What Is Link Popularity

Writen by F. Terrence Markle

Link popularity is simply the total number of web pages that link to your web page. Link popularity is an extremely important factor that is used by most of the major search engines to rank web pages and web sites. In general, the major search engines consider link popularity a key factor in their algorithms to determine the relevancy of your web page to a particular keyword search query.

Good link popularity is important because it can increase the visitor traffic to your web page. The reputation of your web site (i.e., votes of confidence from other web sites) is a measure of the site's link popularity. Your web page rank (i.e., the position your web page occupies in a search engine's results page) to a particular search query can be improved by increasing the number of relevant and quality web sites that have incoming links to your web page.

An incoming link is considered to be relevant if it is meaningful and relates to your web page. If you sell golf clubs online, relevant incoming links could be from: golf club manufacturers, golf apparel sites, competitors, golf-related directories and so forth. In addition, internal links (links from web pages within your web site) are considered relevant and essential because they help your web page visitor to navigate your web site.

It is not enough to just have web page links coming into your web page (link popularity). The quality of the incoming link is also critical. A search engine will put more emphasis on a high quality web page (ranked high by a particular search engine) than on a low quality web page (ranked low by a particular search engine). It will take many lower quality incoming links to approach the level of a single high quality incoming link.

The major search engines do more than match the content of your web page to the keyword search query to determine if there's a good match for a particular search. They look at the quality of the links to your web page. The reason is because there are thousands, if not millions, of web pages that contain the search query's particular keyword or keyword phrase in the web page content. The search engines want to deliver a list of relevant and ordered web pages to meet a user's query search.

In addition to the link popularity, search engines also look at the anchor text contained in the incoming link to your web page. It will consider your web page more relevant to the keyword query search if the text in the incoming link to your web page contains the queried keywords.

The number and quality of incoming links to your web page can be an excellent source of targeted and consistent visitor traffic to your site. In addition, search engines are more likely to index your web pages on a more frequent basis if you have many incoming relevant and quality links. The search engine spiders have a higher probability of finding you through the external incoming links to your site as your link popularity increases.

Reciprocal linking or link exchanging involves another web page linking to your web page and you linking back to their web page. If you select targeted and relevant web pages to exchange links with then you have a higher probability of gaining increased visitor traffic to your web page. In addition, your web page ranking on a search engine keyword query is also likely to improve as mentioned earlier.

Your overall marketing plan should include a link exchange campaign to help improve your search engine rankings and the visitor traffic to your web page. Spend the necessary time and energy to locate and exchange links with link exchange partners that provide a good match with your web page. Review the potential link partner's web site theme and content to determine if their link would be relevant to your site. Consider only those web sites as exchange partners with themes or topics that complement or relate to your web page.

It is important that you have a good link exchange strategy in place and a process to manage the reciprocal links. Don't link to a web page if they are not linking back to your web page. Link exchange campaigns require your attention and monitoring. You can perform the link exchange management manually or you can use a computer program that will do it for you.

There are a number of good programs that perform link exchange management functions. However, there are some programs that do a poor job. For example, some management software programs will perform automated search engine queries to harvest prospects that are not relevant for linking to your web page. Do not use "link farms" in your link exchange campaign. These sites provide hundreds of non-relevant links with no meaningful content to your site that the search engines can detect and potentially use to ban or penalize your site.

The vast majority web site owners that participate in a link exchange program do not understand the issues and benefits of the exchange. As a result, they do not maximize the potential value to be gained from the link exchange. Learn and implement the proper strategies and your web page will potentially benefit from improved search engine ranking and increased targeted and qualified visitors.

Every web site that provides links to other web pages should have a links page. Your links page will be an excellent resource for the visitors to your web site. Your web site will be more helpful and credible to your visitors if you provide useful and relevant links on your links page. You can start utilizing the power of your links page when it becomes a service to your visitors rather than a tool to obtain higher search engine ranking.

You need to categorize your links if you have a lot of outgoing links. Don't try to put all your links on one links page where it has the appearance of a link farm (i.e., no valuable content or relevance) to the search engines that want to index the page. Create a useful links page that shows only the link categories with separate links that take your visitor to an individual link page for each category. The intent is to provide a resource for your visitors that is useful and can be easily navigated. Search engines love this type of structure that they can fully index.

