"Off-Page Optimization" by Dipen (Part 2)”

How to Get Links to Your Website

      As I mentioned earlier, building links to your website is the most important aspect of improving your Google search results—bar none! It also provides a significant boost to improving your search engine result placements on other search engines like Yahoo! and BING.

     When I started out, I never realized just how important inbound links were to Google or how to acquire quality links to my website in the right way. As a result I spent thousands of dollars, not to mention years of trial and error, to figure out that the more quality inbound links I developed, including my keywords in the anchor text, the higher I’d get listed on Google.

      When thinking about acquiring inbound links, and those links pointing to your website from other websites, there are two key principles to keep in mind.

Principle #1: Quality attracts quality. When it comes to search engine optimization, if you take the time to do things right the first time, you will achieve your goal. An example of this would be the process of asking a related website for a link that includes your keyword phrase(s). If you send a form letter or brief email and ask for a link exchange, you probably won’t get it. However, if you take a few minutes to look at the website you’re targeting and identify an opportunity to deliver something of sufficient quality (content, reciprocal link, etc.) you’ll likely receive what you’re looking for.

Principle #2: Persistence pays off. As I teach you the techniques I’ve used to rank number one on Google for even the most competitive phrases, think back to this principle again and again. Persistence is the key for achieving your desired result. A great example of this is some work I was doing for an online service company. After analyzing their website and suggesting some changes, I quickly realized that my on-page optimization recommendations would never be implemented—largely due to a bureaucratic web development team and their inability to handle multiple projects simultaneously. Over time I have found this

situation to be more the norm than the exception.

       Despite an inability to implement my on-page suggestions, I moved forward coaching the marketing staff of this company on the off-page optimization techniques for improving Google search engine result placements. They immediately started implementing these techniques on a regular basis to help their site increase rankings for specific search terms.

       Truthfully, nothing happened for about eight weeks…and then WHAM! The techniques they used for building links to their website took hold and the results were undeniable. One of the keyword phrases that was most important to them went from the bottom of page 2 on Google to the number six position—even without the benefit of on-page optimization.

        Today, everyone is looking for a quick fix. When it comes to SEO, there are a number of quick fixes out there. These concepts are often referred to as black hat techniques and more often than not, they result in getting your website banned from all the major search engines. Achieving top search engine placements is like losing weight. If you go on a starvation diet, sooner or later you’re going to gain back all the weight you’ve lost and then some.

        On the other hand, change you’re eating and exercise habits slowly over time and you can create lasting health. The same principle applies here. Develop your links with a focus on quality, quantity, and diversity. Once you achieve top placements, you’re likely to stay there with little additional effort. Be persistent and you will achieve lasting results!

SEO Off-Page Techniques

        Let’s jump right into it. All of these off-page optimization techniques will help improve your Google SERPs through link building, the most effective search engine optimization strategy available today. The more you use these link-building techniques, the faster you’ll see results. Don’t hesitate—start using these off-page optimization techniques immediately to build quality links to your website and watch your Google search engine results start the climb to the number one position.

Article Marketing

          Article marketing is the practice of writing informational articles within a given subject area and distributing your articles to information-hungry websites across the web. A number of article distribution sites will distribute your articles to webmasters seeking content. This is done by registering with an article directory, adding your article to the relevant category on their site, and

submitting it for review.

          Once the article has been reviewed and approved, it is posted on their website for webmasters to copy and paste onto their own websites. You leverage this SEO Made Simple method by including a link back to your website in the About the Author section using the proper link text (which includes your keyword phrase[s]).

         Each of these article distribution sites allows you to include an About the Author section at the conclusion of your article (see example on next page). You can see that I embedded multiple links back to my website at the end of this sample article. Sometimes the author section has a header that says About the Author and other times it just appears at the end of the article. Don’t submit an article without it.

        The added value of article distribution is that in addition to getting links to your website from the article site itself, you also get the viral effect provided when others post your articles. The viral effect is when a webmaster takes your submitted article from the article distribution site and uses it on his website or blog including your author box. Over time, his web browsers may point to the article on his site or copy and paste the article onto their own websites or blogs if reprint rights are offered, generating even more one-way links back to your website.

