Reciprocal Link Campaigns

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Campaigning for reciprocal links requires a mix of public relation skills and marketing skills. However, you don't have to worry about how much you know. You just have to pay attention to some simple rules of etiquette and planning..

Reciprocal Link Campaign Etiquette

Little Miss Manners states that etiquette is extremely important in how you deal with people and their situations. You want to be polite and respectful at all times. But, how does the person you want to trade links with know you are honest?

When you write someone to ask for a link you want to prove you were on their site. Probably the best way to do that is to find a product or piece of information on their site that you can point to and explain how you appreciate it and how your visitors might as well. Be sincere in what you say and remember it is easier to catch flies with honey than it is vinegar.

Before you write them you want to make sure the link you stated you would give them is on your site. Provide a link to the page they are linked on and include a link to your front page. Yes, you are using information they probably have not approved so it is always best to ask for corrections. This shows that not only do you find their information or products useful to your visitors, but you want to promote them using their chosen methods.

Once they have agreed to link to you, you should you provide your optimized anchor text and description. Ensure your anchor text is optimized and your description describes your products or business.

Keep you description to 40 words or less. Keeping your description short ensures people will read it. It also ensures you are showing respect for the business you are trading links with. It's like the family member that stayed too long - you don't want to be rude, but you sure hate having to put up with it.

Reciprocal Link Campaign Planning

Yes, campaign planning comes before execution, but in this situation we are putting the planning after the etiquette to get your mind going in the right direction.

Planning a reciprocal link campaign requires an understanding of your industry and how your products or services fit within your industry. A site about harmonicas might want to start a reciprocal link campaign. So, what types of web sites would they want to trade links with? Perhaps they would like to link to harmonica players, harmonica clubs, sheet music stores and musical instrument sites.

Once you have the topics you want to cover on a list, you then need to develop an entry page for your resources or link partners. This page would be a directory of the targeted resource topics. The links would go to separate pages and those pages would have the links to your reciprocal link partners.

If someone comes to you and offers a trade that does not meet your industry, ignore them. If someone in a complimentary field comes to you and offers trade you can investigate them and decide if you want to add a category they would fit within. But, you want to make certain you are getting a good trade for your efforts. If they intend on putting you in a list of non-topically matched links walk away.

Conclusion

Planning your reciprocal link campaign and following the prescribed reciprocal link etiquette can help your business succeed in gaining those much needed links to your site. Good business practice dictates that you plan every move you make with your business and then act upon the campaign to market your business. Remember, D-Day was a success because General Eisenhower planned it before he began the campaign to launch the plan.

articles » search engine optimization