The incoming links to your web page and the outgoing links to other web pages should be structured in a clear manner. Provide your link exchange partners with the exact HTML code to be included in the link on their web page. This code should include your URL, your anchor link text with the appropriate keyword or keyword phrase and a concise description that incorporates your web site name and the appropriate keyword or keyword phrase.

Copyright (C) F. Terrence Markle – All Rights Reserved You have permission to publish this article in its entirety, as long as the bylines and the resource box are included. You must make all links active.

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How To Ditch A Quotnasty Nellie Olsenquot Whos Sabotaging Your Online Event Gracefully

Writen by Dina M. Giolitto

So you decided to throw one of those "virtual bashes" to gain you prestige and prominence in your niche... and everyone's being helpful and cooperative, how fantastic! Oh, except that one problem child, she's calling, she's emailing, she wants you to explain it all over again, she wants attention, she wants you to bend the rules for her... but what's she offering in exchange? Nothing that you need or desire! Yes, there's always the Nellie Olsen of the bunch, tossing those curls, stamping those feet and cramping your style. What's a busy online event planner to do?

1. Lay the ground rules. Your event must have milestones, deadlines, submission processes, exemptions and disclaimers to "SYOA," if you know what I mean. These are the laws that must be carefully laid out and woven into your ongoing campaign to ensure that a "Naughty Nellie" won't come along and trip you up when your guard is down. If you feel skittish about laying the laws, I'll give you my email address right now and you can call on me to get your "copywriting protection" against the Event Sabotager. Trust me, you will need it - dina/AT/wordfeeder.com.

2. Distance yourself. If you're always accessible during a vigorous event campaign, you'll never get anything done. Is old Nellie problem-solving for you again, suggesting that if you go get outside help then you would have more time to cater to her endless needs? This is nonsense, you're the Master Planner, and you must dodge the Nellster as nicely as you can. So, answer her question, post information where she can clearly see it, and then become unavailable.

3. Don't back down. If you give in to one self-absorbed person, next thing you know, the rest of the group will be clamoring their "whataboutmes". (Well, hopefully your group has more class and style than this, but one never knows.) Don't cave to the pressure of a chronic demander who's asking you to give them special treatment, trying to bribe you with things you don't want, or manipulating the rules and attempting to force-feed you your own words so that they get their way in the end. Someone who is this persistent has likely done zero to support you. They're looking out for number one and that's no one you want on your side. Remember - if they don't get what they want now, they won't be back to ask you for more later. Hold your ground!

4. Highlight the good eggs. During the course of your event promotion, you'll be "public speaking" to the group at certain points. Focus on the people who have pitched in with support, time, effort, creativity, connections, word-of-mouth marketing, assistance, and anything else that you'd consider instrumental in making the event fly. Be sure to thank them graciously at every turn, because in comparison to Needy Nellie these people are a Godsend! Turn your attention on the good eggs, and that unpleasant vision of your tormenter getting the best of you will soon fade away.

5. Ask for cash. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that Nellie the Needler has got a tight grip on those purse strings. So if she continues to prod you for special favors, give her a big smile and ask for payment. You're an online marketer after all - there are no regulations or rules except the ones that you lay down for the projects that you own. As an online marketer, you've probably devoted a heap of nonbillable hours to this extravaganza anyway. There comes a point where if someone can't observe your deadlines or requirements and is making demands of your time you should just ask for payment. Either outcome of this will be desirable: Nellie actually pays you (a small miracle in itself), or the more likely scenario - she runs away to go pester someone else.

Yes, there will always be that one person who makes your life a living hell. Get away from them if you can. After all, you've got a major event to plan.

Want to witness event planning live in action? Please join me and my marketing friends for the First Annual Web Content Awareness Day, scheduled to launch on February 9, 2006 at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com.

Sneak Peek: Visit the Countdown to Web Content Awareness Day Blog and learn how you can ride our wave of high web traffic!

