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FIVE NOTES ABOUT LINKING

1. Important, Relevant Incoming Links Bring Traffic. You have perhaps heard that linking is good. It is links between pages and websites that make the web a web, after all. Incoming links from important, relevant websites help the Search Engines to confirm the importance and relevance of your web page. Important, relevant incoming links can help build ranking for your website.

2. Outgoing Links Can Get You in Trouble. Only link out to other websites if the page you link to is related to your content and reputable. The Search Engines can hold you accountable if you link out to a website that they believe to be deceptive or irrelevant. Links out to websites that are important or relevant, on the other hand, do not help to confirm the importance or relevance of your own. The only good reason to link out to another website is to serve the interest of your Visitor.

3. Incoming Links Can't Hurt. The Search Engines won't hold you accountable for incoming links from irrelevant or disreputable websites because you have no control over what other websites do. To do so would allow competitors to create disreputable links to your website to damage your ranking.

4. Your Website Link Text Makes Your Own Pages Important. To let the Search Engines know the importance and relevance of any page on your website, be sure to link to that page from every other page on your website. This also allows your Visitor to navigate to your important pages from anywhere on your website. Link in HTML, not script. Use text, not images. Duplicate your links at the bottom of the page if you use anything other than HTML text on the main body of the page.

5. Keywords Make Your Links More Relevant. Use keywords in the "anchor text" (the linked text). For example, it confers more relevance to link to the "stone restoration" page with a text link that says "stone restoration" than with the words "Coole Supply". To benefit from incoming links, whether from your own website or from another, try to be sure that the anchor text on the incoming link is in text and contains your keywords or a variation. If the link is an image, be sure to carry your keywords in the alt tag.