2. You've built your website. I don't think I need to explain
to you that you won't get anywhere with your online
business if no one ever sees it. So traffic is what you're
looking for. Ideally, targeted traffic. What's that, you ask.
3. Targeted traffic is people who know what they're
looking for and have been led to believe that they'll find
it on your website. How did they hear about you? Word
of mouth? An ad on another website? Search engines?
An ezine ad, safelist email, traffic exchange splash page?
4. Let's take one of those, search engines, and talk about it
for a bit. Let's face it, that's the starting point for a lot of
people looking for information online. But how far do
they search? Here's what I usually do when I'm looking
for something. Like yesterday...sigh...I spent hours
looking for the driver, then the image editing software,
for my scanner.
6. I typed something into the search box. I looked at the
first page of answers to my query. Not much was useful,
but I did pick up on a few more targeted terms to type
into the search box. Back and forth I went for a couple
hours until I finally found what I was looking for.
8. But ultimately I achieved my goal, once I had found the
highly refined search terms I needed. For example, I
didn't know to use "image editing software" when I
started my search, but figured it out as I went along. And
trust me, I didn't go much past the first page of any
query during my hours of searching.
9. Your website needs those highly targeted keywords, so
that when someone types them into a search engine,
they find a listing for your website and it's one of those
"Eureka! I've found it!" moments for them.
10. But even if you've got the keywords, how do you get
your website into that first search page on Google or
Yahoo! or AOL?
11. One way is called back linking, one of many online
versions of word-of-mouth advertising. Some website
already esteemed by the search engines for the same
keywords as yours recommends your website as a good
place to go for more info. Google or whoever sees that
link, visits your site, and decides that yes, your site IS an
excellent place for more info on image editing software,
or whatever. Your site then "rises" in esteem in the
search engine world.
12. So if your site is about image editing software, your url
appears on other sites about that same topic, or related
to it strongly, such as sites about scanners or cameras.
These related sites tell their visitors that your site is a
good place to go for their image editing software needs.
14. How do they do this? They don't have to actually say
anything, although testimonials carry a lot of weight.
You can exchange links with them; "I'll put a link to your
site on mine if you do the same." Hence the name,
reciprocal linking.
15. It's a time-consuming process, finding the most
appropriate sites, communicating, posting the link to
your site, checking to make sure they post your link, but
it's worth it because it works if you've picked good sites.
It doesn't work if you link to a site about used cars or
baby showers if your site is about image software.
16. The best way to find targeted sites to link with is to type
this into a search engine: "your site's keywords" "link to
us". Or variations on that, "your site's keywords" "add
your link". Or use related keywords. Use your
imagination here. In the image editing example, the
keywords you use can relate to uses for your software,
such as "scanner software" or "photograph editing
software". But be sure to include the " ", that's what will
make your search the most targeted by using those
exact phrases within the parentheses.
17. There are programs and software that make linking
easier. There's a website where you can sign up, enter
your keywords and site description, and then receive
emails notifying you when there is another site or site
with the same keywords as yours. You log in and there's
a simple way to visit these sites and send automatic
emails asking them if they would like to link with you.
Here's the link, the service is free, the site is called Value
Exchange.
18. Once a link to your site is on another website, it's there
for good (barring unforeseen circumstances, such as you
not upholding your end of the deal, or vice versa).
People will continue to see that link for years to come.
So will the search engines. They will continue to return
to your site as long as the content is still relevant, and as
long as you continue to add new content. The search
engines love new and unique. Which is why, for
example, you will continue to find new articles such as
this one on my website. :^)
19. Besides reciprocal linking, there's one-way linking, such
as when a website uses this article and it includes the
resource box at the end with my link or links in it. Sweet,
this is the best kind of link, a trade of free website
content for a link back. My name gets a bit of branding, I
get a link back, and the website owner gets fresh
content for his or her site. And even more so than a
static link on a website, this one is truly viral, as this
article gets passed around forever, reaching more and
more people every day.
20. So that's linking in a nutshell. There are other methods
of word of mouth online promotion, but that's for
another article another day. Here's a hint of things to
come, though. There's a new fun way to get around
Google and the others that's just starting to spread, it's a
way to create your own search engine and it's called
tagging. Yes it's fun, you run around the 'net saying
"you've been tagged". More on that another time.
21. Till then, have fun linking and watching your search
engine ranking soar!
