Despite the claims of SEO gurus, the ability to successfully drive traffic to a website is part science and part alchemy. Indeed, although there is constant speculation about the algorithms that Google and other search engines use to rank websites, the most successful traffic strategies involve a number of tools. Strategies include everything from content rich articles and text ads to SEO tricks like meta tags and using keywords in image tags. Yet one of the most underrated yet crucial strategies that cause a website to rise in the search engine rankings is the oneway backlink. Simply put, a oneway backlink occurs when a website links to your website, but your site doesn't return the favor. The search engines long ago became savvy to the link exchange, whereby two websites entered into an agreement to each publicize the other's link. This kind of link exchange strategy spawned a number of spam sites that existed solely to create reciprocal links. As a result, the search engines deemphasized link exchanges and instead put a premium on the oneway backlink. Why? Because a site that links to yours without seeming to get anything in return signals the search engines that your site is worthwhile. If your site has a lot of oneway backlinks, it is perceived as popular by search engines. If your site is perceived as popular, it will rise in the search engine rankings. A oneway backlink is even more influential when it is associated with a keyword that is important to your site. For example, if you have a site about rose gardening, and then get an inbound link associated with the word "roses," it's of greater value than if you get an inbound link associated with pet supplies. A new type of website has surfaced that is specifically designed to help spur the proliferation of oneway backlinks to your site. Essentially, you purchase a keyword for, say, one dollar per letter, and the service will create an incoming link to your site using that specific keyword. For a new site, it's an inexpensive way to begin creating these essential links, while for established websites it's a way to keep the momentum going. In addition to linking, there are a number of other SEO strategies you can use to enhance your search engine ranking. For example, you should maximize the usage of your keywords. This doesn't mean employing keyword spamming techniques (where you use keywords devoid of context), but rather incorporating keywords into your page content, tagging them (H1, strong, image, and alt), and in URLs. You have to be careful, though, not to replicate the keywords too often, or the search engines might think that you have duplicate pages - something that will drag you down in rankings, rather than lift you up. There are also a number of factors that will cause your site to drop in ranking, such as slow server response or sites that aren't accessible to search engine bots. Overall, though, the oneway backlink - whether through the popular social bookmarking sites or though the new keyword-targeted linking sites - is emerging as one of the most essential tools in any SEO kit.
Please Rate this Article 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
