In this issue:
- Link Exchanges:
- The Practical Benefits
- Do's and Don'ts: 3 Rules to Link By
- How To's
- Should You Decorate Your Corporate Site for the Holidays?
- The Lighter Side of the Web: Spread Holiday Cheer
- About Web Insights
Issue 18original publication: November 22, 2002
last updated: February 12, 2004
Feature Article:
Link Exchange Do's and Don'ts
by Deborah Christie, POP Interactive
Q "Is it worth spending time setting up link exchanges?"
This question is being asked more and more frequently by online and marketing managers.
A Yes, but not for the reason you think--that is, not for the sole purpose of increasing your search engine popularity. Getting a lot of sites to link to yours can improve your search engine ranking, but there's more to it than that.
To improve your search engine ranking through link exchanges you need enough sites that the search engines consider to be important linking to yours. Also, the relevance of information on linked sites is becoming more important.
In other words, exchanging links with sites that don't rank well--and don't have much to do with what you offer--isn't going to help much.
There are actually real and practical benefits to setting up link exchanges beyond the potential boost in your search engine performance.
Practical Benefits of Link Exchanges:
- Get Quality Traffic:
The only thing better than a lot of traffic is the right traffic. Choosing link partners that focus on your target audience can help you attract quality traffic.
- Be Seen As a Valuable Resource:
Search engines and links from other sites are the main ways people find sites. Providing links to great resources that are relevant to your visitors is a terrific way to add value to your site.
- Strengthen relationships with partners:
Offering to exchange links with your existing partners can be one way to help strengthen your relationship with them.
- Add To The Credibility of Your Site:
Visitors trust sites that offer external links more than sites that don't. Not providing links of value to your target audience goes against the nature of the Web.
3 Rules to Link By:
Here are three rules that will help you create a link exchange program that won't get you in trouble with your visitors--or the search engines:
- Rule 1: Stay Out of Bad Neighborhoods
Don't exchange links with sites that your visitors would perceive as lacking credibility. The quality of the sites you link to reflects on your site in the eyes of your visitors and the search engines.
- Rule 2: Link Only to Relevant Sites
I touched on this point above. If you're going to provide links, make sure they're relevant and provide value to your visitors.
- Rule 3: Don't Link Solely to Improve Your Ranking
Some search engines give pages with a lot of offsite links lower rankings. This is a result of webrings-- sites set up for the sole purpose of exchanging links.
This third rule is not intended to discourage you from linking off your site. If you provide links off your site to enhance the information on your site or add value for your visitors, you're not likely to detract from your ranking.
How To Execute a Link Exchange Plan:
The following articles provide both overviews and how to's on developing a link exchange plan:
Decorating Your Corporate Site for the Holidays
If you've been wondering whether it's appropriate or beneficial to decorate your site for the holidays, the following article from Jakob Nielsen might shed some light on the subject for you:
The Lighter Side of the Web
Here are a few sites to help you spread holiday cheer:
E-cards
If you prefer to write your own verse, this site might prove helpful:
Copyright © 2002 POP Interactive, Inc.
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