I regularly get link requests from webmasters whose sites have absolutely no relevance to mine. These aren’t spammy bulk emails – they’re genuine requests generated via a form that webmaster has filled in on my website.
It’s abundantly clear from the webmaster’s actions that he or she doesn’t quite “get it” about the importance of making RELEVANT links.
I was motivated to write this article because I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to ensure that both the links you carry and those which lead back to your site are in some related to the service or product you’re selling or promoting.
WHY ARE RELEVANT LINKS SO IMPORTANT?
They’re important for two reasons. First, the search engines ultimately live or die by their ability to produce tightly themed search results for surfers, who if they don’t find what they’re looking for on one search engine, will move onto the next one.
Part of what helps determine the relevancy of a page is the QUALITY of its links. The search engines don’t set much store by a page which purports to be concerned with tax advice, that also carries links back to for example, an astrologer, a restaurant and a cheap rate phone company. These may be links which produce reciprocal links back to your site, but they aren’t RELEVANT links.
The second reason why it’s so important to have tight links is that your visitors also have a response to the quality of your links. It’s hard to present yourself as a credible business concerned with meeting the exact needs of your customers if you have links flying off here, there and everywhere. If your customers are irritated by the image you present, they’ll go to someone else who can offer a more convincing presentation.
In all, you do your site no favors by having irrelevant links, so don’t be tempted to take them or allow yours to be put up, no matter how good the actual site they represent appears to be.
Instead, focus on building links with sites which will help create a theme that enhances the value of your site for both the search engines and your visitors. Check to make sure that your potential link partners are also following this policy.
BUILDING RELEVANT LINKS
In order to determine what is and what isn’t a relevant link, sit down for a moment to consider the spending habits of your visitors. What would people who buy your product or service also be interested in?
It’s true that they could potentially be interested in ANYTHING, but you’re not the owner of a football stadium or a television company airing a football game to a captive audience of millions who will respond to your subliminal advertising billboards full of tobacco products, electronic goods, soft drinks. etc. You’re trying to provide a coherent information hub that will encourage your demanding visitors to return to your site to learn more about your product and those similar to it.
If, for example, you’re a copywriter, you might have reciprocal linking arrangements with sites which offer services which support companies wishing to promote themselves on and offline. Your link partners would therefore include web designers, programmers, search engine optimizers, advertising agencies, graphic designers and so on.
Sticking to this strategy should also generate a steady stream of TARGETED traffic for you back from these other sites as their visitors drop by to see your wares.
Depending on your product, your list of potential link partner groups maybe shorter or longer than that illustrated above. This doesn’t matter. There will be plenty of link partners available within any given group, no matter how short the overall list of relevant groups is.
Remember, a 1 relevant link is worth far more to you in both search engine and visitor terms than 10 irrelevant ones, so stick to the idea of providing a tightly themed site and you’ll find it pays dividends all round!
Did you find this article useful? If so, you’ll want more! Make sure you never miss a trick by subscibing to Daily Internet Marketing Tips. Delivered to your mailbox, you’ll receive an original marketing, promotion or search engine optimzation just like this every day.
http://www.dailyinternetmarketingtips.net
