In search engine optimisation (SEO), off page issues have become more and more significant as they relate to rankings. In particular, link popularity can build or destroy a website with the search engines.
Link popularity is the amount and quality of the incoming links that are pointing to your website. It can be determined that these other sites that link to you, consider your site important enough to link to.
From the search engines point of view, your website is considered important as well.
One of the most difficult areas of SEO is building link popularity because the search engines don’t want unnaturally fashioned links, so there are no easy ways to create link popularity.
The days of link farms and huge link exchange programs are history. Those strategies now could have you removed from a search engine.
The search engines like links from valued websites. These are called ‘authoritative’ sites. The first one you should try and get a link from is the Open Directory Project (ODP) otherwise known as DMOZ. Listings are free, but can take a notoriously long time to get. Make sure you follow the instructions to the letter – or you will be wasting your time trying.
Other directories you should check out are Slinky Directory or Yahoo.
The other aspects the search engines look for are, if the links are coming from websites that share the same subject or focus as your website.
Again, this is where the directories provide a strong basis from which to construct your link building strategy, because you can list your website in an appropriate relevant category – with related products or services to yours.
Apart from the link popularity you gain by getting a major or authoritative website to link to you, you will also gain additional visibility and subsequently traffic for your Web site.
Good luck with your link building strategy.
