A Guide to Linking

What's so important about linking?

A few posts ago, I shared an article I wrote about the importance of proper linking for your website.  This post is a follow up as I have received a great many inquiries about linking after that post....

Google explains that, "The best way to ensure Google finds your site, is for your pages to be linked from lots of pages on other sites. Google's robots jump from page to page on the Web via hyperlinks, so the more sites that link to you, the more likely it is that we'll find you quickly."

It goes on to say "Your site's ranking in Google search results is partly based on analysis of those sites that link to you."  So clearly, being linked to by good quality sites is important in getting Google (and other search engine) rankings.  Besides, like your mother taught you-sharing is just a nice thing to do.  When we support each other, everyone wins.

A great way to share links is by exchanging banners and the URL for the page that you would like someone who clicks on the banner to be directed to.  It doesn't necessarily have to be your home page.  It could be a product you're featuring, your about me page, your blog...whatever you want to steer visitors to.  I even have a dedicated page set up so that if someone wants to link to me then they can do so instantly and then email me and I will gladly reciprocate.  Having  page like this is also great idea.  Again, a free advertisement to share links with people who are already interested in your site....after all-they're there, aren't they?

You want to ensure good quality links are driving traffic to your site.  I strongly advise against hiring out linking duties for you. More often than not they are sent through 'link farms' or not-so-reputable pages.  It takes time and effort to build a quality linking system.  Simply put: there is NO quick fix to gain ranking through linking.  But the sooner you start, the sooner you will see results.

Try not to use all of this 'rankings' talk alter how you present yourself to the Internet community.  Design your pages with your clients in mind...not the search engines.  With time your site will be indexed and you will notice your traffic increasing. 

In order to find out where your traffic is coming from (and going to) I highly recommend Google Analytics.  Analytics is FREE and you can find it here.  Once you set up your free account, you are provided with a unique code to insert into your web template.  It's invisible to visitors, so unlike Feedjit and other free tracking software, it won't scare customers off.  No one likes to feel like they're being 'tracked'.  If you aren't sure how to implement the code without damaging your website template contact your webmaster or click here for a designer who can install it for you for only $15. Having Google Analytics will help you to see which pages are your most frequently (and least frequently) visited.  It tells you what your bounce rate is, the number of people who have visited in a particular day and much more.  It even allows you to set goals for your website and helps chart and track your progress for you so you know which areas need attending to.  It's literally one of the best things you can do for your website-particularly if you have various advertisements and links out there.  Why keep spending your money on an ad that isn't working?

All in all, linking is a great way to bring traffic to your site and to connect with other shop owners interested in doing the same.  Done correctly, you will begin to see more traffic-which you can index through your Analytics account. 

More FREE tips coming soon!  Oh, And don't forget to visit my links page so WE can exchange banners.  The more the merrier!
~Melissa

Melissa Bolton, Copywriter and Internet Marketing Strategist | http://designherbrands.com/ | http://designherbrands.blogspot.com/