Improve Your Search Engine Rankings with Good Links

©2005 by eibhlin morey macintosh

LINKS TO YOUR SITE

If someone links to your website from theirs--even an obscure page--when Google "spiders" (searches deeply) all of their webpages, the spider will find a link to your website, and then search through your site, too.

Then, you'll be listed at Google... but often you'll be very near the bottom of your categories. That's where you may remain for six to eight months; it's called the "sandbox." (See Get and Keep a Good Search Engine Position for more information about the sandbox.)

Your position at search engines will improve as more websites link to you. (I mean quality websites, not "Links4All" kinds of sites, which can actually cost you points at Google, etc.) And, when people click at Google to visit your site, that can help too.

It's not easy to get links from others' sites, especially well-ranked sites. Many people won't link to many sites. Logically, why on earth would you want to send one of your visitors to someone ELSE's website...?

A link from someone's index.html is excellent but rare. A link from a secondary page is nearly as good. However, when you're starting out, if you're linked from a well-positioned site, your link can be buried deep within that site and Google will still find it. So, any link is useful if it's at a site that Google searches completely.

LINK TO OTHERS' QUALITY WEBSITES

You can also get a higher rank by linking from your site to really good, highly-ranked sites in your own field or related fields.

In fact, a page of quality links can sometimes move your site--or at least that links page--to a good spot at some search engines. And, once people arrive at your links page, they may stay and read more at your website. But, pages that are almost entirely links--and very little related text--can make you look like a spammer. Be careful.

ALSO USE KEYWORDS

Keywords are vital. "Keywords" are what people type into search engines when they're looking for information or a particular website.

Keyword optimization starts with what you call your webpage. That is, the words in the Title line... are they what people are likely to type in, when they're searching for a site like yours at Google?

In other words, "Welcome to my site" isn't a great title for a widget website, but "How to fix widgets and discover the meaning of life" might get you a pretty good position at Google.

If you follow this advice and have a good, content-rich website, you have a far better chance for a good spot at search engines. Get links to your site, even if you post your link in a forum that you visit. Link to others' quality websites, too. And last but not least, make sure that you name your webpages with the kinds of words that people use when they're searching at Yahoo, Google, and so on.