Link Popularity history:

To gain a better understanding of link popularity it is useful to know why it became so crucial for search engine rankings. In past a web page's ranking was determined, amongst other factors, by number of keyword occurences within 'on-page' elements i.e. in page text, META tags, title tag. When web developers learned that they could trick a search engine to return their web pages by cramming keywords into their pages search engines had to get a bit smarter. They were using 'on-page' elements to determine relevance so it was only natural that they would look to elements out of direct control of web page creator i.e. 'off-page' elements. Search engines made assumption that greater number of links from other sites pointing to a web site, more popular web site is and therefore a more quality resource. This worked nicely in theory but in practice it was also to be abused.

Web site owners figured out many ways to get links pointing to their web sites one example of which was through use of link farms, pages contained nothing more than a collection of links, Quantity of links was being abused so search engines made use of old saying "quality not quantity" and began to assign a quality factor to each of links pointing to a web site. Now web sites that had a higher number of high quality links were looked upon favourably by search engines. Building link popularity became a science in itself and today is still most time-consuming and frustrating activity for a search engine optimizer.

Main classes of links:

Note: In following examples SiteA is our web site and SiteB is an outside site i.e. a web site under a different domain name than SiteA.

Inbound links: Inbound links to a web site are links that originate from an outside web site . An example would be a link on SiteB pointing into a page on SiteA. SiteA <----- SiteB

Outbound links: Outbound links from a web site are links pointing to a page on an outside web site. An example would be a link on SiteA pointing out to a page on SiteB. SiteA -----> SiteB

There are two further classifications of links:

Reciprocal links: An example of a reciprocal link is when SiteA links to SiteB AND SiteB links to SiteA, link is reciprocated by both parties. SiteA -----> SiteB AND SiteA <----- SiteB

One-way links: An example of a one-way link is when either SiteA links to SiteB OR SiteB links to SiteA, it is one-way only. SiteA -----> SiteB OR SiteA <----- SiteB

Find Your Niche

The first step to creating your own e-commerce business is to find you niche. Examine your hobbies and interests for potential business ideas. If you love soccer, consider selling soccer supplies or team uniforms online. You may also consider opening a business that is similar to your current job. For example, as a nurse you may know a lot about medical supplies and how hospitals obtain them. You could start a medical supply business. Your contacts and industry knowledge could give you an advantage over a competitor who does not know inner-workings of hospitals way you do.

Research The Demand

Now that you have a few business ideas, it’s time to research demand for your products or services. If you plan to sell to general public, you’ll want to find out how many people are looking for your products or services. As a small business owner, you will not have marketing funds to create a demand for a product. The products you sell, must already be in demand. A great way to determine product demand is to see how many people are searching for a specific product. Overture has a wonderful keyword tool (http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/) that displays number of searches for specific keywords. It will give you a good idea of which products are popular and specific keywords you should target when building your website.

Scope Out Your Soon-To-Be Competitors

Before settling on a business idea, scope out your would-be competitors. Visit their websites and compare following:

· Professional Look & Feel

· Products and Services

· Search Engine Ranking

· Page Rank (Available on Google Tool Bar)

· Keywords

· Back Links (how many sites link to them).

You’ll need to know your competitor’s websites inside and out. Spend some time exploring each one. This will give you an idea of what you’re up against. Keep in mind, that your website will need to be equally as professional or better than theirs. Don’t worry if you don’t think you have technical skills necessary to create a professional website. The use of professional website templates will be explained later.

While you’re researching your competitors, check to see if products you intend to sell are sold at large department stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon.com. It is very difficult for a small business to compete with these large companies because profit margins are extremely low. You’ll need to sell products that are in demand, but aren’t sold by corporate giants.

Establish A Business Entity

In order to conduct business, you need to establish a business entity. Fortunately this can be as easy as filing a “Doing Business As” or “Fictitious Name” form with your local County Clerk’s office to become a sole proprietor. When you arrive at County Clerk’s office, they will check their records to make sure your intended business name is not already in use. If it’s available, you will need to complete appropriate forms and pay your filing fee. Each state has different requirements. Check with your state for requirements on becoming a sole proprietor.

You will also need a sales tax id. You will need to charge sales taxes in state where your business resides. Contact your county office for details about sales tax ID’s and any other requirements they may have.

Open A Business Bank Account

Now that you are a legitimate business owner, it’s time to open a business bank account. Take your court documents to bank and open a business checking account. Most banks offer a variety of business accounts. Choose one best meets your needs. It’s usually best to start with their least expensive account because it could be a while before you start earning revenue. You can always upgrade in future.

Some banks require a business owner to wait specified amount of time, usually 90 days, after court documents are filed before opening a business bank account. These rules are in place to help prevent fraud. Check with your bank to obtain waiting period information.

Choose A Domain Name

While you wait to open a bank account, you can start building your website. First, register a domain name. Names that end in “.com” are best. If possible your, domain name should include one or more of your target keywords. For example, if you are creating a yoga supply business, you’ll want to choose a name with word yoga, such as yogacenter.com, yoga-supply.com, or yogastuff.com.

Create Your Website