Google is all about linking. And if you want to snatch a top spot in Google's search results, you need to link like a pro. Don't worry. Linking is a whole lot easier today than it was a few years ago. Experience has taught us a lot, and with the information in this video, you won't need to worry about endless trial and error. We have a repeatable process that anyone can do, as easy as 1, 2, 3.
That said; let's take a look at the linking strategies that Google will give you the most credit for:
Link Strategy 1: Reap the Most Benefit from Anchor Text.
You probably already know that anchor text is the clickable word or words that make up a hyperlink. But what you may not yet fully realize is just how powerful anchor text is. Want to see it for yourself? Check out this little experiment.
Let's go to Google and search for "click here". Did you get a link for Adobe Acrobat Reader at number 1? Why is that? Well, check out the page. They have no mention of "click here" anywhere on the page or in the META tags.
So why exactly does it rank number 1 on Google for "click here"? It's all thanks to anchor text. More specifically, it's because of the countless pages that have "click here" as anchor text that links to Adobe's Acrobat Reader download page.
Did you notice how many competing pages there are for "click here" on Google? Almost Two Billion! Anchor text is extremely important. Here are a few rules of thumb to get the most from your.
First of all, use your three most important keywords for your anchor text. Specifically, your most important word 60% of the time; your second most important keyword 25% of the time and your third most important keyword 15% of the time. And that is for every page that you link to. Keep in mind each page focus on 2-3 keywords. Next, use "long tail" keywords when appropriate and that means 3 or more words in the keyword phrase. And lastly, if your anchor text is part of a paragraph, like a signature block, make certain your surrounding text is optimized for the keyword you want or close variations. Be sure that text varies as much as possible. You want to have plenty of versions of the surrounding text block so Google doesn't ding it as duplicate content.
Link Strategy 2: Make Your Target URLs Laser Accurate.
URL accuracy, or format consistency, is extremely important. Be sure to use the exact same URL whenever you request a link. Even though a URL link beginning with "http" or "www" or both might resolve to the same web page, Google sees them as different destinations.
Let's try and see what kind of results we get. Let's go back to Google and enter "Links: http://" and followed by www, and let's try gasprices.com. Now, when I search this, it shows you the inbound links for that specific domain, easy enough. Now lets try it again without the www and let's see how many links that pulls up. Now let's try it a third time with the www but not the http://, you can see different numbers. This is because Google sees them as different link destinations.
Link Strategy 3: Go Beyond Reciprocal Linking.
Reciprocal links just aren't enough any more. Google now discounts the importance of simple link swaps, so reciprocal links alone will not do the trick like they used to. But don't worry, with a little time or money or both, you can have the best links imaginable.
The two fastest and least expensive ways are by submitting your site to directories or paying a link service, but not a reciprocal linking service. Let's start with directories.
But before I do, there are two downsides to links from directories that I need to mention. First, Google has been discounting directory links over the past few months. Second, some directories charge a fee to get listed, for example, Yahoo charges $299 per year!
But don't despair. Links from directories may not be all they used to, but they still help your SEO efforts. As for reciprocal linking services, avoid them like the plague. However, there is a nice solution called "3 way linking" that still allows you the set it and forget it option.
Here's is how it works. Site "A" links to site "B". Site "B" links to site "C". And then site "C" links back to site "A". So each is a true one-way link. This also gives the system more options regarding which sites form a team.
So let's recap,
1. Get the most out of your anchor text;
2. Be very consistent with your link URL, and
3. Do more than just reciprocal linking.
Now take the knowledge you have been learning, go get that top spot you've been after!
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