          The result, because many of these sites have my Author Box included at the bottom of the article, is more than two thousand one-way links pointing to my website with a single article! It’s like link building on steroids. Each link builds my link popularity and is essential for improving Google search results. The best part is that this link-building activity costs me little or

nothing to implement.

What if you don’t have anything to write about?

        If you are struggling to write your own articles, there are plenty of tools out there that can help you create a unique article. If you’re not in the market for this type of software, you can also hire a ghostwriter or freelancer. I would recommend finding someone through eLance.com or Getafreelancer.com. You could likely negotiate with someone depending on your topic and pay as little as $10 per article.

      Writing original articles or having original articles written for you can be worth every cent! Overall, article marketing has created thousands of links back to my websites. In fact, if you Google my name Michael Fleischner, you’ll find tens of thousands of references. Most of these references are directly associated with my article marketing, one of my favorite SEO strategies.

     I have evolved my article marketing techniques over the past few years to save time while improving effectiveness. Additionally,changes in how content is viewed by search engines like Google has modified the way I use this strategy.

It is widely reported that Google is penalizing sites for publishing duplicate content. Regardless of the accuracy of this statement, it’s important that you find ways to create unique content. A good habit to get into is to first publish your article to your own website or blog before distributing to third-party article directories and sites. This gives you claim to the article as your own. Once

you begin distributing the article, make sure that each submission is unique. Doing so increases the chances that your article actually gets published online and provides the “link juice” you want from it.

       The challenge with unique content is that even if you have an original article and publish to your own website, that article is no longer unique. What happens when you start submitting to third-party sites? How can you create unique content each time you submit an article? The answer to that question is a concept called Article Spinning. Spinning an article means that you use a tool to generate multiple unique articles from your existing content.

      You can write your own article and then create multiple, unique versions of that article, before submitting to article directories. There are a variety of spinners on the market that help you with this process. I recommend using a spinner if you are manually submitting to article directories just as I did when I started building links to my sites manually.

      Now I prefer article marketing services that can distribute unique articles to hundreds of targeted websites and blogs on autopilot. Spinning and submitting articles on your own can take hours or even days. Thankfully, there are a small number of reliable tools that can take your article, once versioned properly, and distribute it on autopilot. What’s nice about the tool I personally use is that

you can pace the distribution of your content. This ensures that links aren’t built too quickly, resulting in the Google slap.

      The key to link building is to establish inbound links to your site in a slow and steady manner. Tools that help with article distribution generally submit a large batch of articles all at once. When I found a tool that would allow me to set the rate at which I distribute articles, I was in heaven. This tool has become a standard for anyone interested in improving search engine rankings!

       To get you started, here is a list of some of the most popular article directories to which you can submit your articles. There are hundreds more, but these are some of the most popular. Don’t forget to spin your article multiple times to create unique submissions to each of the following article directory websites.

• 1. www.Goarticles.com

• 2. www.eZinearticles.com

• 3. www.ArticlesBase.com

• 4. www.Buzzle.com

• 5. www.ArticleAlley.com

• 6. www.Webpronews.com

• 7. www.ArticleSet.com

          Place Free Articles on Your Website with Reprint Rights Another way to optimize your own content is to post your authored articles on your own website with reprint instructions (I suggest doing this before submitting to article directories). This allows your website browsers to repurpose your content under specific terms and conditions and search engines to recognize you as the original author—a very important step for improving search engine

rankings.

        Create a single page on your website that lists all of your articles. On this page, provide instructions on how your articles can be used. For example:

You’re welcome to reprint these articles on your website and in your e-newsletters free of charge, provided that you don’t change the article in any way and you include the byline (including a link to our website).

       In doing so you agree to indemnify [your website name here] and its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against all losses, claims, damages, and liabilities that arise out of their use.

Note: By viewing and copying the source of this article, you’ll be able to retain all formatting. In addition, or in lieu of the message above, you may want to repeat a similar disclaimer at the footer of each posted article. For example:

Publishing Rights: You may republish this article in your website, newsletter, or book, on the condition that you agree to leave the article, author’s signature, and all links completely intact.

      Article marketing is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to build links to your website. Again, remember that you want quality links, so take your article writing seriously. I suggest creating one to two articles per week and distributing them to at least twenty-five to thirty article directories. This can increase your SERPs both short and long-term.