Paste in this link:

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/

Copyright 2006 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Liked this article? Have more of the same emailed to your inbox each month. Sign up for the Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Dina at Wordfeeder.com and learn to write search engine friendly web copy and market your web based business for free.

What Color Is Power

Writen by Sylvia Dickens

If you're struggling to make your web business thrive, there could be many factors holding you back. It could even be the colors you wear. Do you know the color of power?

Every day, we are bombarded with opportunities and links to "secrets" that are supposed to open the floodgates to success.

This constant flow of offers usually looks like this: "read this"; "find out how the gurus do it"; "this is guaranteed to work"; and "if you haven't tried this, it's time you did." In the end, are they truly helpful resources or just distractions?

Like many of you, I constantly get drawn in by those promises that turn out to be empty repeats of information I already know. The problem is, I often think I don't know enough until I see their tips. Then, it comes clear that I truly am already in possession of everything I need to succeed.

"Oh, yes. I know how that works. I read about that before," is my usual response. Yet here I am again re-reading the same advice. In the end, all I've done is allow myself to get distracted. In turn, it means time taken from doing the real work to get my business off the ground and in profit mode.

Recently, I was drawn in by a product that promises to have the answer to succeeding online. It even goes so far as to suggest I can make $1000 in 2 days. My curiosity is pumped once again. This time, however, I find that the product is loaded with ideas that the average Joe can implement on a shoestring budget. When I read those ideas, they made sense and I wonder why I didn't think of some of them before.

The answer is that I spend far too much time looking for "the answer" instead of using what I already know. This constant search fills my mind with the wrong focus. Rather, I should be using my own creative thinking to come up with marketing ideas, given all the knowledge I've already accumulated.

An e-book I received in exchange for my email address turned out to be extremely valuable. It goes through the entire process that a successful internet marketer went through during his 'green' years.

As a teenager and high school drop-out, he got the brilliant idea to set up video games in his parents' garage. He would charge his friends and neighbors a small fee to play them. It was a humble beginning, but today he is earning big money on the internet.

He studied every piece of marketing material he could get his hands on and sought those who had already made it big. No point reinventing the wheel. It took years for him to perfect his online business, but he did. He had a dream and he refused to stray from that path.

Recently, he was interviewed by another successful internet marketer in which he reveals the steps he went through to reach the level he's at now. He explains how the average person can shortcut their way to success.

Tip #1: Focus. Don't jump all over the place trying different things. Find one marketing method that works for you and your business and put all your effort into learning about it. Study it inside out. Only after you've done that are you ready to put it into action.

This will bring you faster results and maximize your time and energy. When you find a system that works, duplicate it for even more success. For example, if you are good at writing ads and getting results with Google pay per click advertising, study it intensely. When you're satisfied you know all there is to know, find another marketing technique if you want and study it until you perfect that skill.

Tip #2: Believe in yourself. Banish negativity from your life, even if it means steering clear of people who bring you down or squash your dreams. These are your dreams, not theirs. Put your energy and thoughts into making them happen. All dreams are possible, even if they take some work. You just have to maintain your faith and pursue that dream.

Oh, I guess you want to know what is the color of power. There are several theories about this particular color. One popular belief is that it inspires and reflects anger. After all, bulls seem disturbed by it. In other situations, it's considered seductive.

For the internet marketer, however, it means power. Red attracts power and wealth. Surround yourself with red. Wear an item of red clothing and see how your situation improves. Don't forget to focus on your dreams. Attune yourself for wealth.

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Dickens

Sylvia Dickens is an author, book reviewer and internet marketer. You can download a copy of "Passive Income Secrets" audio e-book at her site: http://www.book-titles.ca/PassiveIncome.htm

Internet Marketing Is Changing Right Before Your Eyes

Writen by Ken Nadreau

There's no doubt about it . . .

Big changes are in the air!

In the midst of all the usual scams and rip offs, there's a New Wave of Marketing techniques that are beginning to immerge that will forever alter what you do, or will take you out of the game.

The choice is yours!

You see, what most marketers have been spending their time on might be called "peer marketing", that is selling to their fellow marketers. Hundreds and hundreds of programs and ebooks have been written designed to draw in affiliates to do the bidding and "leg work" for those producing them.

