POTN Link exchange, increase your SEO and PR ratings

[coreypolis]

In reading about search engine optimization and seeing what other pros are doing for this, I wanted to offer an idea to other POTN members. I thought it might be fun to have an POTN link exchange program. I'll show you mine if... wait, I mean, I'll link to your site if you'll link to mine. Actually, I might just link to your site just for the fun of it. This is your chance to increase the PR rating for your website. GinoL of storybyphoto used this exact technique on his board to the success of all participants.

Inbound links ... if more sites link to yours, search engines deem your site more "important". Google and other search engines don't disclose details of their ranking algorithm - but some would say relevant inbound links are more important than meta tags.

This is how this link exchange is supposed to work:

I scratch your back, you scratch mine. For each URL that is on the list, there must be a "crawlable" HTML link (not flash) to the list from that URL. If you have several URLs listed, each one must have its own list of links.

For example. let's say you have domain name "abc.com" as well as "abc.net" and "AccountingforBoredChildren.com." Your "main" URL that you use is abc.com and the others, when typed in, jump to abc.com. That's not going to cut it, because the list of outbound links only comes from abc.com. But, if the other URLs stay up in the address bar, then the list of outbound links is coming from those URLs.



So any takers?

[coreypolis]

Just follow these simple steps:
1. Post a link to your website here (code only) which includes a description of the link. Here's an example:

<a href="http://polisphotography.com" title="Seattle, Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland Wedding Photographer" target="_blank">Seattle, Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland Wedding Photographer - Polis Photography, Corey Polis Photographer</a>

2. After other links have been posted, copy and paste those links into your "links" page. If you have not created one, make sure there is a direct link to this page from another page on your site. I will do my best to keep updating the list as new people add, but you will need to do the same. I’d suggest adding a topic subscription with daily or weekly email report.

3. Please remember that these links must be reciprocal in order for the optimization to work properly. If you want others to link to you, be considerate enough to link back to them. We are on the honor system here, guys.


In the same post as your code, tell us how to get from the home page to the links page. It can be an invisible or visible link. But there has to be a link for it to work. For example, you could have a small graphic or a period as the link, or an area that’s the same color as the background, or way off page.

If you don’t do this part, there’s no point to doing any of it, and you will be removed from the list.

If you aren't great with html, simply go to whoever has an updated page, click on the top of your browser to View - source, and copy that coding in, add your own, and save and upload it, and report back where the page is and how to get to it.

[coreypolis]

and just to start it off, I included my code info on the PTON Links page at:
http://polisphotography.com/potnlinks.php

the code is:
<a href="http://polisphotography.com" title="Seattle, Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland Wedding Photographer" target="_blank">Seattle, Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland Wedding Photographer - <strong>Polis Photography, Corey Polis Photographer</strong></a>


and can be seen from a link on the apostrophe in the bottom line of text.

[tim]

Beware though, i've read having a link to your site from a page that has hundreds of links can actually reduce your pagerank. Linking between photographers with a small number of links is a good plan.

[coreypolis]

Beware though, i've read having a link to your site from a page that has hundreds of links can actually reduce your pagerank. Linking between photographers with a small number of links is a good plan.

good advice. I've done this with one other forum of pro wedding photogs recently, and its already working. It takes a couple weeks to really get it going as teh search engines robots crawl along

[tim]

I've heard it can take months sometimes. SEO is a black art.

[coreypolis]

it works people and only takes 5 minutes to do http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/viperx27/squint.gif

[cdifoto]

Corey I'll swap with you once I get the admin links interface installed on my website.

[coreypolis]

sweet

[cdifoto]

I added you but I'm still working out some bugs and tweaking it.

www.cdifoto.com/links.php

I need an 80x75 image url I can put up for your site.

[tommykjensen]

Question: Do you only want wedding photography links?

If you want all types of photography links perhaps it would be a good idea to move this thread to General Chat.

[coreypolis]

Question: Do you only want wedding photography links?

If you want all types of photography links perhaps it would be a good idea to move this thread to General Chat.

thats a good question. I guess that would make sense to do.

[cdifoto]

Corey if you want me to keep your link active on my site, you gotta add me to yours and give me an 80x75px image to display. You can host the image yourself (it's actually better that way.)

[coreypolis]

Corey if you want me to keep your link active on my site, you gotta add me to yours and give me an 80x75px image to display. You can host the image yourself (it's actually better that way.)

hmm, hadn't ever seen anyone that wanted a visable link before. Thats cool. Most people just make a hidden page for it.

[cdifoto]

hmm, hadn't ever seen anyone that wanted a visable link before. Thats cool. Most people just make a hidden page for it.

What's the point of a hidden links page? No one would ever click...

[coreypolis]

What's the point of a hidden links page? No one would ever click...

its just for google indexing, it will boost your page rank and therefore where it is seen when someone types in say, chicago wedding photographer, your page would go up toward the top.

I wouldn't want my competition being advertised on my own webpage knowingly for the client to see.

[cdifoto]

its just for google indexing, it will boost your page rank and therefore where it is seen when someone types in say, chicago wedding photographer, your page would go up toward the top.

I wouldn't want my competition being advertised on my own webpage knowingly for the client to see.

That's why you don't link with local photogs...just DJs & Videographers from anywhere, and fellow shooters from far, far away. :)

[tommykjensen]

thats a good question. I guess that would make sense to do.

So do you want me to move it?

[coreypolis]

So do you want me to move it?

sure

[tim]

You're penalised by google for having loads of links on a page, so keep it relevant. I'll exchange links with selected people.

[Mike-DT6]

What's happening with this idea? I have just finished and published my website and wondered if there was any scheme on POTN for swapping links with other photographers. I would have thought there would be loads of interest in this idea, but I could only find a couple of threads on the subject.

So, is this idea worth reviving?

Mike

:-)

[Mike-DT6]

Hmmm, looks as if this one is dead in the water then! :lol:

Mike