<< Back to Index How to Market Your Website:
Step 5: Strategies to Implement [continued]
Reciprocal Linking
Reciprocal linking is finding complementary sites, linking to them and asking for a link in return. Even though sites willing to cooperate in reciprocal linking may have modest traffic, cross linking between complementary noncompetitive sites provides contextual links that can help rank your site higher for target fields that are important.
Tips:
1. Create out-of-the-way link pages to link to other sites, but make sure a link to this page is on your main page. Don't let the page float out there alone - you MUST have a link from your front page to this out-of-the-way page.
2. If you can't recommend a site to you visitors, then don't put a link to them on your site. Period. You want quality links - not trash.
3. Group links together by target or category.
To identify appropriate sites there are a couple of tools. I hesitate to recommend them, as they have been used so much for spamming. Please read my cautions and recommendations before using these programs.
These programs crawl the Internet looking for sites that contain the keywords you specify.
1. Arelis Reciprocal Links Solution
2. Zeus Reciprocal Link Generator
Do not, for any reason, use these tools utilizing the automated email process to contact prospective links. This tool has been so abused, I personally have these emails flagged as trash and they are deleted immediately. Plus, you want quality links - so take the time visiting each site and contacting them for a link.
When you contact a site for a link, state the value of your proposition clearly - how linking to each other will benefit both your sites. Take the time to visit their site and mention the similarities and what keywords are likely to be effected by the cross linking. Appealing to the self-interest of the webmaster can get good results.
Specify the exact text you want in the hyperlink to your site. [use the formula for creating the title tag]. Make it keyword rich and the link to a page that includes the keyword.
The bottom line - Webmasters want to know "What's in it for me?" It is up to you to show your site has value that would benefit their customers.
Be persistent in your linking requests - but not obnoxious. Call them directly, or email them again. Reciprocal linking is slow, hard work, but the payoff is a large number of incoming links that increases your PageRank.
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