Website Linking Strategies- Are your efforts paying off?
I wrote the other day How to Get Your Website to the First Page of Google which received an awesome response from many. One of the main points I discussed in that article was the importance of linking in your blog posts. I explained how this can be a vital part of your Search Engine Optimization and if done properly can bring great results.
Many questions were asked in the comment section as well as a few practices that were used by commenters that I wanted to address. Before I get into that, let's do a quick review of what I'm talking about. In that post I said:
"The more sites that are pointing links at your page (especially when titled with the keywords you are trying to achieve) will produce a great return. One easy way to get some great links pointing to your site is to make sure you have added your business site to your profiles on any and all networks you participate in. Links from higher ranking sites help the search engines realize that these sites recognize your website."
Many who read the post I believe stopped reading there & rushed off to their twitter profile, Facebook profile and every other social network they participate on and started adding links. But, if you read on, there was a very important disclaimer that went along with that statement. I said: "One thing for sure, you need to be positive that the links you insert places are actually working for you. Many networks block the search engines from following the links to prevent spam."
A common misconception is that when I place a link online, that link is automatically recognized by the search engines and is benefiting me each time I place it somewhere. So, every time there is an opportunity to place a link, the instant notion is to place one. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying do not place the link just because the search engines are not reading it. I always place a link when there is a place asking me. Even if the search engines do not follow it it still can bring a consumer reading that site to me.
So, how do we know whether the link is a benefit or not? What can we do to check? As I have shared in the past, I am huge fan of using Firefox as my web browser because of the amazing add-ons they have to enhance & help you analyze your online presence. Firefox has an add-on called NoDoFollow. This simple add-on can easily be turned on and off and show you whether the links you are leaving are being followed by the search engines or not. Here is quick video showing you how NoDoFollow works:
Try using NoDoFollow and see how effective your linking strategies are. My guess is that you will be surprised by some of the places that links are followed and not followed.
Anchoring Your Links
Another common mistake I see when inserting links is not setting them as anchor text. What do I mean by anchor text? Anchor 
Text as defined by Wikipedia is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. Think of them in the most literal play on words possible, they anchor the link down for search engines to understand what that link is supposed to be. So when you are writing your posts, instead of placing a link like this, http://www.eventbrite.com/event/581158260 you would make a link like this: How to Chug Google Juice & Gain 15 Years of Fame. Not only does this assist the search engines in understanding what you are trying to say, it also assists consumers to know what they are about to click on.
If both of those links were placed in a blog post, my guess is that the one with anchored text would be clicked on at a ratio of around 5:1 to the other link. I wrote how to insert links into your blog a few months back, so if you are not sure the proper way to do so, visit the tutorial for assistance. While this seems like a minor thing, if it is done properly over several hundred posts of content, it can really pay off in large dividends.
Titling Your Links
This is another minor step that can help both consumers & search engines understand what you are trying to convey. When adding a title to the link, it does exactly that, titles the link for everyone. That way when someone hovers over a link, a pop-up appears with what that link is supposed to be. So even though the link anchor might be Jason Crouch, and the link is to his profile, the title is completely different pops up when you hover over the link Jason Crouch. Once again, a very minor thing to do that can result in many more clickthroughs and SEO benefits.
I hope this helps everyone have a better understanding on linking strategies. If you have any questions, let me know. And by the way, 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors offers some really great personal coaching taught by myself and Jason Crouch on this subject. We also have a webinar coming up where we will get into this in more detail. Find more info here.
Photo Credit 1HappySnapper(photography)& John of Austin
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I am the Co-Founder of 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors. If you would like more information on any of the topics discussed in this blog, please contact me directly. Also, please visit my other online consulting blog for more social media tips, tricks and enhancements.
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As always, Jesse - a brilliant post with a wealth of information. Thanks for always sharing so freely with all of us!
Jesse - On why I am here: to learn and improve. Thanks, I'm off to absorb and build.Great post!
Jeremy, We appreciate the great information you put out. Thanks.
WOW ,, Jeremy.....You are incredible....What a great plethera of information....
I am a newbie just starting...keep this great info coming
Thank You,
Robert
Thanks so much Jeremy, this is the third post that I have booked marked for intense scrutiny at the office tomorrow, I definitely have alot of homework
Hey, Jeremy, thanks a lot for this. As I move slowly through this new world of Social Media this all starts making sense. It didn't a while back, but the curtain has lifted. Thanks again. However I tried to download NoDoFollow from the link your provided and there is no download. Plus it apparently doesn't work with the latest version of Firefox 3.6.
Leesa & Claude- Glad it helped out, but who is Jesse? :)
Robert- Glad the info helped out. Look forward to working with you in the future!
Gail & Jane- Leave it to pesky Firefox to release a new version! I am sure in the next few days there will be an update to the add-on. Check back in a few days for it. If not, do a search for a nofollow addon and you can definitely find something similar I am sure. I am still running an older version so mine is working fine. I don't upgrade instantly on that kind of stuff just for that reason.
Jeremy - Nice job of explaining how this plugin is truly helpful. I am amazed at how many links I still see that say CLICK HERE as the anchor text.
Jeremy, It seems as Google refines itself the seemingly small things produce significant search results.
Steve
I hate sites with the "no follow" tags >=I As a matter of fact, when I place my listings on CraigsList.com, I know they use the no follow tags, so I just type my web site onto the page, without a link. It may be a bit of work, but I require the customer to copy and paste the link, and go directly to my site. It's not a link. It's just a straight shot to my site. And for the most part, I put all outgoing links to my web site, using the "deep link" method. It's easier than running all over the internet, trying to insert links everywhere.
Titling Your Links- This is what I have to try to remember. I never do it...
Jeremy thanks for explaining this so clearly . . .can you do another one about series inter-linking posts to push one post to the top?
Deep linking to old posts helps revive the older post and keep it alive and well in Search Engine Land.
Deep linking to old posts helps revive the older post and keep it alive and well in Search Engine Land.
Deep linking to old posts helps revive the older post and keep it alive and well in Search Engine Land.
Deep linking to old posts helps revive the older post and keep it alive and well in Search Engine Land.
Thanks Jeremy!! Bookmarked
Hey Jer - just a quick fyi.... this will only work with the older Firefox browser, not the newest version. I'm sure they'll update it at some point, but if you have FF 3.6 NoDoFollow No Worky! :-)
Thanks Brad, see comment #8.
Great explanation of why all links are not created equal... for those who want an add on that works now I use SearchStatus. It has a nofollow option that highlights nofollow links.
Thanks for this info Jeremy. I downloaded it but haven't tested to see if its working yet. Its just good to know that tools like this exist.
great tips here - and so helpful. I am starting a new website and this will surely help in getting it noticed so will be coming back to is a few times I am sure.
Never heard of nodofollow Jeremy! Thanks for the info ~ am off to check whether or not it's working with the newer
Thanks for posting this about linking. I will download firefox and begin using the strategies you talked about. Thanks again!