Link Building Must-Haves for Search Engine Ranking

Most website owners have gotten the word that you need other Web sites linking to yours in order to move up in search engine rankings. Just as important, though, is the fact that certain inbound links will not help you at all and others can have a negative impact on your placement in search engines. The following items are must-haves for effective link building that increases your exposure in searches.

The Site Must Be on Topic

The website linking to yours must share the same topic as your site. This provides a logical connection the search engine's servers to process and record. A link from a site that is unrelated to yours will either be ignored or treated with suspicion. The latter will result in a decreased search ranking.

Beware of sites that are made solely for advertising, sell text links, or engage in questionable search marketing practices. The association with your site could be detrimental.

Google PageRank

A standard if mysterious criteria for link building is the Google PageRank of a site. Google PageRank is a quality ranking issued by Google with 0 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest. PageRank is most easily viewed by downloading the Google Toolbar and installing it in your browser. The PageRank of any Web page you visit will be instantly displayed.

Internet forums rage with debates on the relevancy of PageRank. The general advice for linking is to choose sites with a PageRank that is equal to or greater than yours. A more inclusive approach is to avoid the lowest numbers and move on to other factors.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is the actual wording of your text link. For example, the following link - Associated Content - links to http://www.associatedcontent.com, but the anchor text is "Associated Content". Having the anchor text on an inbound link related to the content of your site will give the value of the link a nice boost. Search engines have become so clever that it is prudent to slightly vary your anchor text on different sites (if possible). Search engines recognize variations on words and your links will not suffer for doing the same.

Link Description

The text immediately surrounding a link to your site influences the value of the link. A site description that reinforces the main topic of your website will ensure that you get maximum value from the link. For both anchor text and link description, remember that subtlety is the rule. Constant repetition of the same phrases will decrease the value of inbound links. Subtle variations of your anchor text and link description will push you ever higher in search engine rankings.