Link Building... PR isn't everything

Inbound links... More than just SEO benefits

By Barry Fenning © 2006

Creating inbound links to your website can have numerous benefits when it comes to optimising your site for search engines.

The benefit of a link from another website

• Provides a channel for potential customers to find your products and services
• A way for search engine spiders to find and index your website within the search engine results
• Passes Page Rank (or PR*) from the site that links you to your website.

*PR is one of those factors that affect your rank within search engine results. However, if you get hung up on the idea of PR you will waste more time creating links for search engines as opposed to the people that you should be creating links for… your potential customers.

The difference in link quality

Google, Yahoo, and MSN all take into account the “quality” of your inbound links.

For example (and I stress that these figures are for illustrative purposes only)

A one-way link from a general directory of worldwide companies to your website may give you 1 point out of 3 when it comes to search engines defining the quality of your link.

A one-way link from a marketing directory of worldwide companies to your marketing company website may give you 2 points out of 3.

A one-way link from an Irish marketing directory to your Irish marketing company website may give you 3 points out of 3.

The above examples provide you with an insight as to how search engines are trying to analyze inbound links as to how useful and specific they are to human searches not search engine spiders.

If you forget about PR when you are creating inbound links you will do what is very much common sense and reap the rewards of driving targeted traffic to your website quickly and effectively.

Getting you started

Search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask Jeeves for directory listings that are relevant to your company.

To keep with the above example, if you own an Irish marketing company that operates within Ireland and the UK follow these steps:

Search the major search engines with the following:

• Irish marketing company directory
• Marketing company directory Ireland
• Irish and UK marketing company directory
• Marketing company directory Ireland and UK
• Irish company directory
• Company directory Ireland
• Marketing company directory

Replace the word company for the word business and start again.

You know what your business does better than anyone else. After you have conducted searching for directories (using the broad terms above), start to narrow things down. For example, if your companies services include direct marketing, interactive marketing, database management, SMS campaigns, use those keywords in your searches.

Warnings about generating inbound links too fast

Make it look natural.

I’m not telling you to trick the search engines. However, if your site has been set-up for 5 years and only received 5 inbound links over that time and then over the course of one week it generates 100 new links it could appear to the search engines that you have joined a link-farm and are conducting bad practice SEO. Find the directories and then add a few links every week. This way you will also be able to keep a track on your SEO efforts as you will see your site climbing up the rankings.

Handy tips for saving time when submitting to Directories

Make sure you submit to the “big ones”. A listing within The Open Directory Project (free) and the Yahoo Directory (free or paid) are given more weight than any other directories out there. The DMOZ is notoriously difficult to be accepted to so please read the submitting a site guidelines carefully.

Create a word document and enter the common details that you are required to input to directories when submitting your company.

Create a simple excel spreadsheet to keep track of your submissions and any useful details that you may need to retain (username and password login, date submitted, etc.).

Don’t just create a link for the sake of having a link to your site. Think “will I receive any traffic through this site”. If the answer is no, move on.

Relevant Articles of Interest:
An easier way to develop inbound links
Website Accessibility. Helping the Search Engines find your site.