Importance of link swaps?

[Jayne]

Hi,

As i've found out the link swap thing is important to get your site noticed..is it more important to have links to others on my site or the other way around.

I keep putting links on mine, does it matter if they don't put mine on there's?

Thanks

Jayne

[Enigma121]

Jayne,

Yes it most certainly does. Most people add links to increase traffic. Strategically placed links can attact thousands of visitors.

Important links also serve to increase your pagerank with Google.

The best types of links you can get are to related businesses. So in your case, chefs, pastry suppliers, even other bakers are very strong candidates. You should also look to put your most important search terms in the link.

If you need further advice on how to improve the traffic to your site, email us at sales@enigmaconnections.com for an SEO quote.

[Jayne]

You've not looked at my new site properly have you :lol:

Nothing to do with bakers :lol: it's a biz for sale site

Thanks for the info though,

Jayne

[Ravenfire]

I tend to do reciprocal links, preferably with businesses that have a connection to my own.

[multilingual]

Ah Links! My Favourite Subject!!! :cry:

Currently building link campaigns on three of my sites. Yes it is good to have related links, rather than just links for the hell of it, but you have to think a bit like a spider in order to understand what relative is.

If you are selling Scotch whiskey then a link to a site selling Scotch tape might be considered as relative because it has a high concentration of a keyword that relates to your product. Your business site can link to anywhere where there is a business theme and it will be ok.

Yes, you need some inbound ones too, but only if their page rank is sufficient enough.

I now know, after a lot of late nights, how to build a site that gets onto page 1 of Google. My most recent site (listed below) is going to be on top for it's keywords in about 15 months from now.

However, one thing that I have learned over the last 4 years is not to worry too much about who links to you, but be sure that the outbound links are related. Others may disagree, but I have seen no evidence that indicates that you are penalized by a search engine for having crap or unrelated inbound links.

Remember, You have no power or control over who links to your site, but you do have control over your outbound ones. This is what is important.

JB

[Jayne]

Thank You,

But how do you find out what page rank another site is?

Please be none techy, i've only just figured out the spider thing a couple of days since :lol:

Jayne

[Top Hat]

Go here and install:
http://toolbar.google.com/?promo=mor-tb-en

The toolbar will show the PR of any page you are on.

[Jayne]

Thanks Top Hat, this google thing is brilliant, it's got a spell check too :D

Virgin is rated 6 by the way :lol:

Jayne

[SmallBizSoftware]

Hi Jayne, I am another webiste newbie .... probably really lame but got very excited last night as my first ever site got ranked #2 for my keywords on MSN UK. Still nowhere to be seen on Google but I put that down to the sand box!

On the subject of linking, I use the freebie version of LinkMetro to find others to link to and then request a recripocal link. Takes time but I am steadily growing the number of inbound links that I have. I also reject quite a few requests from sites that are unrelated or just plain mucky!

I have thought about using soem of the automat3ed scripts for linking but have read elasewhere that Google frowns upon link farms and might penalise the site.

Reccomend SEOChat forum for more advice of SEO and SERPS (nearly as good as this forum :lol: )

[multilingual]

It's great to see the PR moving up isn't it!

I remember my wife calling me on the mobile, all excited because our site had just been given a PR1 on google. It is very rewarding to see a site moving up.

JB

[Jayne]

Hi,

I don't think that google thing works properly..my aol web journel is on the first page of google when I type 'business for sale uk' and google says in is o/10 rated? I thought your rating was done, but how far up the first page you were? Not getting this at all :roll:

Jayne

[gary]

I should perhaps clear up a couple of misconceptions here... outbound links generally don't increase the value of your site, and reciprocal links aren't much better. What you want are one-way inbound links from high-ranking sites. You should also avoid simply adding hundreds of reciprocal links to your site as that doesn't help either - in fact if anything excessive linking could be seen as spam and even get you blacklisted!

It is correct however, that links to your site should be relevant. The more relevant sites linking to yours shows your site is important in that area. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the general idea.

Don't be too hung up on PageRank - it's generally accepted the Google toolbar is way out of date, and there's growing speculation that PageRank is nothing like the force it used to be.

