Friday, January 16, 2009

Working With External Search Engine Optimization Methods

By Chris Channing

After everything has been done to a website to raise its internal search engine optimization, webmasters should look at other ways to increase their exposure. One such way is to obtain links from other websites- but this task isn't so easy to accomplish when certain factors are considered.

Anyone can post a link on a random website and say they have gained a link. But in reality, this may not be the case. Search engines have a value system that determines the credibility of different websites. News resource CNN, for instance, has a high credibility- while a personal blog might not have such credibility to pass onto websites it links to, depending on the blog.

One of the more popular ways to obtain links is to pay for them. Keep in mind that this could actual deter rankings, as Google has been stated as saying that buying links is prohibited and that offenders may lose ranking in their search results. Those who buy links in unnatural ways should do so at their own risk, and be prepared to face the consequences should there be any.

Natural methods of link building usually come about when the word of mouth spreads across the Internet. This is mostly done through social networkign websites such as Digg or StumbleUpon. The more links from these websites essentially equates into more "link juice" for the website targeted. It's nice to have the popularity factor, but the links obtained through social bookmarking are exceptional.

Related to social bookmarking is website networks. A network of websites is basically a link exchange among like-minded webmasters who have similar websites. This was more common in the past when search engines were less dominant, but still serves as a good way to build relevant links. Joining a health network, for example, may include emailing a similar health website and asking for a link exchange to pool resources together for readers.

Another good way to build links is through article syndication. By writing a unique article related to their website, and including a few links in the content, webmasters can submit articles to directories around the Internet. Search engines see this as a gray area- it isn't necessarily a penalizing offense, but they also don't explicitly state that doing this will help rankings. Either way, article syndication is one of the most popular link building methods.

Final Thoughts

Search engine optimization from external resources is a tough game to play. But with the right resources and a fair amount of time, building long-term links is just a matter of time and effort. Always consider the fact that search engines may not like some methods of link building, so take care in a link building routine and prepare for consequences.

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