Link Building Structure Targets Traffic Site Maps
Link Building Target Traffic

TIP: For webmasters interested in traffic and getting your site out there check out AboutUs.org and go make yourself a Wiki Page.   Visit Our Past Tips Here

Before you even get into link structure and building you should have some idea on how you want your site to work. I always suggest that new web designers make a site map on paper before they start working with a HTML editor. Some people prefer to just build their links as they build their sites, but I prefer to map out my main (important) links on paper, and then branch them out. I suggest you also consider doing it this way as it will help you design a nice clean link structure. To help you I have made a site map sheet to help you map out scenarios for your website. Here the Site map Sample Sheet I made for you to use.

Think about how you want to let the world know about you! You are a needle in a huge haystack, and are less likely to be found unless you do something to shout to the world.

I suggest you write articles: Yes, there is that horrible "a" word. However, if you're an expert in your field then you can truly benefit from writing articles about the subject. Consider having around 400 - 800 words in your articles, and do not keyword spam those articles. The more legit the article is the better you will do. If the articles contain do it yourself, and/or helpful tips, tutorials, and instructions you are sure to get some traffic from that alone.

Now what does articles have to do with links? The goal is to put your websites URL link at the closing of your articles. Be sure to add your name to the articles. Then upload your articles to a free article database where other people can use your articles as long as they keep your URL intact. The trick here is QUALITY -over- QUANTITY!

How to start building links
The strategy one should take

To start I would like to say that a good link is from a high ranking website that gives you a one-way link to your website. If you can get a .edu .org website to link to you one-way then do the happy dance. However, if you are just starting off, and your website is under a year old I would suggest just taking some of the steps and pointers from this page.

Do a search on Google, Yahoo, and Live Search (MSN), for the keywords you want to place in. Take note of the top two websites in each search engine, and write them down. Review each website to see if it seems to relate to what your website is about.

Now that you have this information you will use the search engines to find out who actually "links" to those websites. You will want to keep notes on your findings. To find out who links to a website you simply do a search in your search engine choice like this link:www.thewebsite.com (you put the websites homepage URL in place of thewebsite.com) You can also do the same search to see who is already linking to you.

Once you have the sites that are linking to this high placement site, check to see which sites have a higher PR (pagerank). See if it will be possible to get those sites to link to you.

NEVER say "I will link to you if you link to me"
NEVER present yourself as a "beggar" simply ask!
NEVER expect a response the next day or even within a week. Be patient!
NEVER send preformatted "SEO Beggars" emails to get sites to link to you! They can tell its not from the heart!
NEVER just submit your website to any link directory. Be smart and research the directory first.

DO follow up with a short email reminder after a month.
DO remind them how beneficial your website could be to THEIR visitors
DO ask them if there is anything you could do for them. Be sure it is something that you would seriously consider doing.
DO submit your website to healthy higher ranking directories that offer categories

Did you make a link farm mistake?
What in the world are link farms?

When it comes to a websites linking strategy you need to be very careful. I write today with hopes I can get the word out and help others to not make the mistake that most new web site owners make. Typically they are eager and know it all so they go link farm crazy. I've seen this time and time again, and it sad when a new site owner destroys their website before it even had a chance. Just because they found their website listed in the search engines they get excited and start submitting their site to any website that will take them or has an easy submit form available.

Link Farms are a form of spamming the index of a search engine. Other link exchange systems are designed to allow individual websites to selectively exchange links with other relevant websites and are not considered a form of spamdexing. Search engines countered the link farm movement by identifying specific attributes associated with link farm pages and filtering those pages from indexing and search results. In some cases, entire domains were removed from the search engine indexes in order to prevent them from influencing search results. What you have learned here is that a link listed on the Internet does not always mean its a good worthy link. Who and what you link to plays a major roll in your websites page rank and popularity. To fix any mess you may have made will take some work, and to start you should request a listing removal immediately. It will take time to clear out the damage that was done, but getting started now is worth it.

If you believe you made a mistake and submitted your website to directories that you are not such a great community, there still is hope. Search around and when you find your site listed in a bad community then make note of each one so that you can request to be removed from that directory. Just be very careful as you do not want to remove yourself from a good directory site. Continue to keep you your website with quality information and you will eventually start pulling in healthy traffic and links from all over the world.

When Good Turns Bad
Little Miss Did It Wrong

What mistake did that business make? I will explain a situation of how an old client got themselves into a real mess. Well, let's start off by saying that all the good I did for a website was destroyed because they thought they knew what they were doing and took it upon themselves to go link crazy. I was working with two people helping them build up a small little business outside of the USA. They didn't even know much of anything when it came to building websites, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, hosting, and surely did not know anything about the SERP's. What Does SERP Mean?

I redesigned and optimized their website. This means it was set up for the search engines to come around, to index their site for their main subject, keywords, and phrases. That was step one and anyone that does search engine optimization they know it takes time and if you do it right then Google will always list you. The website was highly optimized, and now it was time to let the search engine bots come around to index the website. During this time my plan was to wait things out to collection information from this four week analytic crunch. Once I had some data from the traffic on the website I would then work on the site according.

What they did next was the death of them and they do not even know it. Sadly this couple decided to mess around with the site, and I could clearly see the damage within the search engines. What was more upsetting was finding out on my own and not hearing it from them directly. My findings showed that one of the site owners went out on their own and submitted their website to all the link farms in their country. As if that was bad enough they even hit up the link farms based in the USA.

Oh what a terrible mess they made. I have since found any evidence of their sites progress and I highly doubt I will. The point of sharing this information with you is to warn you that link farms are not always good. Take time and research whom it is you are wanting to link to. A link mess can take months to fix and some may never clean up!

What's the story with Directories?
What you should consider with these directories

What can happen with decent Directories? Okay, so now we know that link farms are naughty these days, but what about those halfway decent directories out there? Should you be submitting your website to all those directories out there or should you not? There is a 50/50 divide on this subject in the SEO world, but my own experiences have given me a list of rules to follow when it comes to directories.

There are many great websites out there that offer a service for free to submit your website to hundreds of directories. This can be a good thing for you. I will not go into the full details, but would rather get to the point. When you are submitting to these directories here are some rules to follow.

1. Before you submit to the list GO to the actually directory site and review it. Some directories are so poorly set up, and also check its PR (pagerank) because if Google finds it to be a 1/10 after 2 yrs of listings then its likely they found it to be a rotten or stinky community.

2. Keep your own list of the directories you submitted to. Write down the title, description, and keywords you provided to this directory. Later, go to the directory and make sure they did it right. Human edited directories can screw you with their own interpretation of your site

3. Go back to these directories often and check them out. So many fall under and bring you down with them. Keep organized and be very careful.

4. The problem with link directories is the community, and what happens later down the road. When a good community goes bad, you're listed there, and then you have no list of the directories to check back often, then you're screwed!

The point is that Link Farms can have a very negative effect on your sites rank, and Directories "can" have both positive and negative effects. You can use them to your advantage if you do your research, stay organized, and follow up with these directories often.

Point to remember! Most SEO sites will feed you sugar to get you addicted, but they never tell you the full story because they want you to come back. You will come back because the basic idea is not working to its full potential, so you head back to find out why or what you may have missed.

Graphics on site: This web sites graphics were all made by me using the Corel Paint Shop Professional program. We are currently working with software by Corel, and you can buy Corel Software directly from official site Corel.com . All animations are typically made with Corels Animation Shop 3. Animation Shop 3 Download (11.2 MB)