Deep Linking – An Overview

In lay terms, deep links are links that point to a specific page on a website, instead of the site's homepage. Most of the links pointing to a website are directed to the homepage. However, if your site manages to have a sound deep-linking structure, it will have great prospects in search engine indexing.

Although search engines do not give extra importance to deep linked pages, such links always make your link building campaign appear 'natural'. As an optimiser, you should work on all your web pages, instead of focusing just on the homepage. In fact, the homepage should not be bombarded with keyword targeting.

When you allow deep linking on your site, keep the following points in mind:

• Your visitors should know which page they have landed on. Make way for hassle-free internal navigation and help users proceed to other sections of your website.
• Provide relevant links on every page and make sure each of your internal pages link back to the homepage. Use anchor texts smartly to impress search engine crawlers.
• Do not assume the arrival source of your visitors. They might have no idea about your website when they land on an internal page. Therefore, you have to make each of your pages informative and relevant to your business. Provide good info on your main products and services and lure users to 'act'.
  

In my next post, I will discuss some other important aspects of deep linking and how it contributes to the success of your website.

Link Building Dos and Don'ts

Search engine optimisation companies face numerous queries about what is right or wrong for the process of link building. Through this post, I'll try and dispel some common misconceptions about this service. Listed below are the dos and don'ts for webmasters indulging in link building:

Dos

• Vary the anchor text of all your external links. Incorporate your main keywords in accordance with the landing page of the link.
• All that you do for your link building campaign should be well documented for future use. Take time out from your schedule and make sure you have a written record of internal and external links of your site
• Use news agency sites or RSS feeds to get links back to your web pages. Not only do they bring targeted traffic, but also strengthen your optimisation campaign.
• If you can afford it, buy links from popular industry-related websites. This will add on to your popularity and also get you desired traffic.
• Exchange links with sites that are relevant to your business. Do not waste your time in building links with websites that are not related to your industry at large.
  

Don'ts

• Buy links for any other reason but advertising. Most search engines detest web pages that have 'paid for' links pointing at them. You will lose your credibility and rankings by doing so.
• Get into negative techniques like spamming blogs, forums or user groups. Violating cyber laws can get you and your website into trouble.
• Exchange links with link farms or websites offering special reciprocal link schemes. If caught, you can get penalised or blacklisted by search engines.
• Keep these points in mind when you set about establishing the link building programme for your website.

Are Search Engines Scrutinising your Links?

As optimisers, we often tend to underestimate search engines. We believe we can get away with all sorts of smart techniques without getting noticed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Search engines have, in due course, devised algorithms that can easily track back your links to their source of origination.

Most SEOs practice article and directory submissions so as to get links back from various free and paid directories available online. Articles are ideally meant for web users' interests and benefits. You write on subjects related to your business so as to inform readers about your industry at large.

In the eyes of search engines, such means of link building are unacceptable. They can follow your link's anchor text and easily figure out if they are artificial. For them, links are original only if other websites willingly point towards your pages.

What does an optimiser do then? First of all, make sure that anchor text of all your links are as different as possible. By doing so, you'll be able to create an illusion of these links being original. Secondly, do not go begging for link backs from directories. Make your site so appealing that webmasters are lured to link to it. Let them consider you as a resourceful website that deserves to be linked to.

Try these simple tactics, and you can save your link building campaign from the intense scrutiny that search engines might subject it to.

'Give and Take' Links to Boost your Website's Ranking

Extremely effective when it comes to boosting a website's link popularity, reciprocal linking works on the simple concept of 'give and take'. This not only helps in bettering traffic inflow, but also establishes your site as a one that everyone wants to be linked to.

The biggest challenge is to find a site that will be willing to reciprocate your link. Webmasters can scan the web for sites that are best related to their business and pick the ones that can be beneficial in their link building campaign. This relevance can be in terms of either content or links.

More than anything else, the site should have a target audience that is almost same as yours. If it fails to arouse your interest, in all likelihood, it'll be a flop with your visitors too. Be judicious enough to pick 'similar' sites that will not end up competing with you. Find out about web pages that have reciprocal links with your competitors' sites and then try and get them into an arrangement with you too.

When you decide to write an email for reciprocal linking, make sure that the site or web page in question does not have too many outbound links. This will affect your page's credibility as well the PageRank (if you use Google). These simple tips can be quite rewarding for search engine optimisers seeking high rankings through link exchange.

Link Building – The Process

An effectively linked website can do your online business a world of good, both in terms of revenues and traffic. Adopt the following approach to go about the process of link building for your optimisation campaign:

1. Run a search query for your most important keywords, and have a look at the top 20 sites that feature on SERPs. Most of these sites will be your competitors'. You can also pick and choose website submitted on online directories like DMOZ or Yahoo.
   
2. Scan the websites these top-ranked sites have linked to, and if you find them worthwhile, use them in your campaign as well. To do this, you can either use freely available web tools, or the backlink command provided for in directories.
3. Also check the sites that link to your competitors' sites. It'll be easy to get into link exchange with them, as you are part of the same industry as your rivals.
4. Have a look at every website that you have shortlisted. Identify the pros and cons of their web pages, and only then take the next step.
5. Send a link proposal through email, clearly stating the facts about your site and business. Write the email in an impelling manner so that the site's webmaster sees reason in linking to your site.
   

Once you have adhered to this step-by-step process, keep a track of which sites are actually replying back, and which of them are interested in getting into link exchange with you. Also monitor the incoming links of your site, so that you can do away with the ones that can be harmful for your site's prospects on search engines.