Links The Search Engine's Perspective

There is no shortage of link building tips and tricks. Links are one of the most important SEO tasks due to Search Engines using the number and quality of inbound links as part of the Search Results ranking process. If your web site fails to build significant numbers of quality inbound links it is likely to continue to get unremarkable Search visibility.

Link Building is a long term, time consuming task. To get the most from your Link Building Programs it's beneficial to look into how the links are viewed from a Search Engines perspective.

The Page Rank Micro Review

Much has been written about the Google Page Rank Algorithm, A basic understanding of Page Rank is necessary to understand how trust and authority are measured, and passed on to the next web site via a link. :

Page Rank is rated: 1 (low) to 10 (high)

Every published web page has an initial Page Rank value. The original PR value can is increased by obtaining back-links.

When linking out from a web page the out bound web page's Page Rank is distributed more or less evenly between the receiving web sites. To increase the value of an out bound link, decrease the number of outbound links on the web page.

Not all links are equal. Inbound links from web pages with high link numbers have more value (trust and authority) than from a web page with minimal inbound links.

Need to do:

• Develop links from high quality web site's
• Check there are not to many links exiting the source web page.
• Manage our internal and external link environment so Page Rank is directed to the desired web pages.

Building Link Value

Search Engines go much further than just counting inbound and outbound links. Value can be added to links in numerous ways including:

Anchor Text is the text in click-able links. To improve the value of an inbound link, the keywords you are targeting on the receiving web page should be included in the Anchor text. This assists to build authority and trust of the receiving page for the specific topics.

Contextual Links = Relevance and Authority. Having links from web sites and pages from within your niche increases the value of the link due to topical relevance which contributes to the authority of the outbound link. Search Engines evaluate web page elements such as Headings and other links to determine the authoritative and relevant value of the link..

Diversify your links. The Search Engines look for a natural balance of inbound links. Think of all the various places your can obtain links and use them. Social Media, Directories, Blogs, Press Releases to name a few. Obtaining too many links of one type will appear unnatural and could identify your site as using unethical link building practices.

What to look for in a link partner

The value of the link is highly dependent on its source. Selecting the right link partners goes a long way to optimizing the use of your time. Why waste time chasing low value links?

Home Page Page Rank is quick and easy to determine, using Google's Browser add-ons or a multitude of other Browser tools. High value PR = more authority (PR) can be passed to your web page.

Linking Page Page Rank: You will find many of your links will be from pages with minimal or no Page Rank. When this occurs, review the web page's home page to determine the strength of the primary domain.

Outbound Links: Check the number of links leading from the web page you hope to obtain a link from. Select web pages with fewer links to maximize the potential flow of Link value.

Topical Relevancy: View the web page to ensure the topic is relevant to that of the receiving web page.

Evaluate Authority: A quick look at the web sites linking to the link provider will give an indication of the web site's authority. Using a tool like Yahoo's Linkdomain with the SeoQuake plug in makes it easy to review inbound links and their current Page Rank.

The Last Word

When entering into a Link Building Program be prepared to commit to the project long term. Link Building should be an ongoing program for the life of your web site. Every site wants links, and it is evident web sites with high numbers of back links are obtaining Search Visibility.

Build a link building program into your long term business plans.

Share your thoughts:

What elements do you see as critical to the success of your Link Building Program?

Are you committed to link building?.