When you’re struggling to get enough traffic to your site, it can be tempting to exchange links with anyone who is willing. More is not always better when it comes to link exchanges, so choose your partners wisely.
Swapping links with sites that have little to do with your theme won’t do you much good. Think about it. When you go to a jewelry site, you’re there because you’re interested in buying jewelry. It’s not likely an ad on buying furniture is going to get your attention.
Not to mention, the search engines give you more “points” when they see your site is linked with sites that have content related to your theme. If you’re targeting jewelry shoppers, partner up with other sites that relate to this subject matter.
Don’t confuse the engines (and your visitors) by linking to sites that have virtually nothing to do with your content.
And if your site doesn’t have a main theme then that’s your first problem. You should be able to describe who your site is targeted to in one or two sentences. If you can’t, then it’s time to stop and focus your content. Targeting everyone means you really target no one.
It’s best to define one main audience and structure your content around this group of people. Then find related sites and develop some kind of link exchange with the Webmaster.
Not only will you have an easier time selling to your audience (because you’ll know their needs), but the search engines will bring you more targeted traffic because the related sites pointing back to you help identify what your site is about. Also be sure your link partners link back to you with the keywords you want to be found for.
Take advantage of the benefits solid link swaps can bring. Use them to let the engines know what your site is about to help improve your rankings in the long-run.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Lisa,
How does link exchange work? where do you post the links that you get? Is it just on a links page? Thanks
Gen
Never use a links page. They are ignored by the engines and site visitors. The best thing to do is find an article where your link will fit and suggest it to the Webmasters and ask them to do the same for you. A contextual mention within an article is much better than a links or sponsors page.