So you've done everything right. You have your site up,
you're constantly putting fresh optimized content on it,
you're registering with the search engines – but not too
often! – and you're even working on a regular newsletter.
But your site still pops up at #124 in the Google rankings.
Seriously, who searches through thirteen pages of links to
find your business? And since you're doing everything right,
why are all these other sites ranking higher than you?
It could be the lack of linking to your page. Search engines
today are getting smarter. They look at keywords, but they
also look at who considers a page important. Get yourself
cited in the New York Times online? If there's a link to your
site, you will see a huge boost in your ranking.
But without committing some sort of massive SEC fraud or
saving sixty-eight babies from a fire, how do you get people
to link to you?
Link Exchanges
The easiest way to get linked is to scratch someone else's
back. Say you sell camping gear. You frequent a website
that sells orienteering maps, and another that sells MREs.
These people aren't direct competitors, but their products
are complementary to yours. You'd love to be associated
with them.
So you put together a simple email, introducing yourself,
citing a link to your website, and telling the webmasters of
these other sites why you think linking to one another would
be beneficial to both of you. Most of the time, the
webmasters of the other sites will be happy to trade links
with you. And now you have another link to your site.
Granted, a link from Land's End is more valuable than a link
from Joe's Maps. But any link is going to help your ranking
in the search engines.
You can find great sites to link to you by going to the search
engines. The higher the site ranks on Google, the more
attention Google will pay to your site when the other site
links to you.
And the best way to link to someone else's site is not to set
up a links page. Instead, write some articles that include a
link to their website. Even better, write or buy a group of
private label articles that would be of interest to THEIR
customers. Perhaps you want to do an article on longdistance
hiking, and one of the tips you're giving is how to
carry ample supplies of food with you. MREs are one item
you're citing – and linking to Joe's MREs gives Joe some
traffic from you while also giving your customers an easy
way to get the item they need. While you’re at it, offer Joe
permission to quote or reprint your articles on his website
with an author’s link back to your website. Now those
articles you bought are doing double duty – they’re
providing content for your website AND generating links that
establish you and your site as an ‘authority’ in your field.
Making Money from Link Exchanges and Affiliate
Linking
Consider this: when you send your customers to Joe's for
those MREs, he may have just had a sudden influx of traffic.
He may even have had the best sales month ever, just
because of your referrals.
Well, getting a commission wasn't part of the deal, and even
though Joe is happy for the business, he may not be happy
with you if you ask for one after the link's been exchanged!
If, however, you have a record of doing this, you may be
able to make money from a type of link exchange called
"affiliate linking." Amazon.com pioneered this system with
people who wanted to sell books relevant to their content.
Instead of just sending people to Amazon to purchase these
books, they used a special type of link that Amazon was able
to track easily. When people clicked these links and
purchased the books, Amazon was able to determine who
had sent the customer there, and paid a commission to the
website for the business.
Affiliate linking is generally not going to be available from
Joe, so just make sure he links back to you. But if you look
around, you can find affiliate linking systems that will not
only raise your rankings in the search engines through
reciprocal links, but also generate revenue for your site by
paying you commissions for sales. While many websites
simply put up a list of ‘our friends and affiliates’ on a
separate page, there is a better way to do it – a way that’s
proven to generate more sales – affiliate links within
articles.
How does that work, you’re wondering? Suppose you’ve set
up an affiliate agreement with Anita’s Fishing Gear, a site
that sells handmade fishing lures. You could just add Anita
to your ‘friends’ page and hope that people click through to
her site. Or you could commission several private label
articles on fishing and handmade fishing lures, and at the
end of each article, drop in a ‘soft-sell’ paragraph saying
that you’ve found a great source of handmade fishing lures
and linking to Anita’s site. The articles establish you as an
expert who is qualified to recommend Anita’s handmade
fishing lures, making people far more likely to click through
than a banner ad or a plain link.
The Internet is a goldmine of marketing opportunity, and not
every profit venture out there is dependent on you making
sales from your site. Keep your eyes and ears open, do your
research, and be ready to seize new opportunities when they
come available, and you'll maximize your web presence as
well as your income.
