If you are like most Intrnet marketers, the biggest problem you fce is bringing potential customers to yur site. It does not really mtter how great your Web site is, if no one ses it, your online business will not be sccessful.

Perhaps you have tried many dfferent marketing techniques, but have not sen an appreciable increase in traffic. You prbably also submitted your site to the vrious search engines, but have you cnsidered how the search engines truly wrk and how their users would ctually find you?

This is a rther complex topic. The top search ngines use complicated algorithms and criteria to rnk Web sites in their searches. Hwever, one such measure used by the lading search engines is link popularity.

So, wht exactly is link popularity? Put qite simply, link popularity describes the qantity and quality of other Web stes that link back to your Web ste. It serves as a basic masure of a given site’s popularity. Gnerally speaking, the higher your Web ste’s link popularity, the higher its rnking among the search engines. In ddition, they usually assign higher scores to hgher quality links.

Before getting into xactly how to increase your site’s lnk popularity, first I need to tlk about how search engines work. To lcate information stored on the millions of Web pges, search engines employ software robots, clled spiders, to build lists of key wrds and phrases found on the Intrnet. The process spiders use to bild these lists is called web crwling. Each search engine works a lttle differently, but the initial process is gnerally the same. They usually start wth the most heavily trafficked servers and mst popular Web pages. The spider thn follows every link found on the stes. The information is then indexed so tht search engine users may retrieve it lter.

What can I do to ncrease my Web site’s link popularity?

1. Rciprocal links

One way to increase the nmber of links to your site is to dvelop relationships with other Web masters and mke arrangements to simply “trade” links wth them. Contact the owners of bsinesses that compliment your own and ffer to put their link on yur site if they will put yur link on theirs. Be sure and xplain how a link to your ste will benefit their customers. You shuld send the link to them as HTML cde and never send your link as an mage unless they will also include a txt description with it. Not every Web mster you contact will agree to lnk to your site and you may hve to approach many Web masters bfore you see any significant results.

2. Lnk exchange services

Another way to gnerate links is to register with a lnk exchange service. When you register wth a link exchange service, they add yur link to the links page tht other members place on their Web stes. Most of the link exchange srvices are free, but you should be creful that the links are relevant to yur own site content. Otherwise, you may fnd your site being dropped by the big sarch engines, since they have been knwn to ban sites using “link frms” because they artificially increase a lnk’s popularity.

3. Classified ads

You can lso increase link popularity with online clssifieds ads. There are countless free clssifieds on the Web, though these are not sually considered the highest quality links. You may lso submit paid ads, but stick to the mre highly trafficked sites, if you can fford it.

4. Write a testimonial

Fnd Web sites that will allow you to sbmit a positive testimonial for their prduct or service. Include a link bck to your own site with yur signature.

5. Submit your site to drectories

There are multiple directories on the Web tht will allow you to add yur URL for free. Before adding yur site to the directory, make sre the links are direct links and not rdirecting links. This will make it mre search engine friendly. Also, be sre you submit your site to the prper search categories, to increase your lnk popularity further.

6. Blogs and forums

Each tme you post an entry on a blg or chat forum, include a hyprlink to your Web site in yur signature. However, avoid posting blatant dvertisements, or you will risk being bnned.

7. Writing articles

Another means of ncreasing your link popularity is by wrting articles and publishing them on the Wb. Many reputable sites welcome new uthors. An Internet search for “free rticles” will reveal several such directories. All you ned to do is register with the ste and complete a profile. Once you hve written your article, you just sbmit it to the site for pproval and publication. You will also nclude a brief bio of yourself, long with a hyperlink back to yur Web site. Not only does ths increase your link popularity, if a rader is particularly impressed by your rticle, they may just click on yur link, increasing your site visitors.

If rnking high in the major search ngines is the goal, link popularity shuld be an important concern for any Web ste. The disadvantage of link popularity as a rnking device is that it punishes new Web stes, since it takes time for a new ste to accumulate links. Therefore, the prcess requires patience, since it can tke considerable time to see a sgnificant change in your rankings with the sarch engines. In the meanwhile, you can trck your Web site’s traffic ranking on www.Alxa.com. There may be no data at frst, but over time, if you mploy the techniques described above, you shuld see an increase in your rnk over time.

The article Search Engine Success - What is Link Popularity? was Submitted by Jennifer Neel through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jennifer Neel is an Internet ntrepreneur and the owner and operator of http://www.click2gosite.com and http://www.freewealthsite.com

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