What is link popularity and why do you need it?

Link popularity plays an important role in the visibility of your Web site. Without other sites linking to you, you're unlikely to climb to the top of the search results. The reason for link popularity importance is that some search engines (and Google is one of them) rate your position in search results by your link popularity. They rate your site higher in search results if there are more links pointing to your site. A link from one site to another is considered a vote for that site. For example, I have a link from my site to your site. This must mean that I think your site is valuable and thus, it must be a worthy site.

Unfortunately, there are no free rides when it comes to building link popularity. It takes hard work and dedication, but it certainly is worth the effort. After all, how many poorly optimized sites have you seen that are in the top 10 rankings, when the only thing going for the site is strong link popularity. The best way to get link to your site is to exchange links with other sites - ask for link exchange and provide reciprocal link in return. Set up a link page directory on your website and start building it. Find sites that you want to exchange links with and email them with link exchange request. Finding sites manually is the best guarantee that you will get quality links. It is time consuming process but at the end it is worth the effort, because you will be getting quality link exchange.

So, let's look at some do's and don'ts to consider when trying to build your link popularity.

Do's for Building Your Site's Link Popularity

1. When you visit related sites, look to see if they offer guestbooks or forums. If they do, post a message, and include your URL in your signature.
2. List your site in one or more of the major directories such as Yahoo!, Looksmart, and Open Directory Project. Open Directory is free, so it's a good place to start. Also, see if your site is relevant to a particular About.com area, and submit it to the guide.
3. WebPosition's Page Critic provides good tips for getting the most from your directory submissions.
4. Visit www.linkpopularitycheck.com and search for your competitors. Start visiting the sites that are linked to your competitors, and write to see if they'll consider linking to your site.
5. Create a list of links before you ever contact sites for linking purposes. If the company sees that you've already added their URL to your list of links, they'll be more apt to add your link on their site in return. Concentrate on related links only.
6. The best link analysis tool on the market is www.optitext.com/opti_link. It will analyze your own Web site's complete linking structure along with your competitors and show you exactly what areas you need to work on.
7. While exchanging links with popular sites is important, be aware that with Google, the more outgoing links you have, the more your link popularity score may be reduced. Therefore, links to your site are more influential when you do not have to link back.

Don'ts for Building Your Site's Link Popularity

1. Don't participate in link exchange programs or link farms. Google will ban sites that participate in link exchange programs, and many of the other major engines have also expressed their dislike of artificially created link popularity.
2. Don't bother with free-for-all pages. Many bulk submission products submit to these. Generally the only thing these pages will guarantee is an increase in spam email if you participate.
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