Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

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Sympathetic sites

If your site has a religious, political, or philosophical theme, there is

likely to be a large circle of similarly minded folks on the Web. These people will likely

be enthusiastic about supporting one of their own. Ditto for specialized hobbies and

enthusiasms.

As you surf, be open to wandering down unexpected paths—sometimes that’s

the best way to find new opportunities. And be sure to make a note of the site URL

(location of potential link), name of site, and contact information in your Link Track-

ing Worksheet.

Thursday: The Art of Link Letters

If you own a website, surely you’ve seen them: annoying requests for links. Usually

they go something like this: “Dear Webmaster. I reviewed your site and feel that it

would be appropriate for a link trade. Please add the following HTML code to your

home page…after your link is added, we will add your link to our links page.”

Most of the time, this type of letter goes straight into the Trash folder. Follow these

Dos and Don’ts to craft link letters that

get results and

don’t

annoy their recipients:

DO include key information.

At a minimum, your letter must include the following: the

URL from which you would like a link, your landing page URL, your landing page title,

and your landing page description. Remember to choose the best landing page on your

site, which, depending on the nature of the linking page, may not be your home page.

DON’T offer a link trade.

If your site is appropriate for a link, you should be able to

get it without a reciprocal link agreement.

DO explain the benefits of the link…

Website owners want to link to sites that their

site audience will like. Specifically describe how your site relates to theirs.

…but DON’T write a novel.

We’re talkin’ 25 words or less.

DO write from a company e-mail address.

Webmasters want to know that you really

come from the company that is requesting the link.

DON’T mass-mail.

Figure out the name of the person you’re writing to, and use it.

Then, sign with your own name and title.

And finally:

Pearl of Wisdom:

DO say Thank You.

Now:

Record additional potential linking URLs under “New Links/Requests”in your Link Tracking

Worksheet.

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