10 tips to get the most from links

I have to credit Carter Stowell over at Figrig for reminding me of this topic.

Hyperlinks (links) are more than just a way to visit another web page. Links are really quite important if you’re concerned about your position in the search engines. Links are one of the most important elements search engines use to evaluate the worth of a website. There are many other items the search engines consider but I’ll talk about those another time. Know that links are a vote from the Internet community that your website has value – that it’s worth linking to. Inbound links are essentially votes by the Internet community for the worth of your website. Those links on other websites that link to your website are read by the search engines – they are one of the ways search engines find and index the web pages of your website. And the links you place on your own website to other pages within your website and to other websites are also read and followed. The value of links cannot be underestimated which is why it’s important – for the success of your website – to know how to select sites to request a link(s) from and how to maximize the value of a link. Here are my 10 tips to get the most from your links.

Links involving other websites.

Link in your market space (request and give). Seek and give links only from sites that are on-topic with yours or on a tangential topic. A link from a car manufacturing company to a car dealer makes sense. The overarching topic is cars – one builds the other sells. But a link from a car manufacturer to a candle maker doesn’t make sense. Totally different topics and the search engines don’t like the disconnect – nor will your visitors. A tangential topic might be a link from an automotive dealership to a car tire manufacturer or even after-market accessories like seat covers and child safety seats.
Include outbound links. The search engines want to know you’re a part of a community and not some island off in deep waters collecting inbound links. These links shouldn’t be included unless they are relevant to the page on which they appear. An example would be if you’ve quoted someone and want to cite the source.
Be sure those outbound links are of value. The quality of the site you link to is as important as the topic. By linking to another website you are passing a vote of quality. Be sure you give your vote to a worthy recipient.

Links within your own website

Use hyperlinks between pages of your website. Help users navigate around in your website by using hyperlinks within the copy. Wikipedia is a good example of how to do this but don’t go overboard on your website. Be judicious.
Use a breadcrumb trail. Breadcrumbs are a way to let the use know where they are in the website. Breadcrumbs are great for sites with a lot of content. They help users keep track of where they are in the heirarchy of the website. Breadcrumbs are usually located right above the title of a web page and often look something like Home > Category 1 > Sub-category > This Page. Yes, they count as links. They don’t have a lot of weight but they are valid links! What do you think might happen if you were to match the anchor text of these links to the titles of the pages they link to?

General Link Rules – applies to links on your site and inbound links from other web sites.

Choose your anchor text wisely. The anchor text is the text that you actually click on. I bet you can guess the value of links that simply say click here. Use keywords! If the website is about furniture and one of your target keyword phrases is Custom Beds then you’d like to see inbound links to this page use anchor text like this Custom Beds.
Make sure the page that links points to matches the anchor text you use! If you use the anchor text Custom Beds then the page title should be Custom Beds and the page should be all about Custom Beds. BTW – I just did exactly what you shouldn’t do! While my links are good examples and relevant to the discussion of how to use a link, the actual content they point to is not on topic with this page.
Link to deep pages more often–especially if you have a large website. You want users to get right to the pages that matter whether it be a product page, a service page, or content page.
Use a map to track your links. Let’s say you have 100 inbound links to your 100 page website. It makes a difference if they all point to one page or are spread out, 1 link to each page. The strategy is dependent upon what you want to achieve (and there are other things to consider here) but I hope you can see the possible impact these two extremes could have.
Consider the users before the search engines. Ultimately it is a person who will either buy your product, call you on the phone, or send you an email. Make sure whatever you do with links makes it easier for your visitors!