Links from Other Sites

The popularity of your pages can boost your search engine ranking. Many sites such as Alta Vista, Excite, and Google use the number of OTHER sites that link to your site as a factor in their rankings. There are several steps that you can take in order to maximize the number of doorways to your site:

• Examine the links on YOUR site to gauge which ones you would like a reciprocal link. Contact these sites about the possibility of reciprocal links.
• Search from the perspective of your audience — what other sites are out there that COMPLEMENT your site? For example, Batteries Galore.com sells batteries online. This site can request links from the major electronics manufacturers.

When requesting a link from another site:

• Send an explanatory email emphasizing how a link to your site will benefit their audience.
• Mention the current link (if there is one).
• Suggest where they should link to within your site AND the best place within their site to place the link back to you.
• Monitor the site to see when — and whether — the link is posted.
• Send a "thank you" email back to your contact once the link has be placed.
• Be sure to notify these sites if there is a change on your site that would affect these links.