       Whether you use a service to author articles for you or do your own writing, always strive for unique content (40% or more of an article) and pace your distribution. Over time, this is one of the most powerful tactics for building tons of quality inbound links to your website or blog.

Link Exchanges/Link Requests

       One of the fastest ways to build links to your website, and therefore link popularity, is through reciprocal linking. As we discussed in an earlier section, there are essentially three types of links: one-way, reciprocal, and three-way. One-way links are the links you acquire that point directly to your site. We are discussing a number of methods for acquiring one-way links, such as article

marketing, because they are often the most powerful type of link you can acquire. Reciprocal links are created when two websites agree to link to each other. Reciprocal links are also known as link swaps, link exchanges, and link partners. When I was first starting out in search engine optimization I used reciprocal linking to establish a number of quality links to my website.

       The challenge here is that a reciprocal link is really only valuable if the Google PR of the site that’s linking to you is greater or equal to the Google PR of your own website. That’s not to say that links from sites with a low PR don’t provide value. In fact, when you’re starting out, every inbound link with a Google PR greater than zero helps!

      In the last couple of years, basic reciprocal linking has fallen out of favor. Although I don’t necessarily agree that there’s no value in a link exchange, I do believe that you need to use a combination of link-building strategies if you ever wish to achieve top search engine placements for your desired keyword phrases.

       When you’re developing reciprocal links, seek out websites that are contextually relevant to yours. In other words, if your site is about clothing, seek out other sites dedicated to apparel. These sites will tend to have similar content (keywords) to your site embedded in title tags, body copy, on-page links, and so on.

      Google favors links from sites that share the same or similar theme as your website, increasing the value of each incoming link. The more time you spend seeking out relevant link partners, the better.

Reciprocal Links and How to Get Them

       Before asking any site for a link exchange, you’ll need to develop a links page on your own website. A links page, also referred to as a partner page, is where you’ll be placing the links to those sites that place one or more of your links on their website. As a rule of thumb, never include more than one hundred links on your links page, as Google may consider your page to be a link farm. Link farms are in the business of posting links to other sites for a fee. And most importantly, place a link to your links page from your

home page.

       Linking from your home page will transfer the Google PR of your home page, which usually has the highest Page Rank of any page on your website, to your links page—making it all that more valuable to potential link partners.

After you’ve created a page to place links, it’s time to find some link exchange partners. Begin by identifying a site that would be an appropriate link partner (see From Which Sites Should You Be Getting Links?). E-mail the webmaster of the site by locating a Contact Us button or form or the webmaster’s e-mail address.

       Before you send an e-mail requesting a link exchange, place a link to the targeted website on your links page. Doing so shows the webmaster of the site that you’re serious about a link exchange and willing to take the first step. If the webmaster says no, you can always remove their link from your links page. Here is a sample e-mail you can use when contacting webmasters:

Dear Webmaster,

My name is ___________ and I am the webmaster of PUT YOUR WEBSITE URL HERE. I have visited your site www.theirwebsiteurlhere.com and believe it would be a valuable resource for my website browsers. I’d like to exchange links with you and have already added a link to your website on my links page at www.yourlinkspage.com.

        I would ask that you provide a link back to my website. Doing so would offer a valuable resource to your website’s visitors and increase website popularity for both of us.

        If you are interested in exchanging links, please add the following details to your website and let me know when you have done so. The details of our site are given below:

Title: Your keyword phrase here | Second keyword phrase

URL: www.yourwebsite.com

Description: [Place a description of your website here. Make sure you include your primary keyword phrase at least two times in a manner that seems natural].

Alternatively, you can just copy the html code

<a href=http://www.yourwebsite.com target=“_blank”>Your keyword phrase | Second keyword phrase</a> Place a description of your website here. Make sure you include your primary keyword phrase at least two times in a manner that seems natural.

      If you are not interested in completing a link exchange at this time, please let us know and we will remove your link from our links page. Thank you for your consideration.

Kind Regards

[your first name]

       Feel free to modify this e-mail as you like. The key is to sound genuine and act in good faith. As I mentioned in Principle #1, quality attracts quality and in #2, persistence pays off. You’ll receive more no answers than yes answers, but over time yeses add up and you’ll have plenty of quality links to your website!

