Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies®

Chapter 2. Obtaining Links

In This Chapter

• Researching links

• Soliciting links

• How not to obtain links

• Evaluating paid links

• Working with feeds and syndication

• Creating a press release

In the previous chapter, we talk a little bit about getting people to link to you, and how it affects your overall ranking within the search engines. Having links from good reputable Web sites lends to your site's overall credibility and is used in the search engine's algorithm (formula that measures a Web page's overall relevancy to the search query) to determine whether you can be considered an "expert" in your field. Remember, the search engines want to give their users the best results possible, because if they give the user what they want, users come back and continue to use the search engine.

In this chapter, you find out how to research and solicit links for your site. You also find out how not to obtain links, and how to properly evaluate paid links. The last thing we cover is how to work with RSS feeds and syndication.

Researching Links

You can acquire new backlinks, or inbound links to your site, in a number of ways. Examples include writing articles, creating new widgets for your site, and so on. Each technique can produce results, but the amount of time and effort that goes into them can be costly. So it makes sense to consider attracting high-quality links to your site with good content — especially if you have limited time, effort, and money to pursue new links. You can read more about what makes ...