Link strategy to obtain more visits and gain page rank

Is a link strategy necessary?  Yes and I have to say I was sceptical as it is a really gray area of SEO.  On one hand you have Google stating that traded links have no value, whilst on the other you have SEO's doing it successfully.  So who is right and is there a method of doing it right?

The approach of successful SEO's is to research appropriate link partners.  For example if I sell hats then it would make sense that I link to someone selling scarves and gloves etc.  This is useful to the visitor that have a found a woolly hat for winter that they may also want to keep their neck and hands warm too.  It also makes perfect sense for them to link to me as well.

So the right way is to research suitable partners and approach them directly giving by stating how you see the joint benefit of inkling to each other.

We get 100's of requests from people using automated systems trying to generate links to their website.  The email usually starts with flattery i.e. I came across your website and it would be super if you could link to us...

well we all love a bit of flattery!  So then I look at the link and it usually something like "fashion watches" or "children's toys".  So where is the advantage of having a web design / SEO company linking to fashion watches or children's toys.  Well for the avoidance of doubt there is absolutely no advantage whatsoever to either party.

So be clear about who you want to link to and approach them with the reasons why they should link back.

In addition to this you should link first and do so in context to your content.  Having pages of links will not work as the entire page is likely to be ignored.  Similarly if they link to you from a links page then it too is pretty pointless.  Importantly you need to create your link 4-6 weeks before a link back to you is made.  This avoids Google's search algorithm associating the links as "traded"

Your link to them should look like this:

Our woolly hats will keep your head, that loses 20% of body heat, nice and warm regardless of the temperature..  But if you need to keep your hands and fingers warm why not visit [link goes here].  They have a great range of gloves and mittens...

So why not suggest some text to go with your link i.e.:

Our gloves hats will keep your hands and fingers nice and warm, but we all know that our heads loses 20% of body heat, so why not visit our friends at [link goes here].  They have a great range of hats...

The above can be added to relevant page content.

However..  Never buy links, use an automated system or subscribe to a link directory.

More free hints an tips can be found on our search engine optimisation page