Building Link relationships, websites that link to your website, is an important element in Search Engine Optimization. Link Popularity is analyzed by Google and other search engines that determines your page ranking. Page ranking is an important factor that determines the relative page placement of your weblink resulting from a Google search request. Google calculates page rank (PR) based on a number of factors including relevant url links, number of inbound or one-way links, and page ranking of inbound links.

Remember Google weighs the number of inbound, one-way links to your website as more significant than reciprocal or two-way links exchanges. A reciprocal link is one where you establish a link to a site and in return they link back to your website. However, do not underestimate the importance of establishing 2-way links. The fascination of creating one-way inbound links has lead to the creation of some suspect link strategies by would-be link exchange companies.

I’ve seen a flurry of emails from link exchange parties spouting off about the virtues of 3-way links which emulate one-way links. What these link exchange people do is set up a new an separate domain that is effectively a quick-and-dirty directory. These directories have no relevant affiliation with their own eCommerce website(s). These ineffective directories have nothing but URL link information (usually grouped by category) to hundreds of eCommerce sites like yours. Their Win-Lose strategy is:

- they set up a link to your website on this self-serving directory

- in return, they ask for a link from your website to another eCommerce website

This establishes a three-way link: Your website to another Relevant website and their non-relevant, self-serving directory to your website.

Be wary of such 3-way link exchange schemes – WHY?

1) directories carry less impact on Google page ranking (no relevancy for most directories)

2) most times these self-serving directories have ZERO page rank (PR) (Always check a sites page rank before exchanging links)

3) such 3-way links provides a WIN for them (they get your website with a good PR to link to their website) and a LOSE for you (you just get a link from a ZERO PR directory)

What are some simple strategies to increase one-way and two-way links:

1) continue to establish reciprocal 2-way link exchanges with relevant websites that have or will have a PR2 or better. Continue to add these 2-way links on a regular basis. These links will establish and improve your PR quicker than posting your URL information on the thousands of little directories.

2) consider 3-way links only if A) the inbound link is an legitimate, relevant eCommerce site with PR2 or better or B) you see that the inbound directory has relevancy and a PR 4 or better

3) consider Article Marketing, i.e. BLOGS, eZines and Press Releases to increase your one-way inbound links to your website. Article Marketing (like this very article) is the best way to establish your credentials and trust as a knowledge broker and establish Hyperlinks to your website – a 1-way inbound link to your website!

All the major search engines – Google, Yahoo and MSN search and catalog articles posted to popular eZine and BLOG sites. It is all about providing people with the best information in response to a keyword search request.

In business, attracting and retaining customers starts with building trust. Give your website a personality, a trusting personality. There is no better way than by deploying article marketing to build this trust and, at the same time, increase the one-way links to your website(s).