Reciprocal Link Requests - Tourettes-Disorder.com
We
are very particular about how we trade links with other sites. We
follow a list of "Link Etiquette Guidlines"
when we request a link link from any source. You can trust us
to adhere to these "Ten Commandments of Linking" principals
if we have made a reciprocal link request from your site.
If
you are requesting a reciprocal link; to be considered we ask that
others follow the similar "Link Etiquette Guidlines" below.
Please read them before you send us a request.
Also
if you are initiating the link exchange request; after following a
technical review of your site, I'll update our links page promptly
with your information.
Your
link will be placed in our reciprocal links section and/or a more
appropriate area on our site that will be most benificial to both
sites and resources.
Paul
Marshall
Editor
and Webmaster
Link
Etiquette Guidelines
The Ten Commandments of Linking
By Glenn Canady Gorilla
Website Marketing
Right
now, I'm getting about 20 link requests a day from webmasters that
haven't a clue about the right way to link! So I decided to write
the "Ten Commandments of Linking" to cover all the basics
for effective linking. If somebody told you to read this article,
you just might be violating one of them! If you are, don't worry about
it, you're not going to go to hell or anything. But you might just
get banned on Google and that's almost worse than going to hell! Your
website's search engine rankings and traffic ALWAYS go up when you
do linking right so study them carefully and figure out if you're
doing anything wrong!
The
Commandments
#1)
Thou Shall Always Put Up A Link BEFORE Asking
For A Link
Putting
up a link to someone before you ask them for a link is proper linking
etiquette and is much more effective than the alternative. If you're
going to ask somebody for a link then don't waste their time unless
you've already linked to them. This shows that you are serious about
linking with their site and haven't just sp@mmed the universe asking
for links! And if you tell somebody that you've linked to them, be
sure that you really have. Otherwise, you've just lost your credibility.
By the way, always tell your prospective link partner exactly how
to link to your site.
#2)
Thou Shall Not Build Link Farms
I'm seeing
this commandment being violated more all the time. Some people are
in such a rush to get links that they try to link to EVERYBODY. They
don't have any type of cohesive theme to their link directories. They
are just a mish mash of totally unrelated websites thrown together
- in other words a "link farm"!
Think
about the types of sites you want to link with and build a useful
directory that is complementary to what you are offering. For example,
my website, 5 Star Shine, sells a unique type of car wax that lasts
for 5 years. If you look at my Automotive Link Directory on this website,
you'll notice that I have built a nice directory about anything related
to cars. Since I sell a car related product, the people that will
find useful information in my directory are also a great source of
potential customers. I'm building a useful resource and that's why
I've been so successful with this directory. Pick some kind of a niche
that is complementary to what you are offering and build a great themed
directory. For example, if you sell merchandise, you might build a
gift directory. That's what I did with my website, 5 Star Closeouts.
Since the people that are in my "gift directory" on this
site are also potential buyers of my closeout merchandise, it's a
great way to build a useful resource AND let potential customers know
about my website. This seems to be working really well.
#3)
Thou Shall Not Hide Thy Link Directory!
This
one really makes me want to smite somebody! Some guy will ask you
for a link, but when you go to his home page, you look around for
10 minutes and can't find a way to get to his link area from there.
Most of these jokers are just trying to be sneaky and not let their
customers ever find the link directory. My general rule is that I
require a link to the link directory be prominently displayed on the
home page. If I can't find it in 15 seconds or less, chances are nobody
else will and it's of no value to me!
#4)
Thou Shall Have No More Than 50 Links On One
page.
Actually,
50 links on one page is really pushing it in my opinion. If you have
more than 50 links on one page, then you are doing something wrong.
Google now ignores most web pages that contain more than about 50
links because many are just link farms. When I see the 4th Commandment
being broken, it's usually because somebody is trying to have just
one page of links. Of course, they're usually violating the 2nd commandment
also because the site is usually a link farm too! It's very important
that your links are broken up into relevant categories and that each
one isn't over 50 links. To do this properly, you can use a program
like Zeus to organize your links properly. This is the program that
I use on all my sites and it's been the key for my own number one
rankings. If you'd like a discount on Zeus, be sure to get a Gorilla
Marketing membership.
#5)
Thou Shall Only Ask For a Link When It Makes
Sense For Both Websites!
This
is a pet peeve of mine actually. I can't stand when some idiot wants
me to add their Thailand hotel website to my 5 Star Shine automotive
directory! I don't know what planet these people come from, but they
need to get a clue! Remember, you need to be building a valuable resource
with your link directory. If you are marketing a hotel in Thailand,
then build some kind of a travel theme into your link directory, or
maybe a link directory of all the things to do in Thailand perhaps.
Be creative but always keep this in mind. Your goal is to build a
resource that will attract the kind of people that would be interested
in what you're offering. If you do this right, your business will
pick up dramatically because your link directory will always be attracting
potential customers.
#6)
Thou Shall Always Tell Others Where Their Link
Is
Don't
make someone hunt for 10 minutes on your website to verify that you
posted their link. Just give them the URL where you've put the link
or tell them what category you posted them in. Everybody's time is
valuable and nobody wants to hunt for their link for very long.
#7)
Thou Shall NOT SPAM For Link Requests
If you
send email to unrelated web sites in your link directory just because
you want to possibly get a link, then you are spamming in mind and
spirit. The webmaster who receives this kind of email is not going
to be a happy camper because your web site does not remotely match
their web site and has nothing to offer their visitors. The webmaster
is most likely just going to delete your email but if you catch them
on a bad day, he might report you to the spam police. Either way you
lose! Make sure you only send email to sites that match your chosen
theme and tell them exactly what page you'd like to see your link
on in the letter. That way the person that gets your email will know
that you've actually been to their site and that you cared enough
to tell them where to stick your link!
#8)
Thou Shall Keep Thy Link Requests Short And
Sweet!
Don't
tell people your whole life story when you ask for a link because
they really don't care! When I get a link request, I'm looking at
these factors.
Is this
site somewhat related to my site and does it fit in my link directory
theme?
Has this
person already linked to me?
Can I
easily find their link area from the home page?
Does
this site have a coherent theme or is it just a link farm?
Is the
page that my link is on have less 50 links or less?
Does
at least the home page of the site have some Google PageRank? If not,
then I'll probably let it slide if the site is fairly new.
So in
your link request letter, just tell them where their link is and where
in their directory you'd like to be placed. Also, give them the description
that you'd like to use for your website's listing too. That's all
they need to know.
#9)
Thou Shall Always Keep Thy Word
If you
tell somebody that you're going to upgrade them to link partner status,
then make sure you do it right away or let them know when they can
expect it to be done. Update your link directory promptly and always
keep your word to your link partners. They did give you a link when
you asked for it and therefore deserve your respect.
#10)
Thou Shall Not Take Down Your Link Partner's
Link
If you
give somebody a link, then don't delete it when you think nobody's
looking! I've seen people try to pull one over on me by getting a
link, then deciding to delete their entire link directory a few months
later! These people must think that a link directory is just something
that you do for a while and then delete when you have some links or
something. Linking is not just something you do for a bit and then
throw away - it's a total way of life dude! When you're doing linking
right, you're building a valuable resource that will get lots of traffic.
Give Away This
Article And Help Stop The Linking Crisis!
If you're
a webmaster, you're probably sick and tired of people doing linking
wrong and wasting your precious time too. Well, here's your chance
to do something about it! Just give this article away to anybody that
you see violating any of the 10 Commandments of Linking. You're free
to give this article away anyway you wish. With your help, we can
stamp out the current linking crisis in our lifetime!
