}--SEO FAQ's

Q-How Does Link Popularity Work?
Here's an example of how I believe link popularity works:

Let's say that Shehnaaz Herbal Website has a link to jack cosmetics store site. If the link uses the keywords "men's clothing store" in the anchor text (the clickable part), it may help jack cosmetics link popularity a little bit for those keywords. However, Jack would benefit a lot more if the same link came from a site that was more related to Jack's site than a Shehnaaz Herbal. For instance, a more related link might be from a cosmetics store, a parlour or any other type of store that relates to cosmetics in some way.

Where Do Reciprocal Links Come In?
The other popular misconception floating around is in regards to reciprocal linking. Since so many people think that exchanging links with sites is the easiest way to get them (it may or may not be), new people learning about link popularity are under the mistaken belief that they must have links that are reciprocated on their site (e.g., "you-link-to-me-and-I'll-link-to-you"-type links). Still others are saying that reciprocal links are dead and you won't gain any benefit from them.

Both camps are wrong. You certainly don't need to get reciprocal links, but you can if you want to. Remember, it's links pointing TO your site that are the helpful ones. Links pointing FROM your site to other sites are wonderful to have because they help your visitors find related stuff, but if your site doesn't lend itself to linking to other sites, then by all means, don't do it. You need to do what's right for your company and your site visitors, first and foremost.

Q-Who Should I Exchange Links With?
There are a few guidelines that you can follow when exchanging links:

Only link to web sites that will benefit your visitors - otherwise you are foregoing the needs of your visitors at the expense of link popularity
Don't link to sites that look 'dodgy' or questionable - if you don't think it looks or feels right then you're probably right
Beware of link farms - link farms are web sites that are created with the only intention of reciprocal linking. Search engine don't like these so don't become associated with these "bad neighbourhoods"

The List Of Don'ts
Don't exchange links with sites that you would not want your visitors to see. This type of link can make your site look indiscriminate while defeating the entire purpose of link popularity. Also, do not ever exchange links with sites that contain nothing but a huge collection of links (AKA "link farms"). Search engines have been known to aggressively penalize sites that are associated with such sites. In addition, do not harass people who do not answer your emails. Remember that you are contacting someone, out of the blue, who probably has too much to do already. If they haven't responded within a month of your second email, don't expect a link. Finally, do not expect overnight results. Link building takes a great deal of time and labor, and there is no real shortcut- a primary reason why search engines place importance on it. If your site is terrible, you aren't going to convince many others to link to you, no matter how sweetly you ask.

Q-Conclusion
A properly executed link building campaign will help boost your ranking with many search engines, but this is only part of the benefit. The quality sites that have agreed to link to you will also send you highly relevant traffic. Also, your brand and name will become better known within your industry as a result of the link requests that you make. Finally, your additions to Yahoo and the Open Directory will send you a great deal of additional quality traffic. Link building is a laborious process, but if done properly it is most definitely worth the effort.


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