Posts Tagged ‘Articles’

The importance of back links in SEO

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

If you really want to give you web site a change of succeeding in the search engine rankings then you must focus a large part of your SEO campaign on building backlinks to your web site.  This process can take anything from a weeks to months, although in reality it never really stops.

If you have a new web site then the best way to get it indexed quickly is with relevant back links.  By relevant, I mean that the source of these back links comes from a web page that is topically relevant to your own.  For example we have just launched a site at www.destination-lanzarote.com and we have contacted property owners and tourism web sites to seek back links to our web site from them.

As the Google guidelines explain:

“The best way to ensure Google finds your site, is for your pages to be linked from lots of pages on other sites. Google’s robots jump from page to page on the Web via hyperlinks, so the more sites that link to you, the more likely it is that we’ll find you quickly.”

There are a number of different ways that you can create backlinks and promote your web site.  They don’t just have to come from 3rd party web sites.

For example, the following activities can help to build your backlink count:

  • Write articles relevant to your website content and submit them to article directories.  Article directories normally allow for at least 2 backlinks in a resource box
  • Submit your web site to web directories, but make sure you post the links in relevant categories to give your link some relevance
  • Trade links with other site owners, again making sure that the source page is relevant to your site
  • Write a blog, or contribute to existing blogs
  • Participate in forums that are relevant to the topic of your website and put a URL link in your signature
  • Use social media channels such as Digg, Twitter and Delicious

Link building isn’t easy, not surprising when you realise the value of a good back link.  It pays off to research and search the web for sites with relevant content.  It may sounds like a time consuming exercise but with SEO there are no shortcuts.

It is also very important to consider the anchor text of your back links.  You should always use your chosen keywords in your anchor text, and make sure they link back to a relevant page for that keyword (they don’t all have to go back to your homepage you know, deep links can be very useful).    The anchor text is the text that appears to be clickable to site visitors, for example:

Holidays in Lanzarote

Ideally, your link building campaign should be spread out over time.  This makes it appear like natural link growth to Google.  If you do too much too soon it could be flagged as SPAM which could seriously harm the chances of your site ranking well.

This post was written by Ian Sheldon, an SEO Consultant and founder of UK SEO Company, eSoftware Solutions.  If you are looking for help with your back link campaign then why not get in touch with us on 0845 838 8588 or email info@esoftware-solutions.com

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | 1 Comment »

The fundamentals of link building

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

As more businesses turn to the internet, it becomes more competitive, and  Search Engine Optimisation is one of the main methods used for increasing traffic and potential income.  Search Engines are very sophisticated and it may come as a suprise that nobody really understands exactly how they rank web sites in the results but one thing we do know is that inbound links to your site definately help.

The reason for this is that links that come into your web site are classed as ‘votes’ for your site, and Google likes popular sites that have many votes.  However, just to confuse matters not all links count as votes.

For example, links that do not have the ‘nofollow’ attribute are the ones that are valuable when it comes to link building for search engine optimization. Nofollow is an attribute that is applied to some links which tells search engines not to bother following the link. Ideally, the Nofollow links want to be avoided.

Secondly, you will remember me blogging about Page Rank not so long ago.  Links going to your site from a page with a high page rank and few links will carry a greater vote that one from a lower page rank source, or a page covered in links.  Try to concentrate on getting your links from pages with a good page rank, and few outboud links

The last think you want to consider with your links is the anchor text used.  The anchor text is the text that the web site visitor clicks.  The anchor text, where possible should always be one of your keywords.  Google see’s the anchor text as a source of relevant information and ideally wants to see relevant content to match it.

Here are 5 simple steps to getting your linking campaign stated.

1. Write Guest Posts/Articles
Probably the easiest way to build one way links to your web site is to write and distribute articles to article directories.  If you write engaging, good content then people will also replicate your articles, giving you even more links back to your site!

2. Swap links with web sites similar to your own
This can sometimes be difficult.  Afterall, consider the value of links and people who realise this might not be so willing to just let you have one.   Generally this is a two way link scheme or otherwise known as a recipricol link.

3 Directory Submissions
Just like article submissions, there are hundreds of web site directories out there that allow you to submit your web site.  Many free directories are just link farms and Google may penalise your site if it finds links from them.  Paid directories and generally better and hold more value.    Take a look at some of the sites listed in the directories before you make the decision to submit your own.

4. Blog Posts and Comments
Many blogs contain the “Nofollow” link, however many dont which means you can get some good juicy links from content rich sources. 

5. Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking sites are an excellent way to not only create backlinks, but also attract the interest of real people.  You can also find that links on social bookmarking sites are also indexed fairly fast. An good example of Social Bookmarking sites is Zig Tag

So there you have hit.  5 quick tips on link building.  Of course, we have missed off the one major source of link building from this list and thats creating great content that people will want to naturally link to.  At the end of the day, thats what SEO is all about.

If you would like more information on Link Building contact UK SEO Company eSoftware Solutions.  Visit their web site at http://www.esoftware-solutions.com or email Ian on ian@esoftware-solutions.com

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | No Comments »

The role of articles in SEO

Friday, June 12th, 2009

As you are probably aware by now, building back links to your web site from relevant sources is an extremely important part of any Search Engine Optimisation campaign.

