What should you be doing to check you link exchanges and how often should you be doing it? If you are already running a link exchange program, my answer will probably frighten you!
Personally, based on my experience with search engines, I believe that you should be checking link exchanges every week! More often than this is probably a little bit of overkill, but less often, especially by much, and you will find that a lot of the people you thought you were exchanging links with have gone away.
On a weekly basis you should check that every site that you have agreed to link with is still linking back to you. Any sites that have removed their links need checking. Email them to ask them to replace the link and if they don't then remove the from your pages link. It's no benefit to you to be linking to them from your directory, it may even hinder your efforts. This is why weekly checks are important.
Whenever there is a Google page rank update, have a look through the page ranks of those sites linking to you and check that they all still have a page rank. Any that don't need further investigation.
It could just be that the links page is too new or too well buried to have a page rank. If it's cached in Google then it's probably OK. But if a links page has been showing your link for a couple of months and it's still not cached, then you need to check that you aren't being tricked.
First, have a look around the site and make sure that you can find your way to the links page. Then, have a nose at the robots.txt file - does that block their links directory? Lastly, take a look at the path of pages from the home page to the links directory. Does page rank suddenly vanish? If so, check that page hasn't been blocked somewhere.
It's also important when using a links directory tool to make sure that people haven't changed their links to inappropriate sites and that sites that you are linking to still exist, as sites that you are happy to link to. You don't want to be proudly linking to a family friendly site only to find that someone has bought the URL and put up an adult site!
So, on a weekly basis, be checking that your link backs still exist. Plus, every few months, see which link back pages don't have a page rank and investigate them.
Showing posts with label DIY Website SEO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY Website SEO. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Monday, 21 July 2008
What to look for in a link exchange
Link exchanging can reap rewards by giving you more 'link popularity' and increasing your search engine ranking. But not all links are equal. What should you be looking out for?
Firstly, links from pages with higher page ranks are normally better. But it could just be that the page is new and soon enough it will have a high page rank. So what is important?
Well, the link must be 'visible' to search engines. There are various ways that other sites could have unintentionally, or intentionally, made your link not visible to the search engines. This is because it is believed that it is favourable to have links pointing in from sites that you do not link to. So here are some warning signs to look for.
The first, and a very simple one, is there is a command that can be inserted into a link to tell search engines to ignore the link. If you see rel="nofollow" in a link then search engines will not follow that link - so it's not worth while accepting that link exchange.
Slightly more involved is that the page could be blocked from search engines. This can be because the links to that page include rel="nofollow" or that the robots.txt file blocks the page from the search engines. How can you check for this?
Actually, it's quite simple. Just search on your favourite search engine to see if the page is there. If it is, then you know it's not being blocked. You can check by searching on a unique piece of text; by clicking on the 'cached version' button on the Google Toolbar (if you have it installed) or by searching using the 'site:' command. Unfortunately, these methods tell you that nothing is blocking the page, but failure to find the page is cached doesn't mean it is blocked. It could just be too new.
The next trick to check for is whether the version presented to search engines is the same as you are seeing. Again, look at what a search engine has cached and make sure that your link is in place.
Another important check is that the link isn't using javascripts or redirects. It should point directly to your site, not to another file or page and definitely not to a counter. A lot of sites put the link through a counter to track clicks. This is fine if you are exchanging for traffic, but not if you are exchanging for popularity.
The last check I'll mention is that 'framed' pages are frequently not properly dealt with by search engines. If your link is not on the actual page but in a frame, then it's almost certain that the link isn't visible to search engines - and won't count.
So, check that the link page is cached; that on that cached site your link is shown in basic HTML and that it is not blocked. And then the link should count for you!
Firstly, links from pages with higher page ranks are normally better. But it could just be that the page is new and soon enough it will have a high page rank. So what is important?
Well, the link must be 'visible' to search engines. There are various ways that other sites could have unintentionally, or intentionally, made your link not visible to the search engines. This is because it is believed that it is favourable to have links pointing in from sites that you do not link to. So here are some warning signs to look for.
The first, and a very simple one, is there is a command that can be inserted into a link to tell search engines to ignore the link. If you see rel="nofollow" in a link then search engines will not follow that link - so it's not worth while accepting that link exchange.
