Free Links

Link popularity is becoming a very important way that search engines like Google and Altavista determine relevancy. The thinking is that the web pages with the most incoming links from other websites are the most popular and therefore the most relevant to a visitor's search. For two sites with roughly the same content, the site with more links gets the higher listing.

The technique for increasing link popularity is simple but tedious. Visit search engines, directories, and other websites and request a free link to your website. Check your link popularity at linkpopularity.com or linkpopularitycheck.com .

Link popularity is the difference for many sites between a listing on page 5 and a listing on page 1. I recommend that each person responsible for an important website spend four hours every week getting four new links to their site every week. Over the course of a year, this means 200 links to your site. Four new links a week may not sound like much, but do it every week - even during the busy season.

One great technique is to trade links with your neighbor businesses, partners, vendors, and customers. Anyone in your same area or same industry that is not a competitor would benefit from linking to each other. Each business creates a links page and places outgoing links to your partners. If  you belong to business groups or trade associations like the chamber of commerce, ask them for a link. These groups also give you credibility as a legitimate business that participates in their local or industry business community.

There are many directories and search engines that still list your site for free. They list it for free because the value they provide to their visitor is comprehensive content about their topic. With more relevant content, they get more visitors and can charge more for advertising. Find directories that provide links to businesses with a state-wide topic, a regional topic, an industry topic, activity topic, online yellow pages, and online shopping. For example: A resort on the north shore of Lake Superior would search for directories about: Minnesota business directories, north shore business directories; lodging, resort, B and B, camping directories; directories about the activities like: hiking, biking, skiing, canoeing or kayaking, fishing, birding, art galleries, golf, snowmobiling; pet friendly lodging directories; and online yellow pages. Submit to online shopping directories if your site offers secured credit card ordering.

Some directories request a reciprocal link from your site to theirs. Only accept reciprocal link offers if the partnership enhances your credibility. Other sites will require that you accept a newsletter or will try to sell you an enhanced listing. My advice is to wait to pay for advertising until you have all the free links you can find and then start buying advertising according to a cost-benefit marketing plan.

WARNING: Avoid services that promise to submit your site to thousands of search engines every month. That would mean 300,000 confirmation emails each month telling you how to get rich quick or lose weight in your sleep. These services are really just selling email addresses to bulk emailers (spammers) and getting their customers to pay for the privilege of being spammed.

A good submission service should allow you to select which search engines the site is submitted to. I recommend www.selfpromotion.com . It offers a free trial and a $10 payment only if you are satisfied. It can help you submit to  hundreds (not thousands) of websites that are high quality, low spam. You have control over which engines you  want to be listed on.


If your web site offers free links to business websites. List your website .