The usual advice applies - focus on providing good content, relevant and useful to your visitors, on a well-designed and properly coded site, with other relevant sites linking to you. Whatever you do don't use automated programs and any tricks - you'll regret it!

Anyone wanting to get the facts rather than fiction about search engines should spend some time on the following sites. There are lots of others but these would be a good start:

http://www.searchenginewatch.com
http://www.seochat.com

[multilingual]

All good information.

When I started out I knew nothing, but I felt that it was important for me to learn so as not to be taken for a ride by some fly-by-night web design company.

The first time anyone spoke about links and html my eyes glazed over, and as for Dreamweaver............. :shock:

I am glad that I stuck with it though. It is very rewarding to be able to build a site knowing that it will one day be a success. Linking is tedious and dull, but it's part of the job unfortunately.

You have to know about SEO. Without it you are just another number on the Google website counter.

JB

[DuaneJackson]

it annoys me when people post just to say "i agree with what x said" but in this case there is conflicting information so I just want to throw my weight behind every single word of what Gary posted.

[Jayne]

I should perhaps clear up a couple of misconceptions here... outbound links generally don't increase the value of your site, and reciprocal links aren't much better. What you want are one-way inbound links from high-ranking sites. You should also avoid simply adding hundreds of reciprocal links to your site as that doesn't help either - in fact if anything excessive linking could be seen as spam and even get you blacklisted!

It is correct however, that links to your site should be relevant. The more relevant sites linking to yours shows your site is important in that area. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the general idea.

Don't be too hung up on PageRank - it's generally accepted the Google toolbar is way out of date, and there's growing speculation that PageRank is nothing like the force it used to be.

The usual advice applies - focus on providing good content, relevant and useful to your visitors, on a well-designed and properly coded site, with other relevant sites linking to you. Whatever you do don't use automated programs and any tricks - you'll regret it!

Anyone wanting to get the facts rather than fiction about search engines should spend some time on the following sites. There are lots of others but these would be a good start:

http://www.searchenginewatch.com
http://www.seochat.com


Thanks gary..had a thought, my site is called BowBiz and you sell bow ties, would that be a good link swap :lol:

The info' is great thanks again,

Jayne

[Jayne]

Thanks Jonathan and Duane, all info is good info',

I think I could put just about any link on my site, people starting in business need all sorts of services. From web design to accounting etc...

So anyone wanting to swap are quite welcome :D

Jayne

[clairemackaness]

I use the freebie version of LinkMetro to find others to link to and then request a recripocal link.

Can you tell me more about this? Sounds interesting

[SmallBizSoftware]

Thanks gary..had a thought, my site is called BowBiz and you sell bow ties, would that be a good link swap :lol:


Funnily enough, that would be good for Gary .. but not for you.

If anyway tells you different, go to google, type in failure and then click on 'I'm feeling lucky' .... not what you expected I guess. Called Google bombing, demostrates the power of anchot text in back links!

[Enigma121]

You've not looked at my new site properly have you :lol:

Nothing to do with bakers :lol: it's a biz for sale site

Thanks for the info though,

Jayne

Thats right Jayne, but you never asked me to. :wink: I got the bakers bit from the signature in your original post.

Is the bakers a second site of yours, or a client? Anyway, you get the idea I think...

[Jayne]

You've not looked at my new site properly have you :lol:

Nothing to do with bakers :lol: it's a biz for sale site

Thanks for the info though,

Jayne

Thats right Jayne, but you never asked me to. :wink: I got the bakers bit from the signature in your original post.

Is the bakers a second site of yours, or a client? Anyway, you get the idea I think...


Hi,

I only have one web site (BowBiz), the other is a real bakery which makes bread, nothing to do with a web site at all..

I start at the bakery at 5.30am, get home around 10am, then I go on the net to do my new biz. I'm in partnership with my husband in the bakery (Husbands a crafts baker) and i'm a sole trader at my new biz.

Oh and i'm the bacon butty queen :lol:

Jayne

[clairemackaness]

MMMMMMMmmmmmmnnnn Bacon Buttys

[Jayne]

Swap you a couple of butties for your wave pic :lol:

Jayne

[clairemackaness]

bless you!

thinking.....thinking....thinking....NO

LOL

[Jayne]

Worth a try :lol: :lol: :lol:

Jayne