Exchanging links can be a great way to build relations with
other sites and boost your ranking at the same time. You never
know how many friends you can make and what you can learn from
them. So let's get started. First, you need to create a links
page. This links page needs to look and feel the same as the
rest of your site and should include instructions on how to link
to your site and an example of the description you want. If you
use buttons for links, make sure you include a text link
somewhere so search engines can find your links page easily. Now
that you have your links page ready, it's time to start looking
for link partners. When searching for link partners, start by
searching for your keywords in Google and choose 10 to 20 sites
that have content that is related to or can compliment your
site. Then, add a text link with a brief description of thier
site on your links page. Now it's time to send off an email to
each site and ask if they will exchange links with you. I have a
basic form letter I use for this (form letter at end of
article). However, I add something personal about their site, a
compliment about something I liked. This lets them know that I'm
not a bot sending spam, but a real person interested in
exchanging links that has actually took the time to review their
site. If you have not heard from them in 5 to 7 days, go ahead
and send another request but not the same one, change this one.
You might mention that you have not heard back from them and
that you feel your visitors could benefit from their content.
You may also want to see if they have a phone number listed and
give them a call. I know, as a seasoned webmaster, I enjoy the
phone calls I get. Don't be afraid to make several contact
attempts. Following up on your link requests is essential.
However, don't bombard their email with requests. Always send
one last email letting them know you're removing their link and
that maybe you can exchange links another time. Always end on a
positive note. The idea is to build business relationships, not
upset people. When you get a response that your request has been
accepted, go and verify your link is accurate and that the
description is to your liking. Don't be afraid to ask for an
edit if you're unhappy with the link. Having a link on a site
with a high page rank in Google is better than a page with no or
low page rank. Although, until you gain page rank of your own,
you may have to settle for links that have low rank. This does
not mean you can't request links from high ranking sites. Just
be prepared that they may not accept you until you have high
page rank. Save these contacts for a latter campaign. Next week,
we will look into some software that can help you with your
reciprocal linking campaign and review some websites designed to
help you exchange links. Form letter example for approaching
link partners. ****************** Dear John Doe, My name is
Your Name, I am the webmaster for yoursite.com. I
have visited your site, sitename.com, and I think that
the content could be of interest to our web site visitors. I
have already placed a link to your site along with a description
at www.yourstie.com/link.html If you want anything
modified or if you have any other cross-promotion ideas, let me
know. I would appreciate if you placed a link back to our site.
As soon as I am aware that you have done so, I will move your
link to the top of the list in your category. If you put our
link on your main page, I will also do the same for you. If you
have a banner you'd rather use, let me know. You can find our
linking code at: www.yourstie.com/suggest-link.html.
Sincerely, Sign Here ******************
About the author:
Mark Hochhaus owns and operates InHisServiceProductions, a Web site design
firm based in Washington State and publishes weekly articles
in an RSS enabled blog titled The
Optimizer.
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