We are starting to run thin on potential link partners. I have sent hundreds of requests (most of them customized) to high values sites and now the pool is running dry. For you guys who have been in my situation, where do you turn to find new link partners?So far, I’ve hit the search engines and went through all the industry link sections of my competitors and related sites/industries.

Oops Links Links and Links……

We need to be #1, how can we get links? Almost every other client has this question.

My answer:

1. Content: If you don’t have content on your website, you don’t deserve links. So work on the content, make it worthy of a read.
2. Services: Do you really exist? What do you do? Do you offer something unique? If you are doing something useful probably there are a bunch who want to talk about your site.
3. Don’t live in an era of Link exchange. Those days are almost over, rely on creating talkable content. There are tons of articles on it.
4. Focus on few links, get the relationship moving. If a public speaker is impressed with your website, he will spread to many who will link back. So make sure you take your site to people who are talkers for your subject.
5. Press releases are tricky, don’t publish one article across many sites, max 5 and if possible, let all of these articles contain a link to one article so that you can cash in more juice.
6. News websites: There are tons of services that offer paid exposure and getting you to news sites.
7. Gadgets: Make gadgets and get links from there. It will also prompt many people to talk about your services.
8. Target technical neighborhood, they like to talk about things, so keep doing something that they can talk about.

There is a ton that one can write about links. I wish I had enough time. You can get some good links for $s too (most of them do it but very smartly).

But remember this formula
Year 2003: – Page based optimization, get links to targeted pages only.
Year 2008: Site based optimization, get links to site, make your site credible, pages of a credible websites are credible, get some topical links to the pages and you rock the SERPS.

Easy said than done . Do your dirty work yourself or pay the experts.

I am just wondering whether links from a logo will benefit my site in the same was as a text link would? Do they count at all? If so, is the Alt Tag used as opposed to anchor text? A site has just offered to place my logo on their site which links through to my site, just need to know whether to ask for a text link instead…

If you are getting the next best thing which is an image link, than it is ok. Just be sure they include a proper alt attribute for your Logo image. Adding the alt attribute with the image link provides an added benefit.

I’d also look at what is surrounding your image link. There are “outside influences” that come into play when we’re talking about image links and their placement.

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