Search Engine Optimization
   & Reciprocal Links

The information posted here is provided on the assumption that you are interested in building traffic to your site and pursuing an effective search engine optimization strategy (SEO). If you want to make the most of the links that are part of your SEO, read on. If you need validation of the strategem outlined below, you will find it on SEO Chat and iPagerank.

If all you want is a link—and you don't care whether it optimizes your SEO—click here to skip down to our reciprocal link submission info.

Q: Why is an Optimized Link an important aspect of an SEO strategy?

A: Google sets the standards:

Just having a link point to your site was a good thing, once. But now, there are different classes of links. Moreover, there are other equally important factors that are addressed through the strategy explained below, the most important of which is developing content.

In 2003, Google rewrote its algorithms to decrease the effect of links in establishing a site's relevance. Too many sites that provided relatively little content or used subterfuge to increase their page rank had been successful in getting high page rank for their sites.

The value of optimized links, because they are content, is that they will likely withstand future tests of "relevance" to decrease their value. Virtually any effort to discount their value would almost necessarily need to discount any link, and links to content on other sites are the most relevant content on most sites.

Setting Up an Optimized Links Page

You actually need at least two links pages, one for ordinary links and another (or others) for optimized links. Not everyone will adopt the strategy, and optimizing a link and putting it on an optimized page for those who put ordinary links to your site on their links page is like trading fresh cake for stale bread.

The ordinary links page is for reciprocal links to sites whose operators don't care enough to maximize their SEO and cooperate with you. It is also where one of the links to your optimized links page goes. These links are there for surfers who like to browse, and to do the right thing for your link partners.

Make the link to your optimized links page conspicuous, and attractive to surfers. Put it at the top of your links page, and call it something like, "hot links," or whatever.

Add it to other pages on your site too. This is an important measure that will help reduce the effect of it being linked from your links page—the search engines will rate links from links pages lower than other links. "Links" and certain other words are now considered "poison" words. Don't let the word "poison" make you too edgy though. The word is a bit of hyperbole, and Googling the phrase "poison words" will provide you with a wealth of info about that topic.

The "poison words" issue brings us to naming the optimized links page. Name it something other than "links" or "resources"—even "anything.html" would work—but give the page a title that reflects the content of the page. A good title is an important attribute of any SEO. There are a lot of sites online that can inform you about this aspect.

Finally, use the key words in the site descriptions of the sites to which you link in your keywords tag. This reinforces the impression that the page is "content" and not just links.

Don't think of this strategy as subterfuge, because you are in fact providing content when you use optimized links!