Slightly more involved is that the page could be blocked from search engines. This can be because the links to that page include rel="nofollow" or that the robots.txt file blocks the page from the search engines. How can you check for this?
Actually, it's quite simple. Just search on your favourite search engine to see if the page is there. If it is, then you know it's not being blocked. You can check by searching on a unique piece of text; by clicking on the 'cached version' button on the Google Toolbar (if you have it installed) or by searching using the 'site:' command. Unfortunately, these methods tell you that nothing is blocking the page, but failure to find the page is cached doesn't mean it is blocked. It could just be too new.
The next trick to check for is whether the version presented to search engines is the same as you are seeing. Again, look at what a search engine has cached and make sure that your link is in place.
Another important check is that the link isn't using javascripts or redirects. It should point directly to your site, not to another file or page and definitely not to a counter. A lot of sites put the link through a counter to track clicks. This is fine if you are exchanging for traffic, but not if you are exchanging for popularity.
The last check I'll mention is that 'framed' pages are frequently not properly dealt with by search engines. If your link is not on the actual page but in a frame, then it's almost certain that the link isn't visible to search engines - and won't count.
So, check that the link page is cached; that on that cached site your link is shown in basic HTML and that it is not blocked. And then the link should count for you!
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Link building for popularity
Most link building these days is not to attract visitors, but to build 'link popularity' within the search engines.
With links for link popularity, it is accepted, even normal, to offer links through a dedicated links directory. The usual format is one site owner puts up a link to another and then sends a request. But what is it all about?
In short, search engines measure the 'importance' of a site and even pages within a site by the number of links pointing to that site or page. The more links there are, the more important that page is. And the more important the pages are that give those links, the more important again that page is.
So the idea is to find sites that will link to your own site in return for a link back. Then search engines will see these links and start to rate you more highly.
This requires a large number of link exchanges. You need to be requesting potentially tens per week to allow for that fact that many won't respond and to keep this up week in, week out. It's the gradual growth in inbound links that the search engines want to see.
The easiest way to manage the links of your behalf is usually through an off the shelf link exchange directory. Using one with plenty of the required tools can really help you and means that when people come to you to request an exchange the process can take place automatically.
You as the person in charge of links building then go out hunting for sites to exchange links with. You review the other person's site to find if they have requirements for how their link should appear and then add such a link to your directory. Once this is complete, you then email the other site's owner, telling them where their link can be found on your website and asking them to put a link to your website onto their website. Hopefully, they get back to you to confirm this has been done.
Give them a week and if they haven't replied then remind them. If they still haven't replied after another week, then it might be best to remove the link, possibly with a friendly reminder to them of the missed opportunity.
Link building for popularity is all about getting plenty of links in from other sites.
With links for link popularity, it is accepted, even normal, to offer links through a dedicated links directory. The usual format is one site owner puts up a link to another and then sends a request. But what is it all about?
In short, search engines measure the 'importance' of a site and even pages within a site by the number of links pointing to that site or page. The more links there are, the more important that page is. And the more important the pages are that give those links, the more important again that page is.
So the idea is to find sites that will link to your own site in return for a link back. Then search engines will see these links and start to rate you more highly.
This requires a large number of link exchanges. You need to be requesting potentially tens per week to allow for that fact that many won't respond and to keep this up week in, week out. It's the gradual growth in inbound links that the search engines want to see.
The easiest way to manage the links of your behalf is usually through an off the shelf link exchange directory. Using one with plenty of the required tools can really help you and means that when people come to you to request an exchange the process can take place automatically.
You as the person in charge of links building then go out hunting for sites to exchange links with. You review the other person's site to find if they have requirements for how their link should appear and then add such a link to your directory. Once this is complete, you then email the other site's owner, telling them where their link can be found on your website and asking them to put a link to your website onto their website. Hopefully, they get back to you to confirm this has been done.
Give them a week and if they haven't replied then remind them. If they still haven't replied after another week, then it might be best to remove the link, possibly with a friendly reminder to them of the missed opportunity.
Link building for popularity is all about getting plenty of links in from other sites.
Saturday, 19 July 2008
Link building for more traffic
Building links between websites has a few different meanings. Here I'm going to start off by looking at how it started and how the search engines would like to see all links - as 'genuine' links built for traffic, not to trick search engines.
With this method of link building, links are exchanged purely on the understanding that by having links on each others' site there's a good chance that your visitors might find the other site's link interesting and visit the site, and vice versa.