So now we have tons of "how to's" and just as many affiliate programs that have, over time, gotten real old.

Then, on top of all that, you have thousands of traffic exchanges and paid to read email advertising sites to make us think that we're actually marketing to someone.

But in reality, all we're really doing is perpetuating this "peer marketing" phenomenon that's frankly spinning our wheels and getting us nowhere.

We all know it's not working. We all know that, in spite of all the hype and hoopla, 95% of all online businesses are still failing miserably.

Let's face it, Internet Marketing is in a rut that's got us all running around in circles!

But all is not lost!

Lately, new tools and methods to infuse new life into online marketing have been hitting the scene . . .

Things like Niche Marketing are beginning to draw many away from "peer marketing", and teaching them to spend their time finding out what other people want and connecting them to those products.

What's being discovered, actually, is that the average online marketer, who's been bogged down with trying to sell useless information to their peers, is generally well conditioned to slip right into Niche Marketing.

You see, there are tons of marketable, every day products available on the web, and there are just as many marketers who've learned, due to immense competition,to be extremely convincing.

Putting the two together is creating a remarkable edge over the product producers who, most often, have minimal skills in advertising.

Most of these products, easily accessible through reseller programs, can be marketed alone or in combination with other product via quickly set up websites.

And, because there's no production costs, in either time or money, most advertising campaigns can be generated in a very short period of time.

So you might say, Internet Marketing is finally evolving in a much more constructive direction!

Yes, online sales people from all over the world are now learning how to do what a sales person is supposed to be doing . . .

Finding people who are really looking for what they sell, and selling it to them!

Do you hear someone knocking?

Oh . . . It's Opportunity!

About The Author

Ken Nadreau is the author of "Get Niche Quick", and one of the pioneers of the New Wave of Internet Marketing. He is dedicated to ending the stagnation and lowering the 95% failure rate for online businesses.

http://get-niche-quick.com

krnadreau@taoenterprises.com

Internet Business Marketing Methods

Writen by Todd Lavergne

The internet is a great place for people to start the business of their dreams. Online businesses are cheaper to run than standard retail businesses because operating methods are generally low-cost, and internet businesses have very little overhead expenses. Internet business can contain a great deal of products and information without the expense necessary for standard businesses. An internet business can be operated at home, and marketing an internet business has many low-cost options and methods not afforded to regular business owners.

Marketing methods are numerous, but not all methods of internet marketing are known to internet business owners. Low-cost internet marketing methods are available to internet business owners, and these methods are easy to implement. These low-cost marketing methods make it simple for anyone with an internet business to make that business a financial success. An internet business owner doesn't have to be a corporate giant in order to receive the internet marketing it deserves.

For internet businesses and websites to obtain the highest search engine rankings, they must receive an adequate amount of internet traffic. The more the traffic, the higher the ranking. When marketing a website and looking for low-cost methods, this seems like an unfair disadvantage. Internet business owners seeking more traffic submit their websites to search engines in order to increase traffic. If search engines won't list websites high upon their lists when traffic is low, how can internet business owners receive the traffic they need in order to gain higher search engine rankings and a chance at success? This is a marketing nightmare for those looking for low-cost marketing methods. Link exchanges are the answers to those wanting low-cost internet marketing and high search engine rankings.

Internet business owners looking for low-cost internet marketing should seriously consider becoming involved in link exchange opportunities.Exchanging links with other business websites is not just a low-cost marketing method, exchanging business links is often free. There are websites where those wishing to exchange links can find compatible link partners also interested in low-cost and free marketing through increased website traffic.

Once internet business owners are receiving the necessary website traffic in order to achieve high ranking search engine status, they should submit their internet business website to all of the major search engines. Search engine submission and marketing is low-cost and often free through search engine submission services. Website owners using these services are generally asked to place a link to the website submission service on their website. With proper keyword density and meta tags, business websites will achieve higher rankings on major search engine lists. Marketing a business website through low-cost and free online services is an effective and intelligent method of internet business promotion.

To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.EarnBonus.com