During the past month, some changes have occurred that are going to dramatically affect the way web sites are ranked on AltaVista, Excite, Google, Lycos, and the web pages search portion of Yahoo. A new ranking system has been adopted that will actually measure and rank the number of links that are directed towards a particular web site. This means that in addition to keyword relevancy, title and meta tag optimization, and directory listings, link popularity has just become a weighty factor in search engine rankings.

But it's not just link popularity that's being measured now… The quality of the links are being considered as well!

Establishing quality links is now an essential part of ensuring that your web site is well ranked in the search engines. The more high traffic links you have pointing to your site, the more traffic you'll generate… The more traffic your site generates, the greater your perceived "popularity" will be to the search engines… The more popular your site appears to the search engines, the higher it will be ranked.

This is really a fantastic strategy all round because, in effect, by getting other web sites who are already generating high volumes of traffic to link to you, a percentage of their traffic becomes your traffic!

Let's say, for example, that in your business niche, there are a few hundred web sites out there generating a million visitors every year… a few hundred more generating 30,000 visitors… and a few thousand generating 10,000 visitors. By persuading these sites to link to yours, you are taking their traffic and funneling it directly into your web site!

This is an incredibly powerful technique! Think about it -- if you get a link to their site, it will probably stay there forever. As long as they are linked to you, they are continually sending traffic to your site… week after week, month after month, year after year! The work you do now will have fantastic long-term payoffs!

This is a great way to use other people to generate traffic for you! However, it is also a very misunderstood and underused marketing strategy right now. Those who do try to take advantage of it often fail because their technique is sloppy and unprofessional.

I'm going to take this opportunity to explain exactly how you can immediately begin to put the power of linking strategies to work for you! Follow these simple steps and you'll be well on your way…

1. Learn where your target audience hangs out online. Do they frequent particular web sites?
2. Once you've found some sites that are popular among your target audience, gather information about each particular web site. Get the owner's name, e-mail address, phone number, etc.
3. Write an e-mail to the web site owner. Keep in mind that this e-mail must be personalized! This is VERY important. Mention the owner's name, the name of their business or company, and some positive feedback about their site. Emphasize how linking to your site is going to benefit their visitors. Focus on how, by linking to you, their visitors are going to view them as an even greater resource. Mention how you think the link to you would fit into their site (i.e. How does your content relate to their content?).
4. Make it really easy for them to link to you! Give them the exact wording of what you would like them to add to their site, and provide them with the HTML code right in your e-mail -- this means that all they need to do is cut and paste it right into their web site. By laying it all out for them, you dramatically increase the odds of them agreeing to add the link. There is no complicated e-mailing back and forth, trying to figure out how you're going to pull it off.
5. Be sure that you've added direct contact information to your e-mail. While this might sound obvious, far too often we receive e-mails that do NOT contain this pertinent information.
6. Be persistent! If they don't respond to your first offer, e-mail them back and up the ante. Instead of simply asking them to link to you, offer to exchange links. It becomes a win-win situation for both of you. You should also consider calling people directly. I know from personal experience that this is a great way to build rapport!

With these steps in mind, I would like to give you an example of a letter that I might send to someone I was interested in linking with:

Hi Frank!

I visited your web site at [insert URL here] and noticed that your resource page has [insert personal comment here]. I thought you might be interested to know that we have a web site dedicated to educating customers about [insert the purpose of your web site here]. As well, we have some great articles about [insert list of articles here]. This kind of information would be a great addition to your resource center and I'm sure your visitors would love it.

To link to us, all you need to do is [insert instructions and HTML here].

If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me at [insert e-mail address here] or [insert phone number here].

Thanks!

Remember that while it might seem like a lot of work to personalize each and every e-mail you send out, it will be well worth your time. By doing so, you are showing the other sites that you are serious -- you have taken the time to research their content, and have explained exactly how you believe a link to your site might benefit them. I can't emphasize this enough -- focus on how a link to you will benefit THEM!!

During the past couple of years, it has become increasingly difficult to persuade site owners to just randomly link their site to yours. Owners are becoming more shrewd, having recognized the value that their link -- and their traffic -- has for you. Therefore, it is very important that you take the time to SELL the site owner on why linking to you will benefit them… And why they should link to YOU as opposed to your competitors. What are you offering that your competitors are not? How will they benefit from linking to your site?

Personally, I've given up on the so-called Free For All (FFA) linking sites. I wouldn't waste your time there. Given that the search engines are now measuring the quality of links to and from your site, it is far more important that you spend your time establishing links with popular, high traffic sites that relate to your target market. You'll do far better in the long run.

As well, there's never been a better time than now start your very own Associate Program -- it's truly the ultimate linking strategy! Not only can you get a workforce of hundreds, even thousands, of people working for you online, selling your product or service for you at NO COST to you until they make a sale… You can also dramatically boost your position in the search engines by further increasing the number of links directing traffic to your site!

Do not simply read and disregard this critical information! I know first hand how powerful Associate Programs can be because we have been doing this for over 4 years and it has just EXPLODED in the last 8 months! So these new changes to the search engines have been more than just a pleasant surprise for us… We're fully aware of the potential our Associate links have to push our ranking higher in the search engines and maintain these tops spots!

It is well worth the time and effort it takes to establish links with other sites. In my opinion, linking strategies are one of the most powerful ways to market your business online! By persuading these other sites to link to yours, you will be taking their traffic and funneling it directly into your web site. Better still, as their sites grow, your site will grow with them AND be pushed up into the high ranks of the search engines!

Key Secret: A top ranking position in the search engines is one of the easiest, most effective ways to increase the traffic at your web site -- and therefore your sales -- without spending advertising dollars! You need to take advantage of this great advertising medium while it's still FREE!

Search engines are already finding way to increase their profits by charging for higher rankings and bold listings. The days of "Free" advertising on the search engines may come to a crashing close in the next year or two. That's why you need to take action now!

Take advantage of the search engines now, build your traffic base, and make the connections that will give your business an advantage over your competition. The traffic that you begin to generate in the next few weeks and months could be what allows you to blow your competition out of the water in the years to come!