It's all about finding sites that share mutual interests, similar visitors etc and putting up small links in the hope that you add interest to each site. By adding your link to the other person's site, their visitors should see the link and think that your site could give them more of what they are interested in. Maybe the other site is a hobby site and you are offering a price comparison for related products. So their visitors might be interested in your site for that reason. Or maybe you are offering more information on certain pages of theirs.
What you need to do is to find sites that share an interest or themes and put a link from your site to their website. Then approach the other site and ask them for a link back. This type of linking can be a bit harder to plan and arrange as you really want the link to be on a proper 'content' page rather than a links directory page - it should be somewhere that visitors will see it. For this reason, you also need to be placing your link to them on a content page. Now, this can be any content page of your site or a dedicated 'you might like to visit' sort of page.
If you are really keen for links, there's always the option of paying for link placement on another site. You would need to approach the owner and ask how much for a link from a certain page would cost.
Another method of gaining links for traffic, and one I have often used successfully, is by getting your site listed on "top sites" pages. This usually entails putting a link to the top site website onto your pages and the number of clicks is counted. But, especially for hobby orientated websites, this can bring tons of traffic as lots of people are searching for more sites to read about.
In summary, in link building for traffic you really want to place a link from a content page on your site to another site whilst they place a text, or banner, link on a content page back to you.
With this method of link building, links are exchanged purely on the understanding that by having links on each others' site there's a good chance that your visitors might find the other site's link interesting and visit the site, and vice versa.
It's all about finding sites that share mutual interests, similar visitors etc and putting up small links in the hope that you add interest to each site. By adding your link to the other person's site, their visitors should see the link and think that your site could give them more of what they are interested in. Maybe the other site is a hobby site and you are offering a price comparison for related products. So their visitors might be interested in your site for that reason. Or maybe you are offering more information on certain pages of theirs.
What you need to do is to find sites that share an interest or themes and put a link from your site to their website. Then approach the other site and ask them for a link back. This type of linking can be a bit harder to plan and arrange as you really want the link to be on a proper 'content' page rather than a links directory page - it should be somewhere that visitors will see it. For this reason, you also need to be placing your link to them on a content page. Now, this can be any content page of your site or a dedicated 'you might like to visit' sort of page.
If you are really keen for links, there's always the option of paying for link placement on another site. You would need to approach the owner and ask how much for a link from a certain page would cost.
Another method of gaining links for traffic, and one I have often used successfully, is by getting your site listed on "top sites" pages. This usually entails putting a link to the top site website onto your pages and the number of clicks is counted. But, especially for hobby orientated websites, this can bring tons of traffic as lots of people are searching for more sites to read about.
In summary, in link building for traffic you really want to place a link from a content page on your site to another site whilst they place a text, or banner, link on a content page back to you.
Friday, 18 July 2008
Keeping content fresh to improve your search engine position.
What steps are needed to ensure that your site betters its current search engine position and maybe even gets to the top of the search engine listings? There are plenty of tricks and tips you can try for yourself.
The first and foremost is putting in plenty of unique, fresh content. This can be done in various ways and depends on your site and its content.
If you are a shopping site, then you will no doubt have a catalogue of products to sell. By loading these products and having a page per product, you create a large site. By then continuing to update these products, your site is seen as fresh. This can be as simple as adding new products on a weekly basis, or just going into the products and updating their descriptions a little on a weekly basis.
Maybe review your product texts and make sure that each one is at least 100 words, or 200 words. More importantly, make sure that you have not copied the text from any other sites as this is a huge killer - search engines will see it's 'duplicate content' and may not even list your pages.
Another trick is to feature a product or few products on the home page - a product of the week sort of feature. Set a day and once a week change the product or products and in doing so you are keeping the home page updated.
If you don't have the luxury of a product catalogue, then there are still ways of keeping the site fresh. An on-site blog to which you post a couple of times per week allows for a growing site and new, fresh content. On a similar vein, you can have a latest news section - either a page or a set of pages. Either of these can be worked so that some of the content appears on the home page to keep it fresh.
And a further idea is a forum. If you have regular visitors to the site they might like to participate in a forum. Every time they write a post they are adding to your site's material.
