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Understanding Back Links
By Richard D. Moore (c) 2005

There are no hidden secrets on how to rank high with the major
search engines. All that is needed is a basic understanding of
how search engines work and a bit of know how. Perhaps the
biggest contributing factor to a successful web site is incoming
links or Back Links. Without links, your website will more than
likely go unnoticed. So how should you accumulate these links?
Below are a few basic methods to accumulate quality back links.

Before You Get Started

You MUST understand how search engines work. Over 90% of your
business will likely come directly from search engine results.
Therefore, it is absolutely essential to optimize your site for
search engines. You could have the greatest deals in the entire
world, but if no one knows about them then your efforts are
wasted. Do a search on google for Search Engine Optimization
(SEO). You will find tons of great information on how to create
a website that is both user friendly and search engine friendly.
There are also countless numbers of companies and freelancers
out there who offer SEO services. Just be cautious of their
offers and do your research first. Remember, NO ONE can
guarantee top placement in major search engines, no matter what
they say.

Where Should Back Links Come From?

1. Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional
traffic to your site. There are countless sites online that want
your articles. It's a win win situation for everyone. When you
write articles and submit them online, you are able to leave a
link to your own site and sometimes even anchor text. I know
what you're saying, "I can't write about anything." I use to
feel the same way. But the truth of the matter is, anyone can
write. You just have to find a topic that interests you. You can
write about anything from dogs, to computers, to personal
training, to web hosting - heck you can even write about writing.
The bottom line is, articles are a valuable source of "relevant"
back links to your site.

2. Submit to directories. There are literally hundreds of "free"
and "paid" directories online. With 3 hours of painless work,
you can have your site submitted to hundreds of great
directories. There are many quality lists of directories that
are regularly updated. One of my favorites is
http://www.best-web-directories.com/ which is always updated and
maintained.

3. Develop link exchanges with relevant sites. The major search
engines such as google see incoming links from relevant sites,
and give them more rank compared to a link from an unrelated
site. For example, if you have a website about pet care
products, your link strategy should target pet related sites.
Again, with a bit of hard work and determination, you can develop
a great number of "relevant" back links.

4. Forums are a great source for additional traffic and links.
Many forums allow their users to display signatures in their
posts. These signatures can consist of both text and links. When
you post a new message on that forum, your website's link will be
displayed for everyone to see. This not only helps build
valuable back links, but will bring additional traffic to your
website.

5. Join a link co-op. Co-ops such as the one found at
http://www.digitalpoint.com/ are an amazing source of valuable
back links and free advertisement. What is a co-op network? A
Co-op network is a network of site owners/webmasters that offers
ad space to the network. In return, the ads they define are
displayed across the entire network. The best part of ad
networks such as the one found at digital point, is, they are
free. Having your site in a co-op can literally mean thousands
of back links for your site.

6. Buying ezine ads is a paid method of advertising, but it
works, because it is the most targeted of these approaches.
Write a concise ad for your business and link to either a
lead-capture page or directly to your autoresponder. Then, begin
contacting ezines to place your ad. (Do a search for "ezine
directories," and you will find enough lists to keep you busy.)
When you contact an ezine, look for rates for both classified
ads and solo ads. The advantage to a solo ad is that your ad
goes out by itself in a separate email, but they can be more
expensive. Because these ads are targeted (you should NOT
advertise in an unrelated ezine), you will definitely see
traffic, but you will need to track your results to see which
ezines bring you the most and best traffic.

7. Ad Swaps can be an exellent source of advertising. Start by
writing some killer copy (to coin a phrase...there are many free
articles and ebooks writen on the subject). Simply use your
favorite search engine and type in..."how to write ad copy". I
googled this phrase while writing this article and got 12,400,000
results. WOW! Once you have your ad written, search out ezines
that are in the same category as your business or service.
Again, use your favorite web search. Build yourself a list of
ezines and then email them, asking if they accept ad swaps.
Include your ad in your correspondence so they can see what you
are offering. Another way to find ezines is to do a web search
for "ezine directories". Look up ezines in your category of
business or service. Most listings will tell you if they accept
ad swaps and the parameters of the ad such as how many lines and
how many characters per line. Don't forget to place your website
url in your ad.

If you want to have a successful site, whether-it-be a hobby or
for business, you have to understand how search engines work.
Part of that understanding, is knowing about link development.
Maybe in the early 90's the idea of "if you build it they will
come" might have been true. But, in the year 2005, the internet
is a far more competitive and complex place. To be successful
today, you have to work at it. Without a quality source of back
links the search engines will all but ignore your site.

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Richard D. Moore is the President and Founder of IncomeNow!
Marketing Masters. We offer Free support to every subscriber to
IncomeNow! A No Hype, No Bull, Honest and Real source to help
you start or grow your business and/or Ezine.

http://www.incomenow.9k.com
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