The problem with link exchanges is that they require you to give a reciprocal link in exchange for linking to your site. This inevitably means that there will be a limit to number of links you can tastefully place on your site without compromising your layout, content, and credibility. Links to other sites also provide extra temptations for surfers to leave your site. Also, search engines place more importance on quality than number of sites linking to your web site. It is of course difficult for small web sites to convince large, successful web sites to exchange links with them.

“Link Popularity” – these words may have caught your attention several times while you have been searching Internet for tips on optimizing your website for top search engine rankings. Link popularity means popularizing a particular link of a website by increasing number of websites that link to that site. Nowadays link popularity is being considered to be most important step of search engine optimization process. You cannot imagine getting good ranks in top search engines especially Google without following an effective link popularity plan.

Link Popularity Basics

Google gives a lot of importance to number of websites that link to a website. In order to get number of websites that link to a site, just type in a domain name in this manner link:www.your-domain.com in search box and number that returns is number of incoming links to your site. On basis of number of incoming links to a website along with various other factors, Google provides points within 1-10 to that website. These points or PageRank in language of Google is like a measuring tool that helps Internet surfers to know about online popularity of that website. The PageRank of a website can be obtained from PageRank Toolbar of Google which can be easily downloaded from Google website. (http:/ oolbar.google.com/)

Link Popularity Methods

Link Popularity can be done through different methods like ·Reciprocal Link Exchange Programs among websites ·Posting messages of your websites on various message boards and guest books ·Publishing articles about your website or company in other websites.

1. Reciprocal Link Exchange Program

Definition -

Reciprocal Link Exchange Program is most popular and commonly followed method for implementing link popularity plan of a website and getting desired results.

Reciprocal Link Exchange Program Steps -

A reciprocal link exchange program deals in exchanging of links with several websites. This program involves several steps that need to be followed which have been described below:

Step 1 –

Link exchange for a website is usually done with websites of same industry as well as with websites of other industries. For example, if your website is all about finance, you should be on lookout for websites that deal in finance along with other websites that are not related to finance. So first and foremost step is to find prospective link partners/websites that offer reciprocal link exchange programs. You can do this easily by typing in industry related keywords (e.g. “personal finance”, “financial expert”) in Google search box. And you can find out websites offering link exchange out of search results thus generated.

Step 2 -

Always try to exchange links with websites having Google PR (PageRank) of 4 or more. Here PR 4 criteria is applicable for both index page as well as links page of a website.

Step 3 –

You have to look for link exchange details of each of websites. The link exchange details lets you know how website wants to its link to appear in your links page, where to send your link exchange details, etc. The details generally include website’s link code, email address to send your information. Sometimes you may have to submit your link information through a form provided in website.

Step 4 –