       Based on the type of website, and how well established your site is, you may consider sending a link request without the promise of a reciprocal link. A one-way link is more valuable than a reciprocal link, but websites aren’t always willing to provide you with one unless they see you as a well-established authority website.

On a final note, once you establish a link exchange, check back regularly to make sure the reciprocal link is in place. If your link has been removed, contact the webmaster to inquire as to why your link was removed. Keep in mind that you want the value of the inbound links to your links page to be greater than the value of the outbound links; always make sure a reciprocal link is in place or remove the site from your links page.

Three-Way Link Exchange

        The next type of link exchange is called a three-way link exchange. As noted in the previous section, “Link Types,” a three-way link exchange is similar to creating a one-way link to your site by offering a link to someone else’s site in return. This can be handled in a similar manner to our reciprocal link exchange—sending an email to the webmaster defining your intentions. I can tell you definitively that if you spend the time to find a relevant site and have a secondary asset (another website or blog) you can use to generate a one-way link to your prospective link partner then three-way links may be a great strategy for you.

       The key to being successful with link exchanges is always to think value and relevance. Try to acquire links from third-party sites in your niche that have authority in the form of high Page Rank, Age, or number of inbound links. Relying on three-way link exchanges isn’t going to produce top rankings over night, but used in combination with other strategies, it is a relatively quick way

to generate quality links pointing to your main website.

Directory Submission

      If you’re going to own and operate a website, you must take the time to submit your website to well-established website directories. There are tons of websites out there called website directories that list other websites and website details. Directory submission is a great way to generate hundreds of one-way links to your website.

      Some directories may charge you to be listed in their directory of sites. This fee is often used to pay an editorial staff to review and post your listing, but it may also serve as the price of getting your link posted on a website that has an established Google PR. In essence, you’re buying page rank. The one thing to keep in mind is that Google reportedly penalizes “paid links.” As a result, you want to limit the number of links you acquire through paid directories.

      There are two types of website directories on the Internet: human-edited and automated. Human-edited directories review each submission by hand. These directories are of high quality and command a top Google PR. The most popular of all human-edited directories is DMOZ.com. In fact, even Google uses DMOZ for the Google Directory at http://directory.google.com/.

       Automated directories are basically a dime a dozen. I don’t mean to diminish the value of these directories, but you certainly have to make sure you get what you pay for. Even if a directory submission is free, you want to focus on submitting to quality directories—sites with an established Google PR, strong Alexa ranking, appropriate categories, and so on.

      Another aspect to consider is that many human and automated directories work on a concept of link exchange. To get listed in their directory, you must provide a link to the directory from your website. In this situation, you should first check to see the PR value of the page in which you will be listed.

       Only submit your website to the directory if the Google PR of the page (where your website will be listed) is equal to or greater than the PR of your links page. That way, you receive greater benefit in terms of link equity and create value for your site. If you attract links with a lower PR, you do not obtain any real value.

      Start your directory submissions with the largest free directories:

DMOZ

DMOZ is a huge directory that’s used by many other websites and managed by a system of volunteer editors. Please note that it can take a long time to get your site listed.

www.dmoz.org/add.html

Google

       There is no charge for any site to list. Google finds your site whether you manually submit or not, but it’s definitely worth letting them know you’re there.

www.google.com/addurl

Yahoo!

Non-commercial sites may be submitted for free consideration. Commercial sites require an annual payment of $299. http://search.Yahoo!.com/info/submit.html

Fee-Based Directories (There are thousands, but these are the ones I recommend.):

Gimpsy (Free/Charge: $30 one-time fee)

This is an interesting directory with a slightly different layout. Free listings have a long waiting period. www.gimpsy.com/gimpsy/searcher/suggest.php

JoeAnt (Charge: $39.99 one-time fee)

This is a directory run by volunteer editors.

www.joeant.com/suggest html

GoGuides (Charge: $39.99 one-time fee)

This is a directory run by volunteer editors.

www.goguides.org/info/addurl.htm

There are other well-known directories like “Best of the Web” and “Aviva” but they charge upwards of $79 to be listed. You’re more than welcome to spend the money, but I suggest you exhaust all other link-building strategies first.

