***Update***
***This column has just been reprinted in the popular Blog Search Engine blog.
Be sure to check out that great business blog too. ***
Bloggers are linkers.
One of the features of almost every blog is the large number of links it contains. There will be links in the posts to articles and to other blogs. There will be permanent links to various web sites, including other blogs. There are many outgoing links found on every blog.
For your blog to get higher search engine rankings and more traffic, you need some incoming links.
Where do you find them?
Of course, one of the easiest ways, to build your link popularity, is to simply swap links with your friends. If they have a web site or a blog, they are very likely to trade links with you.
Once that resource is exhausted, now what do you do?
One method is to look for your probable search keywords. Enter them into a search engine like Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, or AltaVista. After the keywords you are targeting, type in "add link".
Let's say you are searching for flower shops links. You type in the following: "flower shops" "add link". There should be a number of sites appear that will let you add your link. You can also try "add free link" if you are wanting to narrow your search to free links.
Another method is to contact the owners of other blogs and web sites by e-mail, and request a link exchange with them. Before you do so, however, you need to do a bit of basic research.
Actually go their web site or blog and read it. Learn about their content. Find out the name of the owner, blogger, or webmaster. In your trade request, mention some things you liked about their site. Let them know how you think linking to your site would provide useful information to their readers. Use their name in your e-mail. Don't laugh, you would be surprised how many people don't do any of those things!
Just today, I received an offer to swap links with a site who wanted a reciprocal link. They sent me a form e-mail that was sent to "Dear Webmaster". If they had been to my blog, they would have known something about my blog. My subject is in no way related to their site's content. My name is on the links, and is easy to find. They had never even looked at my blog.
I clicked their link to their obscure links page. My site was not listed there, as their form e-mail stated. It is considered good linking etiquette, to first place a link to the site, with whom you are requesting the exhange. They wanted me to give them what amounted to a free link!
When you are looking for link exchanges, stay away from those so-called "free for all link exchanges" and "link farms". A free for all link site will bring you very little if any traffic. Your blog will appear there for a very short time, and then be replaced by new links. You will have to link back to them, and agree to receive a mega load of spam. Bad idea!
Link farms are even worse. They are sites that are nothing but links. They contain almost no useful content and will get a link back from you. They also will send you a boat load of unwanted junk e-mail.
Even worse, search engines like Google, consider link farms to be very bad neighbourhoods for your site to frequent. Google will penalize your site for adding a link to a link farm. They may even ban your site from their listings.
Google won't penalize your blog, if a link farm adds it to their links section, because you have no control over who links to you. Google will, however, punish your site if you link to any bad neighbourhoods. After all, you control all of your outgoing links. Avoid links farms!
Natural linking is best. By that, I mean other blogs and web sites will link to your blog, if you provide good useful content. Again, we are back to a major theme for all web sites, including blogs. Content is king on the internet.
Good useful content gets your blog listed higher in the search results. Getting more incoming links, to your great content, gets you ranked higher in the search engines.
Constantly adding content benefits you both ways. One major advantage of a blog is its regularly updated content. That new information is certain to gain you extra incoming links.
Links are a big part of what blogging is all about.
Happy linking!
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