7 Steps To Build
A Powerful, Reciprocal Links Directory
By Charles Kangethe
No matter how good
your product or service is, if you are
not receiving targeted visitors to your
site or if your web site is not well ranked
by the Search engines you will not sell
much.
A solid, reciprocal
linking strategy, properly executed will
deliver both targeted visitors and improve
your web site rank for your chosen keywords
and all for "no money down."
STEP #1 - SPECIFIC
KEYWORD SEARCH
It is important
that your chosen keyword phrases are as
specific as possible.
Scott Buresh of
MediumBlue.com says this about keywords
and using "geographic", "adjective"
and "noun" modifiers to make
them specific.
"Modifiers
are used for two main reasons: to increase
the percentage of ideal prospects in the
traffic the phrase attracts, and to find
terms that are easier to target on search
engines. Adding the right type of modifiers
to your search engine key phrases will
increase your chances of success."
This step involves
effort and a capacity to brainstorm because
you need a minimum of 100 keyword phrases
for good results. Good search engine optimizers
build lists of 300 specific or more keyword
phrases.
The following resources
will be of use as you build your keyword
phrase list:
Overture Suggestion
Tool
Good Keywords by Softnik Technologies
Use a search engine
to research "Keyword Phrases"
and learn more practical details on this
critical task.
STEP #2 - SUITABLE LINK PARTNERS
Your ideal link
partners are web sites based on:
High quality content
- Ideally the material (articles, reviews,
reports, e-books etc) should be original,
fresh and informative to visitors.
Tight web site
themes - The content addresses a specific
business, product or service type.
Tight directory
themes - A link to the link directory
should be prominently shown on main pages
and the directory must be tightly themed
and not just a "link farm" of
general, non-related web sites.
Complimentary themes
- While you may not want direct competitors
to feature in your directory, complementary
sites that fulfil the above features will
provide great value to your visitors.
STEP # 3 - FIND
AND REVIEW LINK PARTNERS
Now, find web sites
who may be "good" link partners.
Using a search
engine or directory, go through each keyword
phrase in your list and visit as many
of the web sites that are returned as
you can.
Evaluate each site on the basis of the
criteria set in step #2.
Decide on the categories
you want in your directory.
For an Internet
marketing business these would typically
be "Affiliate Programs", "Business
Promotion", "Income Opportunities"
and so on.
Qualifying web
sites, may of course fall into more than
one category depending on their business,
product or service offerings.
With this information
you can now make another list of :
Qualified web sites
for inclusion.
Relevant e-mail
address to which link requests must be
addressed.
Web site URL and
a short description of the web site and
what it offers.
Make a note of
"special" features on the web
site which you can usefully put in your
e-mail to *prove* you have actually visited
the site. This goes a long way to countering
SPAM problems.
STEP # 4 - BUILD
YOUR PARTNER LINK DIRECTORY
Build your Partner
Links directory using a separate HTML
page for each distinct category.
Add the URL link
and comment for each qualified site into
the relevant category page(s).
Make your directory
pleasurable to visit, where visitors find
information quickly and easily.
Ensure the directory
is easily found and reached from your
main web pages.
STEP 5 - E-MAIL
THE WEBMASTER
Using the e-mail
addresses, write to each Webmaster you
have linked to.
Tell them :
The URL address
of the page where their link can be found
Your own web site
link information (URL and descriptive
comments) Finish by asking for a reciprocal
link in their directory.
Make the e-mail
personal and you might like to use the
*special* feature note you made to help
your request achieve success.
STEP #6 - MAINTAIN
YOUR DIRECTORY
A partner directory
is a work in constant progress.
It must change
quickly to reflect obsolete, dead, new,
and modified links and web sites.
This maintains
its usefulness to your visitors.
Depending on size,
verifying the links may be more than you
can achieve easily by your own efforts.
Offer prizes to visitors who find and
inform you of links that are no longer
useful.
Maintenance also
means giving added prominence to entries
for other webmasters who respond to your
mail and tell you that they have added
your link and web site information to
their own directories.
You can add a small
graphic next to each Partner link making
it stand out from the other web sites
that have not provided a reciprocal links.
Remember your directory
exists to provide useful content to your
visitors. Do not immediately remove a
non reciprocating web site, if it adds
value to your visitors.
STEP #7 - REPEAT
Go through the
six steps above regularly and over a period
of 3 to 6 months you should notice a significant
and sustained rise in targeted traffic
from complimentary sites as well as a
rise in search engine rankings for your
specific keyword phrases.
Conclusion
Building a useful,
tightly themed, Partner Link directory
is a "No cost" traffic and ranking
builder.
Will you devote
15 minutes to this today, and into the
future ?
About The Author
Charles Kangethe of SimplyEasier.com is
a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published
author from England. The "Simply
Easier" brand name is your guarantee
of high value, quality Marketing Products,
Services and Resources.
