Link Popularity Importance for Search Engine Rankings
As our company begins working with new clients on search engine optimization (SEO), many clients often wonder what strategies are used in optimization of a website and how link popularity comes into play. Many different tasks and strategies are used, while developing link popularity for the site is a major step in the process. Below we go over the basics and offer a few suggestions on how to begin link building.
How link popularity works – When another website links to your site, this gives you “link popularity”. Think of it as homecoming and you just got a vote (congrats!). The more votes you get, the more popular you are and one day you just might end up as homecoming king or queen, or in this case #1 in Google.
The thought process behind link popularity, is that someone would like to your website because you have valuable content or a quality product. The search engines look at this as a vote for your website. The more votes you have, the better your rankings should be.
All votes are not equal – The better the website that links to you, the more valuable this is to your website. Deciding whether or not a website will be a valuable link is not always easy. Websites with that deal with the same subject, or a subject that is similar, are usually best.
Trading links – It can be difficult to find websites that will link back to your website without you linking to them. Trading links can be beneficial, but making sure the website you’re trading with has a quality site is very important. Linking back to a website that Google has banned or does not give a good quality rating to can actually hurt your websites search engine rankings.
Blogging – Writing your own content, and content people actually WANT to read, will be a great help in receiving links to your website. Creating a blog and talking about topics in your industry is very powerful. You’ll find people reading and in-turn linking to your website.
Press Releases – Submitting your press release to a website such was www.prweb.com is a great way to build links and also “get the word out”. When writing a press release, be sure that the topic is one that is interesting. If you’re lucky, it may get picked up by a major news source. Also, be sure to optimize your press release and link to your website within it. This will give you the link boost you’re looking for. To add links within your press release usually costs more than a free press release. On PR Web the cost is $200 for a “Search Engine Optimized” Press Release.