One of the best ways to find free directories to submit your link to is with directory submission software. I’ve used a variety of them to make the task of finding and submitting to hundreds of quality directories more efficient. Alternatively, you can seek out websites that list free web directories.I’ve also used a free site called One Way Text Link to help me manage my manual directory submissions. The site .

Blogging

      Blogging provides SEO value from two distinct vantage points. By now you know about blogging and maybe even have a blog of your own. From a search engine optimization perspective, having your own blog provides a significant boost to your SEO efforts over time. I’ll also show you how to leverage other people’s blogs to build inbound links and increase your search engine rankings.

Let’s begin our review of how to use blogs for SEO purposes by talking about setting up your own blog. Although creating your own blog isn’t necessary, it does have a number of benefits that can’t be overlooked. Once you create your own blog and that blog earns a positive Google PR, you can start adding links and passing authority to any site you choose. For example, a number of years

ago, I started “The Marketing Blog,” which is now ranked number one on Google for the term “Marketing Blog.” Anytime I launch a new website or want to give a client some extra link juice, I simply make a post to the third-party website. Essentially, by creating your own blog you are developing an authoritative resource you can use to pass authority and value to any site you are optimizing!

      This is a great long-term strategy that comes in handy when you want to quickly increase the rankings of new websites you are trying to get to the top of search result listings.

      A number of years ago, after hearing about the popularity of blogs and learning about the multiple benefits of creating one, I set out to start my own blog. By doing some research, I found a number of popular websites that actually let you create and host your blog for free. What’s even better is that the process of creating your blog is incredibly fast and easy. I suppose that’s why blogging has become so popular.

Step 1: Choose a Purpose or Topic

     One of the most important things you can do to ensure a quality blog is to determine the purpose and the topics you will be writing about. For example, a number of individuals who host blogs simply want to share their ideas on a particular topic. Others are looking for an outlet to make posts on just about anything without a real agenda. Often these latter individuals are seeking to create an online journal or even generate revenue with Google AdSense (pay-per-click advertising), advertising, or promotion of affiliate

products.

      Regardless of the purpose you choose, select a topic that allows you to contribute on a regular basis. You’ll often develop ideas for the next post based on comments readers submit. This is one of the best ways to develop new content that is relevant to readers and keeps them engaged.

Step 2: Select a Blog Provider

      There are a number of websites that offer free blogs. The two largest and easiest to use are Blogger.com and WordPress.com. These sites have millions of users and have been offering free blogs for a long time. The benefit of using established blogging hosts is reliability and functionality. I personally use Blogger.com for my marketing blog where I offer a variety of search engine

optimization tips and information at http://webcreation-d.blogspot.com. You can host a WordPress blog on your own site (WordPress.org) or use their hosted service (WordPress.com). If you’re not sure which to use I suggest you visit YouTube and start watching videos related to blog setup. There you can get some insight into the different blogging platforms that are available.

Step 3: Launch Your Blog

       If you’re selecting Blogger.com to launch your blog, all you do is create an account, name your blog, and choose a template. From there you can begin posting to your blog immediately. Many providers like Blogger.com give you the ability to choose from a number of basic templates. Advanced users can design their own blog templates to customize look and feel.

        WordPress.com, another blogging tool, is also very simple to use. After creating a username and entering your e-mail address, you create a blog name and title. You’ll receive a confirmation e-mail that provides instructions on how to begin.

       Once you’ve launched your blog and made a number of posts, you should really focus on generating traffic. Not only will traffic support any online business you may have, but it can also improve the overall quality and Google PR of your blog. Some simple techniques for generating traffic to your blog include:

• • Register your Blog with DMOZ, Google, and other blog directories (Technorati, etc.).

• • Design your blog for SEO using on-page optimization techniques.

• • Generate links to your blog via link exchange, article marketing, and traffic exchanges

• • Update content on a daily or weekly basis.

• • Use ping services like Ping-o-Matic to recognize new posts.

         One thing you’ll find about starting your own blog is that blogging is both simple and fun. As you develop a loyal readership, you’ll find blogging to be a great learning experience as well. Simply put, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start blogging today. Once your blog is up and running, place a link from your blog’s homepage to the website you are trying to optimize, including the keywords you are optimizing for. This will obviously help your Google ranking via the inbound link-building strategies we’ve been discussing, but you should wait until your blog has an established Google PR before linking out to other websites. This can take a number of months.