Reciprocal linking is the art of getting other websites to
link to yours. Done properly, it's a powerful marketing tool
that can improve your search engine rankings and bring you
highly qualified traffic. If you can get enough websites to
link to yours, it can help you greatly with what's known as
"link popularity," which is one of the criteria used by most
of the major search engines when ranking websites.
Theoretically, the better your popularity,the higher you rank.
Your first step should be to set up a page on your site that
will hold the link swaps you're going to arrange. Some people
call these pages "links" or "fav links" or sometimes "related
links."
What I hear from many site owners is "if I link out won't I be
sending my traffic away?" The answer is yes... and no. When
choosing sites to link to, choose related sites that
complement what you do but don't directly compete with you --
instead of linking to your competitors.
A smart tip to keep in mind when adding these sites to your
webpage is to set them up so they'll open in a new window.
This way, your site will remain open in the background, making
it easy for your visitors to return.
Now I'm not going to kid you about this: The hardest part in
swapping links is finding the sites you wish to link to,
contacting the webmaster, then adding the link. Even after all
of this is said and done you'll still need to monitor the
sites who've agreed to swap with you to make sure they're
living up to their end of the bargain.
The good news is there are online programs and software that
make all of this work a whole lot easier.
1) LinksManager:
If you'd like to completely outsource the job, Links- Manager
is for you. No software to install on your end at all. Even
though your actual links page will reside on their server they
do allow you to customize the look to blend with your existing
website. It constantly monitors all links on your link page
to verify that none of the reciprocal links you've arranged
have been dropped. The cost is $19.95 a month, but if you
refer one sign up a month your service will be free.
2) Link-Spy:
With Link Spy you use their site to keep track of all of your
links. To set up your own free account just visit the site and
fill in the short form. Then log in and begin adding the url's
of all of the sites that are suppose to be linking back to
yours. Make sure you enter the exact page not just a root url.
For example, 'www.mcpromotions.com' would not be good if the
links page was located at 'www.mcpromotions.com/links.htm'
They do all of the monitoring and notify you by email when
someone has dropped your link.
3) Linkagexpress:
This service hand tailors a linkage campaign specifically for
your website. They find the links in your niche market and
guarantee to increase your traffic in only 30 days or less.
Take advantage of the free link popularity consultation
offered to see if it's right for you. A minimum of 50 link
requests is required, with Campaigns starting as low as $500.
That breaks down to a per link request cost of $10.00 a link.
4) Zeus:
Easy to use, this Internet robot builds a link directory and
creates reciprocal links for your website all on its own.
Well, ok, you have to help a little bit. The software sends
personalized reciprocal link requests under your supervision,
after you visit the sites and approve the ones you want to
include in your directory. There are two versions available:
Pro for $199.00 or a free sponsored version that is limited.
5) LinkTrader:
This handy piece of free software allows you to enter in the
url's of all the sites that are suppose to be linking to you
and run a live report. After LinkTrader scans the sites in
your list it generates a report of the sites that do and don't
have your link. An optional email can be sent to each site
asking why they have removed your link if you like.
6) LinkCrafter:
This free piece of Windows software will automatically find
pages related to yours, creates link to them, and notify their
owners that you have done so. This software was given ZD Net's
5 star rating.
Gathering reciprocal links for your website is a powerful
promotional tool that you should be utilizing in order to
increase your traffic and improve your link popularity. By
adding only relevant links that relate to your site's topic
you'll also be adding an additional value for your visitors as
well. Popularity was important in High School and on the
Internet it's no different. If you use it to your advantage
you'll be one of the most popular sites on the web in no time
at all.....and that you can count on.