Articles are a great way to help increase actual visitors and also a great way to increase your back links.  There are literally hundreds of article directories on the internet – some are an open market or different topics where as others are more specific to niche areas.  It is important that you submit your articles to the right directories to get the most impact.

As with all web related content, your articles should provide valuable information to the readers.  It is important that you create the content for human beings whilst maintaining a good balance of keywords and phrases that you are using to optimise your web site.

Most article directories expect your content to be between 300 and 500 words, although some are a little more particular and ask for 2000+.

Different article directories have different rules that you need to adhere to.  Some allow back links in the body of the article, where as others only allow back links in the resource box which is where you tell the reader about yourself and your company.   If you violate the rules of a directory once too often you can find yourself banned from the site.

One of the main advantages of article submissions in directories are that articles are a great source of providing one way link to your website and generate interest in visitors through the content of your written source and also attract more unique visitors.  Writing and submitting articles can save you time by getting back links to your website as compared to directory submission and link exchange.

If you are looking someone to manage the submissions of your articles to internet directories then why not get in touch?  We are a UK SEO Company specialising in Organic SEO.  Drop Ian a note at ian@esoftware-solutions.com or visit our web site http://www.esoftware-solutions.com

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | No Comments »

How Article Submissions can help your organic SEO Campaign

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Writing and submitting articles is a great resource for increasing traffic to your website and also getting one way links back to your site.

There are a thousands of article directories on the internet that will accept your article.  Each article directory is split into categories and it is important that the category that you pick is relevant to the content of your site.

Article Submissions are not only a great way of providing back links for your site, but also for creating click through traffic aswell.

There are hundreds of thousands of articles posted on the internet each and every day – so what can you do to help yours stand out from the crowd?

  • Firstly, make sure that you are providing unique and valuable content.  Make your article interesting and engaging.  Give people a reason to click through to your web site. 
  • Keep the article relatively short.  Between 350 and 500 words should suffice, although some article directories will request that you use more words.
  • Make sure that the article fulfills the promise of the article title.  Dont promise one thing and then write about another!
  • Include your keywords!  To get the maximum benefit out of your article, both in terms of click throughs and search engines make sure that you use your targetted keywords in your article.
  • Make sure you read the guidelines of each directory that you submit to.  Some directories only allow you to put URL links in your resource of signature area of the article.  If you don’t adhere to the guidelines your article will be rejected!

So why will submitting articles help my Search Engine Optimisation campaign?

  • Articles provide a great source of one way links to your web site and you can target deep links aswell as the home page.
  • You can generate human click throughs by writing engaging content.
  • Submitting articles is a white hat SEO approach.
  • Some article directories allow members to replicate your article on their web sites or other directories and blogs.  What can be better than free marketing and backlinks!

If you follow these basic guidelines when submitting your articles you will start to see your SEO campaign move in the right direction. 

For more information on Article Submissions, or if you would like to talk to us about an article submission project then please email info@esoftware-solutions.com

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | No Comments »

Article Submissions and SEO

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

There are numerous other, possibly more effective ways of SEO that have been suggested to you. But article submission is still a very popular amongst Search Engine Companies. This is because article marketing has a rich history in print media–think of ‘expert’ columns in magazines and newspapers–its online applications can be just as effective at attracting traffic and publicity. Thus, you enjoy the twin benefits of optimizing your site as well as generation of huge traffic to your site.

Article Submission and Traffic Generation

A website owner can write an article, distribute it, and increase their traffic through the links in the ‘About the Author’ section. The reader of the article gets expert knowledge for free and the online marketer gets free or very low-cost advertising. If the article is very well written, the website owner can be sure that readers will definitely click on the link given in the ‘About the Author’ section. Hence, by having a detailed interaction with your target audience, you can inform them more about your business and the various benefits of doing business with you.

Article Submission and SEO

Search engine optimization and article marketing go hand in hand. When an expert writes an article, they will naturally use the keywords that pertain to their niche. Hence by writing an ‘optimized’ article, you can get your article to rank well in search engines and drive traffic through the article.

Apart from this, every time one of the articles containing a link to the author’s site is published online, more links pointing to that site are put into place. Search engines detect those incoming links and award a higher search engine ranking based on the number of links and the relative search engine rankings of the linking sites.

Secret to Success

However to make your article submission campaign successful, you need to ensure a positive user experience. To provide a positive experience for your readers and encourage future repeat traffic, you need to choose your article content carefully. Providing valuable content to the Internet community is what article marketing was meant to do! Distributing articles with high-quality content does more than gain an initial surge in traffic and a higher search engine ranking. It also establishes the site with loyal readers who will keep coming back on their own.

What does all of this mean for you when you are in the early stages of designing your Web site? Web design can easily be geared toward search engine optimization. By including quality content articles on your own site, you provide a reason for casual visitors to stay and look around. When coupled with article marketing, this online marketing method is an effective way to increase your odds of attracting and retaining prospective clients.

However, over aggressive article marketing can produce excessive redundant content which may be flagged as spam by some search engines.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | No Comments »