Three Major Misconceptions About Link Popularity

Link popularity remains a mystery to many people new to search engine optimization. Regardless how they find out about link popularity, they usually always have some preconceived notions about what they think link popularity really is -- and they are usually wrong. To dispel these myths, we've outlined the three most common misconceptions about link popularity and how it relates to search engine optimization:

Quality vs. Quantity. All too often, people new to link popularity and search engine optimization think the best way to increase their search engine rankings through link popularity is by flooding their links pages with hundreds of links. After all, the more links the better, right? Wrong! In fact, if you don't pay attention to the quality of those links, you could actually hurt your search engine rankings. For instance, if a site is spamming a search engine or using other unethical search engine optimization tactics, you can actually hurt your own link popularity by linking to them. Think of it as "guilty by association." You want to make sure that the sites you are linking to aren't using unethical search engine optimization tactics. Developing an effective link popularity campaign is not about quantity. Rather, it is about getting quality links that will increase your search engine rankings.

Link Content. A couple of years ago, search engine optimization specialists believed that it was essential to search engine ranking to link same-subject sites together. Today, there is no evidence that in order to increase search engine ranking, a site must link to sites of similar interest. Again, the most critical aspect of linking is that you are linking to sites in good standing who will not harm your existing rank.

Link Maintenance. So, let's say you've been working hard for the past two weeks on developing an effective link popularity campaign. Maybe you already have one good page of 25 quality links. Before you sit back and unwind, thinking you've done your job, think again. You're going to need to maintain your links page. That means verifying that your link partners continue to include your link on their site, that they list your link correctly, and that there aren't any dead pages you are linking to. Additionally, you're going to need to continue adding quality links to your resource directory. Just think, 25 links are great, but imagine what 100 quality links will do for your search engine ranking! After a while, you'll create enough visibility for your site that other webmasters will be contacting you to trade links.