the attention of your target market. I mentioned earlier other sites that have a higher ranking in the search engines for your keyword phrases. These sites would be the ideal places for your articles. You wouldn’t need to have very many articles/links to impact your own PageRank.
However, getting your articles on those sites may be easier said than done. So, I wouldn’t stop there. Also, target all those sites that aren’t ranked as highly as yours. You’ll need a lot more links to start affecting your PageRank, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem since they would be using the article you have already written.
Now, to let those other sites know that you have wonderful content that will increase their site’s value to their customers, you need to advertise. The first way to accomplish this is to put a page on your website offering your articles for reprint (as long as the resource box is included).
You should also include your article on sites that give away free content. Add your articles to these sites and let the members of the site advertise your article for you. Word of mouth can be the most effective (and free!) method of advertising.
Now that you have the three keys to increasing your relevancy and PageRank with articles, you can go out and unlock the world of high Page Ranks and top search engine placement.
Michelle Waters runs a web design, hosting and ecommerce
building company from her home-based office. Her newest
site, http://www.dotcomfamily.com, is a resource for home
businesses.
