We all know that good links can help build traffic and boost your sites importance in search engines…but what does this mean?

It means that some sites are getting huge PageRank ratings from their exchanges, but they are not returning the favor to the Honest Webmasters.

Tsk tsk tsk….I was going to put a link to my Internet Marketing website to one of these sites… but as soon as I found out that they were using this trick I stopped.

It’s my opinion that it IS a trick…Honest webmasters are trying to setup legitamite link exchanges to help out other webmasters and people pull this.

Makes me feel bad for the webmasters who aren’t checking for this. So, if your doing your link exchanges manually I suggest taking the time to check the incoming links that you have exchanged with. There are 2 quick ways to check listed below.

A site passing these 2 quick checks, is by NO MEANS a guarantee that your getting a fair deal. But, if your like me, you tend to trust most people so if I check a site and it passes, I’ll set up a reciporical link to them.

The 2 simple ways to check (these are done manually) are load the main page of the site you’ve exchanged links with and Click on View – Source in your browser. You want to look for lines in the Head portion that say: “robots” content=”nofollow” or something similar.

The second way is to check their robots.txt file if they have one.

Simply type in their address followed by /robots.txt

A Bad Robots.txt file for a link exchange would look something like this: # All robots will spider the domain User-agent: * Disallow: # Disallow directory /links User-agent: * Disallow: /links # Disallow directory /link-market User-agent: * Disallow: /link-market

You’ll note that in this example..taken from a real site that offers link exchanges and is even brazen enough to ask for at least PR2 links back, is specifically set to IGNORE their Links pages!!

We’ll see what the future holds for sites like these when people catch on to what their doing.

Till next time…be safe and watch your links!

Check out my homepage if you’re looking for more information like this: Internet Marketing

Then there is a way to generate links with the content that you have not as yet created. For this contact the established authorities (writers, publishers ) in your domain area & let them know that you are available as a resource for researching & writing on any topic from the chosen domain. When they will use you they will credit you for it. Also submit your articles to them. If they ever quote you they will link to you & the added advantage will be that their articles will get published in good places. Imagine an incoming link to your site from TIME or NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.

What if you don’t have great content writing skills or the necessary expertise. Then do the next best thing. Ask for permission from writers to host their content on your site in exchange from link from it. So, if you are able to create a good selection of articles people will still link to you for a good compilation.

Now to the next step of creating one way links:

Apart from content you can use other free available downloads from your site as the carrot for people to link to you. This free carrot can be a good software tool relating to your domain or an ebook (content again) etc. If people perceive value in what you are offering chance are they will reciprocate by linking to you. Another way to leverage this free download scheme is to get listed in the directories & portals which offer a listing of freeware on the net. Search the SE using keyword freeware directories. Or shareware directories

You can possibly start with

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Freeware/Directories/

or http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Freeware/Download_Locations/.

Or http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/WWW/Free_Stuff/Link_Pages/.

Or http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Shareware/Directories/

Survey the products & services in your domain. Pick up the good ones & write reviews for it. Then submit those reviews to the concerned site/s. More often then not they will use it while providing a link back to you for the credits.

Another way of getting some links is to hold a contest or host sweepstakes on your site. Once you have this in place get it listed with the directories which offer free contests & games listings. You can search SE for contest directories or start from here

http://directory.google.com/Top/Games/Gambling/Contests_and_Sweep stakes/Directories/

All this is effective when you are creating content or giving something free or reviewing someone elses’ offering. However there are ways to create one way links which are different than the abovementioned strategies. This entails leaving your footsteps where ever you go. In simpler terms keep your signature file ready( with a hyperlink) & then post it wherever possible.

Whenever you visit a site, write a comment in the guest book with your signature file.

Post messages on the forums or some chat rooms relating to your topic with hyperlink built in ( check which forums allow that).

Post messages in the usenet newsgroups with hyperlink. For selecting the right newsgroup to send a message you can search with your prime keyword on google groups.

Always remember to have your signature file in your email.

Another way of creating one way incoming links into your site is by either starting an online award category or by participating in an award category.

If you are an award giver the recipient will place your gif file(with hyperlink in it) on his site. If you win an award you will link to the award site & they in turn generally link to you.

Another play is to book additional space/ additional url on any other server & create a small site on it(related to your topic area with some unique content) & link it to the original site. A variation of this is to create a blog ( search SE for blog ) or start here

http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Web logs/Tools/?tc=1 .

Link this blog to your web site.

Another long winding however effective way to create incoming links is to host affiliate programs or launch banner exchange programs or launch a web ring program from your site. People who will sign up will have links pointing to your site from theirs. However this approach does take time & efforts to bear fruit.

In almost all these variations one of the most important parameters you can control is the anchor text.

These are just some of the methods that you can undertake profitably.

Once you are done with your one way linking campaign, its time to start with reciprocal linking campaigns

Your links will just keep multiplying. When a web master offers your freebie to his or her visitors. Those visitors may decide to also give away your freebie. And so on and so on… The more people that link to your web site the more traffic you’ll get. Below are four of the most popular types of freebies given away on the internet to increase traffic.

Free Software

Offer free software from your web site. The software could be freeware, shareware or demos.

Free Online Services

Offer a free online service from your web site. The online service could be an e-mail account, search engine submission or e-mail consulting, etc.

Free Information

Offer valuable free information from your web site. The information could be a report, article, e-book, online audio recording or e-mail course, etc.

Free Affiliate Program

Offer a free affiliate program from your web site. The affiliate program could be pay per sale, click through, two tiered, etc.

Now, I know, there are many other ways to get links like trading or exchanging links with other web sites or joining a banner exchange. You can also do joint ventures or cross promoting. I feel these are not as effective as multiplying your links. I hope this article can help you increase traffic to your web site.