The Question
Did you ever wonder why high-school kids are so fully preoccupied with being "popular"? To teens,
being popular means everybody knows your name and who you are. On the other hand, not being popular almost means you
don't even exist. It sounds harsh, but similar rules of popularity exist on the web. While some websites are generally
"known", other websites scream for attention yet rarely get noticed. When we speak of "Link Popularity" we basically
talk about the total number of sites on the internet that are linking to your own website. When a lot of other sites
are displaying a link to your website, you have a higher degree of popularity than when only a few other websites are linking
to you. It is a simple concept, but very important for webmasters, because most net search engines list and rank websites
in their databases based on this link popularity. Again, websites with higher link popularities will get listed faster
and higher in search engine results.
How Does it Work?
Google.com helped start
this idea. When adding websites to their own search engine, Google has automated software (called Spiders) that "crawl"
or search the web, following hyperlinks from site to site. These Spiders document how many links exist on the web to
your website. Google states, "When a URL is submitted to Google, we look for it in our next crawl. If you've already
submitted your URL, your site could easily appear in our new index, which will go up when the current crawl is completed.
However, if no other site links to yours, it may be difficult for our crawler to find you. Conversely, if many sites
link to your page, there is a good chance we will find you without your even submitting your URL. If Google has not
found your pages, it is because we have not encountered any links on the web pointing to your site. If you increase
the links pointing to your website, Google will likely find your site in the future."
Quality Versus Quantity
So, the more
links to your site that exist on the web, the more likely the big name search engines will both pick your site up, and list
it high in users' search results. Understand though, that simply creating a few hundred pages with your URL on it and
posting them to a website for search engine Spiders to find won't automatically get you listed. Search engine Spiders
are smart critters, and they know junk websites from quality websites. How? They examine each website's link popularity!
A link to your website on powerhouse CNET.com (with a high link popularity) is much more valuable than a link to your website
on bobspants23.org (with a low link popularity). With this in mind, it may actually be better to have one link to your
website on a popular site, than 50 links to your website on a multiple unpopular sites. To carry this idea further,
another "no-no" when it comes to getting your link on the net, is posting them in low quality list sites, also called "link
farms" or "banner farms." Big search engines like Google.com will ban sites that participate in these type of list sites.
What to Do?
As you can see, the rise
to popularity isn't easy work. What can you do? Simple - increase the number of quality links pointing to your
website by creating a reciprocal links page! If you are receiving this newsletter, you have already taken a step in
the right direction by employing LinksManager as well, your links manager. LinksManager isn't a link swap farm, it is
the premier tool to help you create and maintain your website's links pages. Most importantly, LinksManager will tell
you if a webmaster who submits a link to your site is reciprocating your link. Without that reciprocating link, your
link popularity won't increase. Remembering the quantity versus quality issue, you can even search for sites with high
link popularity ratings, and email them asking for a link swap. A series of tasks can be performed to test your own
link popularity, to compare your link popularity with your competitors, and to find other websites with higher link popularities.
The resource guide below can help you along.
Conclusion
Many webmasters think that
the way to drive traffic to their websites is to spend thousands of dollars on banner advertising, or to add a jazzy Flash
introduction to their homepage. In reality, a simple, long-term reciprocal linking campaign can do more good for a website
than anything else - period. LinksManager gladly takes charge of the "busy work" while you focus on other important
tasks.
Resource Guide
NewCrazePromotion.com - A favorite of LinksManager, these folks have an amazing website that details everything you need to know about search engine
optimization and website promotion. NewCrazePromotion also maintains a links page with some quality links in it.
DotFactor.com - A great source for web marketing information. They have a good article on link popularity that is a must-read. DotFactor is working on a links page that also contains some helpful pointers to other great sites.
BizWeb2000.com - Jim Daniel's amazingly simple site is one of the net's best guides for creating a successful online business. How
well received is this site? Check out their link popularity rating! The BizWeb2000 links page is a full directory with over 300 links to other websites. Your website should be added to this list.
LinkPopularity.com - Find out what your website's link popularity is. Compare the results with your competitors. Find other sites
with high popularity ratings to swap links with.
