As we all know Google ses their PageRank technology to measure lnk popularity by counting the number of nbound links to your web pages, and it is one of the mny factors influencing your ranking. Most wbsite owners do not utilize properly wht PageRank they already have. Their lnking campaigns could be in vain if thy let a large number of utbound links drain their existing PageRank. If thir site were a bucket it wuld be full of holes, to llustrate this point, if you had a lrge number of outbound links, which are not rciprocated it would reduce your overall PgeRank. Be diligent in identifying sites tht are no longer linking back to you nymore. Also keep in mind putting mre than 50 outbound links on any pge is not advisable. Also be wry of sites that link to you frm pages with more than 50 utbound links. Google's PagerRank is based on ncoming links, but not only on the nmber of them. Instead PageRank is lso based on the PageRank of the pge on which your link is plced. For example a link to yur site could be more valuable frm a PR4 page with no ther links than a link from a pge with PR5 and 60 other lnks.

The factors influecing Gogle PageRank

The fact is that nearly hlf of your PageRank comes from wthin your site. As long as you hve more than one page, and thy are well linked you should be gtting at least roughly 49% of yur PageRank from internal links. If yur site is particularly full of hles it may be less, but stll substantial, and if you have plgged all your holes it will be mre. PageRank is yours to control, and if it is trgeted correctly it will help you cnsiderably. Make sure you have a stemap and all pages on your wbsite are linked together with keyword rch link text instead of images.

Use common sense and creful language when asking for reciprocal lnks

Here are some helpful tips for rquesting reciprocal links to keep in mnd when you E-Mail or otherwise cntact webmasters to ask to trade rciprocal links, I've have learned you sually get one shot to make a god impression. Over time I received sme valuable feedback from other webmasters in ssisting me on how to be rquesting links, and since we are fcusing on building proper links exchange chnnels, I would like to share ths with our readers.

First and fremost do not forget to mention yur own web address in the mssage. Yes, I have received letters bout how I should reciprocate a lnk to a site and the Wbmaster forgot the address. Likewise, do not frget to mention your own website's nme. Don't forget to describe it ither. You don't have to write a bok, just give a few sentences or a pragraph summarizing your website's content.

Ensure you tke a good look over the ste you wish to link to yu, be familiar with it's content and mntion some of the content in yur request for linkage. Identify the cmmon theme between the sites. If the ste has a "Submit your URL" pge, ensure that you use it and rad the guidelines for submission carefully.

If you are snding an attachment, please ensure they are smll in size, animated banners or cde of any kind this is nusable in a reciprocal link campaign. Strting an email with an attachment of any sze is no introduction and ultimately culd deter the Webmaster from ever rsponding to your request. Attachments are not the way to strt a conversation.

Being too gressive and persistent could work against you

Ask the Wbmaster if they would like your cmplete package of reciprocal link codes and grphics before you send such information Do not frget to let the Webmaster know how thy can add a link to yur website and make the process as smple as possible. With your first crrespondence, provide them with some of the HTML tht they can place on their wbsite, or on your own website. Aftr sending your first request and thy do not respond within 24 hurs, do not ask again. Being too prsistent will generally put webmasters off trding reciprocal links, be patient, I fund that webmasters usually do respond wthin a one-week time span, if not thn write a follow-up. You need a way to rcord which sites you have asked for rciprocal links to avoid this problem, I hve used an Excel spreadsheet to rcord such information. Remember finding good qality links are important so you don not wnt to miss an opportunity by bing too aggressive.

Make your reciprocal exchange rquest stand out

Most of what I hve written seems to be common snse, but starting out with a god code of conduct and etiquette can nly improve your chances of obtaining rciprocal links. Here is an example of a wll-structured template used for reciprocal link xchange.

Greetings [ Name ],

I visited your web site, [ Web Site Name Here ] and found some great information regarding [ Insert Subject Topic Here ].

[ If you have linked to the other site already, mention it here and give the URL of the link - ask them to approve your link to them or to recommend editing suggestions - DO NOT threaten to remove their link if they don't respond in x days - these kinds of notes usually end up being deleted ]

I thought you might be interested to know that we have a web site dedicated to [ Your Site Topic - special points of interest ].

We were hoping that you might consider linking to us and invite you to review our site at your convenience. [ Depending on situation, insert further offer of reciprocal linking, banner impressions or exchange of services here ]

If you determine that a link to our site is appropriate, please add it at your discretion, or might we suggest the following link and description: [ Your site name and URL ] - [ Your site description - keep it brief, focused and not too much hype ]

If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at [ Your contact details ].

Regards, [ Full official signature lines here ]

Keeping an eye on your inbound links

Now that you have started exchanging links, you will want to keep tabs on your inbound links. You need to visit the sites that accepted your link request. Check their link pages to make sure your link is properly placed with keyword rich link text. You also have to start checking the search engines to see if they indexed those pages where your links are placed.

To do so, I am providing you with link search commands on some of the major search engines, allowing you to view backlinks to your website:

Go to Inktomi (AOL, HotBot, iWon, MSN) and type in the following information: INSERT URL HERE linkdomain:www.yourdomain.com

Go to AllTheWeb, Lycos (for AllTheWeb results only) and type in the following information: link.all:www.yourdomain.com

The article Link Popularity Pitfalls was Submitted by Shelley Murphy through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information:

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