There are many different reasons out there fore creating a link campaign; after all, it can benefit you in so many different internet marketing strategies.
In fact, links – especially one way links, but all links do count – are among the most determining factors for your rank among search engine spiders and indexers.
Since links are one of the vital components to the algorithm used by Google and the other big search engines, the creation of links for your website should be a major part of the efforts that you put forward.
The first step to accomplishing this is to understand that there are different kinds of links, all with their own values, strategies, and uses. While all links do have their importance, some create better results than others. By understanding them, you’ll be able to ensure the right kind of link campaign is working in your favor.
Reciprocal links – these types of links occur when two sites exchange links so that each one has a link to the other’s site.
One-way links – also known as inbound or in-bound links, these occur when a site links to another’s without receiving a link in return.
One of the most common strategies for links is reciprocal linking. When done correctly, however, this link strategy can be extremely time consuming. It has to do with searching throughout the internet for sites that are relevant to your own website’s cause, and then contacting their webmasters to request an exchange of links.
This communication has to be a personalized e-mail to each and every one of the webmasters, not just a spam-style form letter. Naturally, they will all have the same elements to them, but they all need to be geared directly toward the site in question, or no webmaster will even consider it.
An example of a successful reciprocal link request email can be as follows:
Dear Mr. Doe, webmaster of gwidgetsRus.com,
As I searched through quality sites with topics relevant to my own for a link exchange, I came across your Gwidgets R Us website. I am writing to request an exchange of links between your site and my own. Below is my site’s information. Please feel welcome to have a look at what we are all about before making your decision.
Title: Online Gwidgets
URL: http://www.onlinegwidgets.com
Description: Online Gwidgets provides educational information about gwidgets to its visitors, and sells both gwidgets and their parts for fair prices.If you are indeed interested in this link exchange, please reply with the precise information you’d like me to post on my site, and where you’d like it placed.
If you are not interested in this link exchange, your lack of reply will be enough to make your intentions known.
Thank you kindly for your attention and time.
Bob Smith
bobsmith@onlinegwidgets.com
www.onlinegwidgets.com
When and if you receive some replies to your email, it is important that you add their links as quickly as you can, and confirm this addition by sending them another email with a link to where they can find their addition.
Of course, you will need to check the sites of your partners as well, to make sure that they have added the link when they said they would. Furthermore, you’ll need to check up on them frequently to make sure that they continue to link you, and that they have not dropped your link over time, or closed down altogether. While the majority of webmasters are completely honest individuals, there are those out there who will try to take advantage of your partnership to create a one-way, not reciprocal link to their own sites.
In-bound or one way links are the most coveted links as they give the best results with search engines. However, many people find them too daunting to try to achieve. The truth about inbound links, however, is that they’re not at all difficult to obtain.
The easiest source of inbound links is by using directory submissions. There are a large number of free directories out there where you can submit your site. This submission is worth the time and effort for as many as you can.
There are also fee-based directories out there. Depending on your budget, this may be worth your while as well, as long as they have categories relevant to the subject of your website.
Press releases and articles that mention your site are also valuable sources of exposure and one-way links. Find free submission sites all over the web and start writing!
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Mark is the director and face behind FifteenDegrees-North http://www.15dn.com , where you will find articles and resources to help with SEO, marketing and Web design.
