A Reality Check On Linking

Chris Jaeger
Sell More Weddings
(978) 283-8295

Reality Check: Will "Links" Get Your Website Top Ranked?

I get more than a dozen questions each week about linking. Like you, I probably get a hundred email "requests" each week asking for a link trade. Most of these come from people without real names, or phone numbers, claiming "we can help each other get our sites ranked higher in the search engines by linking our sites".

I got one this morning and it was perfect timing for this edition of Internet Marketing for Wedding Professionals.

It claimed the following benefits of search engine optimization, specifically indicating linking would magically make all this happen:

You Get Long Term Results: You make the changes once and still get high rankings a year from now.

It's Cost Effective: You pay up front but never pay for future hits or customers.

Credibility: Web searchers are sometimes wary of "sponsored" results. If they see your site has a naturally high ranking they believe it will have what they are looking for.

Here's my .02 cents about this claim from this "Recognized Authority in Search Engine Results", whose website, by the way, is no where to be found when searching for "search engine optimization specialists".

"You Get Long Term Results" (i.e. You make the changes once and still get high rankings a year from now)

This is not always true and quite misleading. If you do achieve top positioning there is never a guarantee that it will stay where it is for a year, for a week, or for an hour. You might achieve a top ten position for a week, three weeks, three months, or [fill-in the blank,] but be aware that there is no guarantee of anything with search engines (other than using PPC).

Sure, there are guidelines to follow, and they generally will help you improve your positioning, but no one from Yahoo!, Google, or MSN will tell you that by doing A, B, or C it will guarantee you top ranking forever.

So yes, inbound link building, as a search engine optimization strategy, is part of an overall traffic building strategy, and yes it should generate long-term results, but you must understand that once you get highly ranked there is no guarantee of anything in the future. A blanket statement made by our friendly SEO expert: "You make the changes once and still get high rankings a year from now" is quite misleading.

"It's Cost Effective" (i.e. You pay up front but never pay for future hits or customers)

Sort of... but quite misleading.

I do believe an effective search engine optimization strategy, that includes building links to your website, is long-term cost effective. But if you think you can put down $500 or $1,500 and you're all set, like this statement implies ("You pay up front but never pay for future hits or customers") you are wrong.

Search engine optimization, including inbound link building isn't a do-it-once-and-forget-it type thing. It's an ongoing process. If you don't even have the basics in place at your site, and that's the first step (keywords, keyword phrases, page title tags, page relevancy, etc.), you won't even make it on the playing field. After you're in the game there's ongoing monitoring, adjustments, and tweaking.

Think about it, there are about 50 businesses that are competing for a Top 10 position for any keyword or keyword phrase. Sometimes hundreds! One way or another, with either time or money, you'll be paying for ongoing search engine optimization to keep you in the game. As a side note: If you're an amateur search engine optimization type person, or think you can do-it-yourself, it's very unlikely you will ever effectively compete against any professional who is working on a competitor's website.

"Credibility" (i.e. Web searchers are sometimes wary of "sponsored" results. If they see your site has a naturally high ranking they believe it will have what they are looking for).

This one had me rolling on the floor laughing, until I started crying! There is so much bad information on the Internet it's scary.

This one is 100% Baloney!

When was the last time you looked at the results at Yahoo! and said "Wow, that top listing must be the best!". I hope your answer is "never". Frankly, the first place I look when searching is the sponsored listings. Why? Because nine times out of ten I find the results there to be far more relevant, valuable, and credible compared to clicking through the organic search engine results page. Savvy web searchers know this too.

Here's the bottom line:

There is little doubt that linking is a legitimate traffic building strategy and part of an overall SEO plan. It's important to understand that only links TO your website create search engine value. Links from your website to someone else's creates value for them (not you). If you exchange (or buy) a link at another website and it sends quality traffic to your website it's probably a good thing. If you can get a direct link TO your website from a high-quality, top ranked website, even better. But watch out. There are hundreds of people out there claiming to be legitimate SEO experts who will quickly take your money with promises of "guaranteed" positioning. "Links" are only one part of an overall SEO plan. If you want guaranteed positioning with Yahoo!, Google, and MSN the only way you'll get it is by using PPC (pay-per-click).

So what should you be doing when it comes to linking? Here's what I recommend:

1. Link with people you actually know, real people who you are friendly with or associated with in one way or another.

2. Avoid linking as a result of email offers, particularly if they are coming from someone without a name or without an address and phone number (i.e. The Link Team at XYZ).

3. Links from similarly themed websites have more value relative to the whole "backward link" process. A link to your wedding photography website from a plumber's website probably doesn't get much recognition with a search engine. A link from a friend's website who designs custom wedding invitations to your wedding photography website would have much more value.

4. If you exchange links make sure it's a win-win. If you put someone's link on your front page and they bury your link ten pages down at their site that's not really a win-win, in my book. I think you should avoid front page links in all cases. It's hard enough to get brides and grooms to your website. Why make it so easy to leave (and I see it 10 times a day!).

5. Link if it's a win-win and only if it's win-win. If you are #300 on a page of 500 links that's not a really fair link exchange. I'd also avoid massive "link" type pages. While they may be ranking well at Google, MSN, or Yahoo! today, I really believe this is short-lived. I've talked with people who say the search engines are aware of this attempt to manipulate their results.

6. Once a month make sure your link "exchanges" are still in place. Link "exchanges" have a way of becoming one-way as they mysteriously disappear.

7. Watch your website stats and monitor your link exchanges. They should be sending you traffic and hopefully showing up under "referrers" regularly.

8. Understand that you need a direct link to have "backward link" value with the search engines. Links that are passed with a script or counter are likely to have no value relative to SEO link building. Your link should pass as: http://www.yoursitehere.com

9. Link with quality sites not just top ranked sites. Search engines are looking for high quality sites and that means relevancy. Sooner or later they'll start weeding out all these "link" exchanges and what will be left will be quality, relevant websites. Having links from those sites to yours will be incredibly valuable. I think this weeding out will take place in the next six to twelve months.

10. Think quality not quantity. Search engines give far more value to quality sites (i.e. relevancy) vs. a sheer quantity of sites linking to you. Plus, if your site suddenly has 400 sites linking to it, compared to the last time it counted, a search engine might just see this as a red flag (actually, I'd bet lunch that it does!).

11. Finally, you get what you pay for. There are very few "free" link sites that really create any value for your site. Yes, there are a few, but in most cases you are creating a far greater benefit for the site you are linking to than they value they are creating for you.

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