To Link or Not To Link - That Is The Question

You know the drill. Everybody claims that in order to obtain and maintain a favorable ranking on the search engines you MUST have reciprocating links on your website.

This supposed "must have", so the theory goes, is necessary because the search engines look at links to your website from other sites. The search engines then rank the importance of your site based upon the number of inbound links to you. The more inbound links, the higher the ranking on the search engines. Or so the common wisdom would dictate.

While I am not saying that linking doesn't have its benefits, it is my belief that most SEOs over-emphasize the importance of this area. Ask yourself this?if my business sells domain names, why do I have a reciprocal link for www.nosehairtrimmers.com? How insipid do you think Google really is?

Besides the obvious amount of time that managing a linking program takes from other more important tasks, such as improving your site content, are you really getting any bang for your buck?

Ask yourself these questions:

* How many site visitors actually LOOK for your link partners as a resource?

* How many referrals are you getting from your link partner's site a month?

* Can site visitors even FIND the links page without a GPS and a magnifying glass?

* Are you offering a benefit to your audience or just playing the "Search Engine Two-Step"?

I submit to you that a linking program can be more effective if you follow these guidelines:

* Keep your links within your "industry umbrella".

* Linking to a site that has no advantage or benefit for your visitors shouldn't be there.

* Make your links "findable" on your website and offer them as a value-added service.

* Organize your links into categories to enable quick searching.

* Limit the number of links and categories to those YOU would want to use.

Links can be a valuable tool if managed properly but I firmly believe you would be better served taking all the time you are now using for linking activities and use it to write better, fresher and more readable CONTENT.

Search algorithms change and evolve all the time. What worked yesterday to artificially inflate your search engine rankings will not necessarily work tomorrow. Google is already been said to be "de-weighting" the importance of linking and placing more importance on relevant content.

When this whole internet thing began there was an expression that sadly we don't hear much anymore although it is truer today than ever before: Content Is King! Ergo: You had better possess the ability to tell a good story, regularly update your site and have relevant, thoughtful content. I don't care how many links you have, without content you are just playing the game.

Remember; design your site to tell as good story because robots and spiders are not the only visitors to your website. Real live human beings might just show up one day looking for something to read!

Allan Gunnneson is the CEO of Gunner Web Group (http://www.gunnnerweb.com), a website design and marketing company based in Kansas.

Online reprint rights granted as long as the article is published in its entirety, including links (http://www.gunnerweb.com). Copyright © Gunner Web Group, 2005

---

How to Write Effective Web Copy

Writing effective web copy begins with an understanding of what... Read More

About Testimonials and Customer Focused Sites

Think about it, when you browse any web site, you... Read More

Your Website on My Forehead

People are so focused on promoting their websites on the... Read More

Are You A Winner Or A Loser?

What do you do next! you have been working so... Read More

5 Innovative Ways To Advertise Your Web Site

1. Directory Linking Create a directory of web sites on... Read More

SuperCharge Your Website With Multi Linking

Here's a fairly obvious Multi Linking Strategy that is probably... Read More

7 Ways to Promote Your Website Locally

Now that you've built your new website you can sit... Read More

Online Advertising: Three Smart Online Advertising Secrets To Promote Your Online Business

The shortcut to succeed in business is to do what... Read More

Freebie Promotions - How Giving Away Free Stuff Can Boost Your Business

Everybody Loves A Freebie!It's true! Who doesn't like to get... Read More

How To Draw Visitors To Your Web Site By Holding An Online Contest Or Sweepstakes

Holding a contest or sweepstakes can draw a lot of... Read More

Using Free For All Links Pages as an Effective Marketing Tool

Free For All Links Pages have been given a bad... Read More

Wasters and Energy Suckers

Stop wasting your time and having your energy sucked dry!... Read More

How To Turn Your Clients Into Raving Fans

So, you don't have a multi-million dollar advertising campaign? You... Read More

How To Make Your Online Testimonials More Believable

In order to have more trust in your visitors' eye,... Read More

Why You MUST Have A My Yahoo! Page

Yahoo! allows you to set up your own front page... Read More

Profitable Target Marketing: 6 Lessons from Major League Baseball

Does your business struggle with profitable online marketing? If so,... Read More

Advertising Sucks! Long Live The Web!

How much does an advert in Yellow Pages cost? How... Read More

Do Not Post To FFAs (Free For All Sites) & Link Farms

With learning about online promotion, there is so much information... Read More

Test Your Website Marketing Knowledge

Here are 5 questions to flex your mental muscle to.... Read More

Website Promotion: 10 Volcanic Tactics To Ignite Your Profits

If your website sales are down and you desire to... Read More

How Do I Promote My Website?

If you are a small business owner with a website,... Read More

Promotional Tools That Work For Online Businesses!

Promotion... also known as selling. Not an easy task in... Read More

SEO - How Fast Do You Want To Get To The Top?

Search engine optimization by some is considered a science and... Read More

How To Ignite Your Sales

If you own a website, you definitely want to improve... Read More

Website Promotion - The Stakes Are Rising ? And So Is The Cost

Over the past couple of months it has been quite... Read More

Whats The First Thing Your Prospects See When They Visit Your Website?

I just reviewed a new website and I'm in shock.... Read More

The ON World of OFFline marketing

Ok, now if you've started reading this article thinking that... Read More

The Ultimate Search Engine Strategy

Search engine optimisation is big business. Ezines and websites litter... Read More

Methods of Website Promotion

Promoting a Website is not an easy task. New Website... Read More

Free Advertising and Traffic Exchanges

Reading the postings in different Newsgroups it becomes clear that... Read More

Do Not Build A Website Until You Have Researched Your Keywords

Imagine that you have a $25,000 marketing budget for your... Read More

How to Make Your Website Sticky!

Five Nifty Ways to Make Your Site Sticky!'Stickiness' is one... Read More

3 Fast Ways To Get Free Content For Your Home Based Business Website

Is your website looking alittle bare? It's okay, you're about... Read More