What is web site optimization (continued)?

After good key words and phrases, getting other web sites to link to your site is extremely important. It's so important that you should probably spend at least an hour each week looking for and exchanging links. Google loves links. To them, it signifies importance. If lots of web sites link to your site, you must have something important to offer and therefore will become more important to Google and the other search engines. Since linking is important to everybody, most web site operators are interested in exchanging web site links.. This is called reciprocal linking. Reciprocal linking is an important part of the Google Page Rank. Page Rank is one way Google establishes the importance of your web site. They use a patented algorithm which looks at both the quality and quantity of the links that go to a page on your site. These are both internal and external links.

Look for web sites that have something in common with yours, but aren't direct competitors. Do a Google search on some of your key word phrases and see what comes up. Look in places like Yahoo for sites that are in similar categories. Yahoo lists thousands of web sites in more categories than you even want or need to know about. Get your lists of prospects and then check them out. Visit their web site. See if they have a links page. Make sure they are the kind of operation with whom you want to associate. If they are, send them an e-mail and inquire about a reciprocal link. If they are amenable, send them the html of your link. It's easy to do.

If you want a long link use this code.

<a href="http://www.jamisonwebworks.com">Internet Products & Services. Hundreds in stock. Free shipping. </a>

If you want a short link and a separate brief description use this code. I prefer the shorter link with descriptive copy.

<a href="http://www.jamisonwebworks.com">Internet Products & Services</a> - Hundreds in stock. Free shipping.

Just file in your web site in place of http://www.jamisonwebworks.com and place your copy. Notice the key words. Links are very important, but quality is better than quantity.

You may also submit your site to various directories for linking purposes. Some are free, others charge a placement fee. Check out the Google and Yahoo directories. Also, try to get listed with the ODP (Open Directory Project) ODP, also known as DMOZ is important and free. However, not everyone is accepted and you must be very careful to submit your application correctly. To begin the process go to http://dmoz.org/add.html . Make sure you read the submission guidelines carefully and follow each and every step to the letter. ODP provides directory listings to Google, AOL, Ask Jeeves, Netscape and Hotbot to name a few. It's a great way to get your name out.

Do not, under any circumstances, submit your web site to Link Farms and FFA (Free for all) sites. You may have seen these or received e-mails from them promising you thousands of businesses that will link to your web site. They are simply pages and pages of links and some are of a very scrupulous nature. You simply don't want to be associated with these types of operations.

I recommend that you try every free link opportunity before you start paying for linking listings. If you are prepared to put in the time, you can get good results without spending a dime. Linking programs are a lot like work. Up until recently, there were no real short cuts. It isn't difficult to install an effective linking program, it just takes time - lots of time. We have recently found an excellent on-line program system that takes all the tedious self replicating work out of any linking program. You stay in control, but don't do the grunt work. The program is available at www.linkexplore.com. We use it and are delighted with the results.

If you do a good job with key words and linking, you are off to a very good start. Your web page will be optimized better than most of your competitors. Creating and operating a good web site isn't that difficult as long as you follow a few simple rules and, most importantly, keep at it. It's a never ending process that can bring in great rewards.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, please let us know by sending an e-mail to feedback@jamisonwebworks.com.