How to Use Reciprocal Links to Increase Web Site Traffic.

Importance of a Links Page with Reciprocal Links

Having a good links page with reciprocal links is one of the best ways to increase Web site traffic. There are two ways this works. First, other sites will refer traffic to your site. If you have fifty sites linking to your site and each site refers an average of one visitor per day that adds up to 1,500 visitors per month which is significant.

Statistics show that search engines account for 6.86% of global referrals while Internet links account for 46.13%. Direct navigation and bookmarks account for 47.01% of referrals.
- Source: December 2000 survey by Stat Market

Second, having relevant sites linking to your site will improve your site's search engine ranking which will increase Web site traffic. Search engines believe your site is more relevant the greater the number of links from similar sites with similar themes. The more relevant links to your site the higher link popularity score search engines give to your site. Link popularity is a major factor in determining search engine ranking and increasing Web site traffic.

Who to Exchange Links With

Focus on getting links from sites with relevant content that aren't competing with your product or service. For example a paint and body shop might pursue reciprocal links with a local car parts distributor, a car insurance company, etc. Look for sites with an easy to find links page. Choose sites that are getting good traffic that have a higher probability of linking with you. IBM is unlikely to link with you but your local computer store will probably welcome the opportunity.

Getting Reciprocal Links

Place a link to the other site on your links page in advance. This way you are requesting a reciprocal link. Write the site owner or Webmaster a link request e-mail. Explain the mutual benefits of exchanging links. Tell them where you want your link on their site. Give them the location of their link on your site. Upload your link and code to your site prior to requesting a link and tell them where the links are so they can copy and paste the code. Make a sample link with the code for the link right below it. Place your high-priority keywords in the hyperlink portion of the link - this is very important for search engine optimization. If you don't get a response send a second letter in two weeks.

Arranging Your Links Page

For many sites just starting out you can build a links page with tables that will handle well over 50 links. As your needs evolve you may want to create a more advanced link directory structure using Arelis which will automate the link gathering and directory building process.

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