Google Page Rank
and SEO - Try ‘Linking’ With Reality
December
15th 2005
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Google Technology |
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I have been using
the services of a wonderful facility, which has taken almost all of
the work out of my ‘Linking Program’ (if you have a website that
relies on Search Engine traffic, I really do hope you have one!).
The facility is named linkmarket.net. Don’t worry, I am not
affiliated in any way and I don’t get any type of reward for
referrals, but I do refer people because it is really such a
wonderful facility and it’s free, unless you choose to ‘upgrade’ to
paid membership, which I am seriously considering doing, in light of
the behavior I have observed recently.
I know there have
been a fair number of articles on the Internet and on this
particular website regarding ‘linking’, it’s importance, how to do
it and what not to do. This article is kind of a plea. I’m pleading
with people who don’t realize that linking to every single website
that’s willing to link back, can be a DISADVANTAGE rather than do
them any good at all.
Firstly, the way
linkmarket.net works is simple but, as I said, wonderful. You join
(free at first, with some minor limitations). You supply your
website details, including your category, site name and description
and you are listed in their directory. You then have the ability to
peruse their directory and select websites with which you would like
to arrange a reciprocal link (if you’re a paid member, the Google PR
and Alexa ranking are displayed very handy!). It works like this:
1. Your ‘request’
is popped off to them and they can respond with a YES or a NO
(again, if they’re paid members, your PR and Alexa ranking are
displayed in the request very handy!). If it’s NO, nothing more
occurs.
2. If it’s YES,
you get a reply asking you to place their link on your website (all
supplied in a neat little box to copy & paste) and supply the URL
location of the link. linkmarket.net software confirms the link is
in place and…
3. Advises them
and they, in turn, are given your link in the same format as you
received theirs. They place your link and also advise the URL, which
the software confirms.
Easy as one, two,
three. In fact, that’s what the process steps are called (1,2 3). No
emails, no keeping track of with whom you’ve linked (that’s kept
track of for you) and no feeling like a nuisance for sending emails
to complete strangers because everyone is there for the same
purpose, to exchange links.
What’s not so
nifty or wonderful, and it has nothing to do with linkmarket.net, is
the type of websites that you get requests to link with. I really
think some of these people need to link with reality before they try
linking with other websites.
Of course, one of
the features you get as a 'paid' member, is you can nominate the
types of website that you wish to receive requests from.
In addition to my
Home Based Business websites, for which I have separate ‘accounts’,
I have a website called ‘R.A.I.S.E’ (Rheumatoid Arthritis
Information Support and Education). A non-profit website devoted to
all things to do with this particular disease (from which I suffer).
I cannot understand why I continually get multiple requests per day
from totally unrelated websites, especially those dealing with
gaming, travel and satellite dishes. I know that the majority of
these websites are ‘affiliate’ type websites, in very competitive
areas trying to expand their web presence and obtain a better search
engine ranking. However, don’t these people realize that a link from
a website dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis will not help them one
iota. Nada, Zip, Zilch, Bupcus. In fact, they’ll be very lucky not
to be penalized by the SE’s for such a ridiculous practice.
Please people,
understand that a link is only of any use to you if it is from a
website with related subject matter. I will link with any website
that has the same type of content and is in the same category, even
those with low or no PR, as I feel that they won’t harm my ranking
and I don’t mind helping a new website. But what makes this behavior
more perplexing is that I recently changed my domain and have no PR,
so these people must be linking to virtually everything in the
directory!
We all know that
the practice of reciprocal linking has gotten way out of hand, what
with people now actually asking for money to link to your lower PR
website, but this indicates it has gone beyond the sublime and into
the realm of the ridiculous. I'll say it again - some webmasters
really do need a ‘link with reality’ rather than any more websites.
By
Stephen Brennan
Stephen Brennan is
the author of ‘The Affiliate Guide Book’ The Definitive guide to becoming
a successful Internet Affiliate (at little or no cost) available at
http://www.online-plus.biz. He is also Webmaster at R.A.I.S.E
http://www.ra.online-plus.biz
Search Engine Books
Keywords and misspellings: serch ingine
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