So why is this important? Well, the more content you have the more pages and more possible combinations of keywords are on your site. By having lots of extra text there are more chances of someone finding your site.
Also, by keeping your content updated, search engines see that the website is being maintained and should rate your site higher. They calculate that the site is not getting stale and full of old, outdated, information. Also, with forums, blogs, offers and the likes, real visitors are more interested in coming back to the site to see what you have to offer.
So keep adding content - it creates a lot more opportunities for people to find text on your site and it keeps the search engines interested.
The first and foremost is putting in plenty of unique, fresh content. This can be done in various ways and depends on your site and its content.
If you are a shopping site, then you will no doubt have a catalogue of products to sell. By loading these products and having a page per product, you create a large site. By then continuing to update these products, your site is seen as fresh. This can be as simple as adding new products on a weekly basis, or just going into the products and updating their descriptions a little on a weekly basis.
Maybe review your product texts and make sure that each one is at least 100 words, or 200 words. More importantly, make sure that you have not copied the text from any other sites as this is a huge killer - search engines will see it's 'duplicate content' and may not even list your pages.
Another trick is to feature a product or few products on the home page - a product of the week sort of feature. Set a day and once a week change the product or products and in doing so you are keeping the home page updated.
If you don't have the luxury of a product catalogue, then there are still ways of keeping the site fresh. An on-site blog to which you post a couple of times per week allows for a growing site and new, fresh content. On a similar vein, you can have a latest news section - either a page or a set of pages. Either of these can be worked so that some of the content appears on the home page to keep it fresh.
And a further idea is a forum. If you have regular visitors to the site they might like to participate in a forum. Every time they write a post they are adding to your site's material.
So why is this important? Well, the more content you have the more pages and more possible combinations of keywords are on your site. By having lots of extra text there are more chances of someone finding your site.
Also, by keeping your content updated, search engines see that the website is being maintained and should rate your site higher. They calculate that the site is not getting stale and full of old, outdated, information. Also, with forums, blogs, offers and the likes, real visitors are more interested in coming back to the site to see what you have to offer.
So keep adding content - it creates a lot more opportunities for people to find text on your site and it keeps the search engines interested.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Don't just buy a website and expect it to work.
Many people expect that because they pay for a professional to build their website that they can pass a list of favourite keywords, or that the designer will produce a suitable list, and that the new website will automatically be top of Google and get them loads of traffic.
And this, for just a few hundred pounds. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. My sales guy thought of a "brilliant idea" (if only he'd put it to me, first). He'd happened tp be given the contact details of a local 'SEO expert'. So he thought, if I can build the sites but not get them to the top of Google then why not pass the customers to the SEO expert for the next stage. He'll do anything for a commission!
So he spoke to the guy and started telling him his story. The guy stopped him in his tracks. The budget we build a site for wouldn't even buy a couple of weeks' worth of SEO optimisation from this guy.
And that's the problem. Some customers are expecting bargain basement sites, with every bell and whistle going. You don't walk into a Mercedes showroom with the cash for a Smart car and expect to drive out in their top of the range sports car for the same price.
I told him that I'm not saying I can't do the SEO - just not for the prices he secures. If you want a site for a few hundred quid then I'll give you a good looking site, but it won't be a site that I can spend hours on every week getting it and keeping it at the top of Google. But I can give you the tools to do it yourself. So what's needed? I'll look at that over the coming days.
And this, for just a few hundred pounds. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. My sales guy thought of a "brilliant idea" (if only he'd put it to me, first). He'd happened tp be given the contact details of a local 'SEO expert'. So he thought, if I can build the sites but not get them to the top of Google then why not pass the customers to the SEO expert for the next stage. He'll do anything for a commission!
So he spoke to the guy and started telling him his story. The guy stopped him in his tracks. The budget we build a site for wouldn't even buy a couple of weeks' worth of SEO optimisation from this guy.
And that's the problem. Some customers are expecting bargain basement sites, with every bell and whistle going. You don't walk into a Mercedes showroom with the cash for a Smart car and expect to drive out in their top of the range sports car for the same price.
I told him that I'm not saying I can't do the SEO - just not for the prices he secures. If you want a site for a few hundred quid then I'll give you a good looking site, but it won't be a site that I can spend hours on every week getting it and keeping it at the top of Google. But I can give you the tools to do it yourself. So what's needed? I'll look at that over the coming days.
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