Tag Archives: search
Linking With Integrity – Avoid Being Labeled a Link Spammer (Page 1 of 2)
It’s just as important to know what not to do when executing a website linking strategy as it is to know what to do. With inexpensive linking software and services so readily available, there’s a strong temptation to take shortcuts when it comes to getting quality links. Avoiding these traps will help your search engine placements rise naturally and stay that way for a long time. In this article, I describe two ways that you can help yourself avoid being labeled a link spammer.
Link Farms
What is a link farm? A link farm is any website designed and set up for the sole purpose of getting search engine spiders to crawl and index web pages. These websites provide absolutely no end user utility or benefit.
So how do you recognize a link farm? First, you need to ask yourself, is this site heavy laden with links? Most link farms will have a “farm” of links with little to no content. As for an explanation of the site’s existence, it’s usually missing too.
The next question you need to ask is, what does the URL of the site itself look like? Most of the time, link farms will have long, hyphenated URLs (i.e. our-great-linking-directory.com). This is a generalization so not all link farms will have these types of URLs. Many of these link farms are generated using software. The software will go out and find a domain name that contains specific keywords even if it settles on something with several hyphens and numbers. You may still consider a long, hyphenated site for linking purposes but make certain you conduct more research before you submit a link.
Next, look at the domain name extension and note if it’s .info or .biz. In order to sell these extensions, many domain name registrars offer a one-time, deep discount. I know of several registrars that sell .info domains for 89 cents per year. These cheap domain names allow spammers to generate thousands of sites at a huge discount.
The next criteria I use to help identify a link farm is what I call the “cheese factor”. Although some link farms will look professionally designed, most are either 1) generated with software or 2) are designed with the same cookie-cutter, non-altered templates that fill search engine results. This is especially true with blogs. Spammers and Internet newbies will not take the time to brand their websites or blogs. These are commonly referred to as “pump and dump” websites.
Another question you should ask is, does it look human? That is, does it look like someone hangs around and takes care of things? You should also be able to contact the webmaster either via web form or e-mail. If there’s no contact information available anywhere on the website, be very afraid.
If it’s a directory site, check out the links in a few of the main directory headings. Are the URLs hyphenated just like the main URL? If you visit one of these sites, does it look the same as the site you just came from? Are there more URLs crammed onto one page than anyone could possibly visit in a lifetime?
Linking With Integrity – Avoid Being Labeled a Link Spammer (Page 1 of 2)
It’s just as important to know what not to do when executing a website linking strategy as it is to know what to do. With inexpensive linking software and services so readily available, there’s a strong temptation to take shortcuts when it comes to getting quality links. Avoiding these traps will help your search engine placements rise naturally and stay that way for a long time. In this article, I describe two ways that you can help yourself avoid being labeled a link spammer.
Link Farms
What is a link farm? A link farm is any website designed and set up for the sole purpose of getting search engine spiders to crawl and index web pages. These websites provide absolutely no end user utility or benefit.
So how do you recognize a link farm? First, you need to ask yourself, is this site heavy laden with links? Most link farms will have a “farm” of links with little to no content. As for an explanation of the site’s existence, it’s usually missing too.
The next question you need to ask is, what does the URL of the site itself look like? Most of the time, link farms will have long, hyphenated URLs (i.e. our-great-linking-directory.com). This is a generalization so not all link farms will have these types of URLs. Many of these link farms are generated using software. The software will go out and find a domain name that contains specific keywords even if it settles on something with several hyphens and numbers. You may still consider a long, hyphenated site for linking purposes but make certain you conduct more research before you submit a link.
Next, look at the domain name extension and note if it’s .info or .biz. In order to sell these extensions, many domain name registrars offer a one-time, deep discount. I know of several registrars that sell .info domains for 89 cents per year. These cheap domain names allow spammers to generate thousands of sites at a huge discount.
The next criteria I use to help identify a link farm is what I call the “cheese factor”. Although some link farms will look professionally designed, most are either 1) generated with software or 2) are designed with the same cookie-cutter, non-altered templates that fill search engine results. This is especially true with blogs. Spammers and Internet newbies will not take the time to brand their websites or blogs. These are commonly referred to as “pump and dump” websites.
Another question you should ask is, does it look human? That is, does it look like someone hangs around and takes care of things? You should also be able to contact the webmaster either via web form or e-mail. If there’s no contact information available anywhere on the website, be very afraid.
If it’s a directory site, check out the links in a few of the main directory headings. Are the URLs hyphenated just like the main URL? If you visit one of these sites, does it look the same as the site you just came from? Are there more URLs crammed onto one page than anyone could possibly visit in a lifetime?
Google Adwords Marketing : Give Your Website the Online Jump-Start It Needs
Everyday millions of people are getting websites built for their businesses. A small fraction of these sites purely act as a reference point for clients and online users, whilst the vast majority of sites are being developed to cater to ones business marketing requirements.
Over the past few years of being in the website marketing industry, I have come across dozens of business owners whove questioned me about being able to achieve instant online visibility in the Search Engines upon their sites going live. With businesses who have a relatively new online presence in particular, there is one thing that I always recommended for those looking for more immediate traffic Google AdWords marketing.
AdWords, or paid Google advertising, is the only way in which a website can get website traffic immediately after it goes live online. Depending on the industry the business is in, it can take months for a website to start ranking organically in the Search Engines, so the introduction of this tool is the only way of achieving the online visibility required to achieve better results than your competitors.
Businesses that use Google AdWords marketing are given the online presence they need by having their site listed in the Google AdWords paid advertising sections of the Google search results pages (SERP). These sections are at the top of the rankings above and to the right of the organic search results.
Setting up a Google AdWords marketing account is the first thing that needs to be done. Through Google Analytics or a keyword tool, a variety of highly searched and relevant keywords are identified. It is these specific keyword phrases that a client needs to appear in the paid sections of the Search Engine results pages for. Whilst there are different set ups for charges, a common one is ‘Cost-Per-Click’ where every time an online user clicks on your website, you are charged the cost for that click. Youll also need to set a daily budget.
There are some businesses whose e-commerce sites have a huge variety of keyword phrases that they need to rank for, and its these businesses who are often the most suitable candidates for AdWords. Some of these businesses may spend upwards of $1,000 per month on Google AdWords marketing, but if their sales substantially exceed this figure, then it is something that will be well worth hanging onto. As they say, you have to spend money to make money.