How Popular Is Your Web Site?

By Nicole St. Martin

There are many techniques that our Search Engine Marketing (SEM) experts use to optimize FindLaw FirmSites, one of which is link popularity. Link popularity is referred to as an off-page factor in the search engine world and is representative of one of the most important elements in influencing a Web site's position in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPS). The top questions relating to link popularity are answered for you below.

1. What is link popularity and why is it important?

Link popularity is a score that search engines give to Web sites based on how many quality links are pointing or linking to a particular page. The greater your link popularity, the more important, or relevant, search engines consider your Web site.

Good link popularity can dramatically increase traffic to your Web site. Since most search engines factor link popularity into their relevancy algorithms, increasing your link popularity score can help your Web site’s position in the SERPS. However, it is important to remember that each search engine’s algorithm is different.

2. Are there different types of links?

There are four main classes of links that contribute to your Web site's overall link popularity score.

• External/Outbound. An external link is a link on your Web site that leads to an outside Web site. This type of link is used when you want to provide additional or complementary information to the user.
• Internal. Internal links are links on your Web site that lead to other pages within your Web site. A good internal linking strategy will enable all of your pages to be found easily by both search engine spiders and users alike.
• Inbound. An inbound link is a link on another Web site that directs the user to your Web site. Inbound links are important because search engines see them as being indicative of quality.
• Reciprocal/Link Exchange. Reciprocal linking occurs when two or more Web sites agree to display each other’s Web site link somewhere on their site (i.e., exchanging an outbound link for an inbound link)

3. Are some links better than others?
It’s true that all links are not equal. The effectiveness of the link depends on the following factors:

• Relevance. A relevant link means that the link is on a page or Web site that has the same subject matter as the page it links to (e.g., a link to a state bar association Web site from an attorney’s Web site).
• Quality. A quality link means that the link is from a popular, well-visited Web site.
• Link text. The text used to describe a link is important. You want to use relevant key phrases. For example, rather than having a Contact Us link, having a Contact a Minnesota Bankruptcy Attorney link would be more valuable.

4. What is PageRank™?
PageRank is software developed by the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It measures the relevance, or importance, of your Web site for users. It is based on the quantity and quality of inbound links as well as the content of the Web site.

PageRank is scored with a value of zero to 10, zero being the least relevant and 10 being the most relevant. Very few Web sites are able to obtain the highest ranking of 10. Google determines PageRank by evaluating how many Web sites link to yours. A link from a popular, well-visited Web site can be invaluable if it sends you qualified traffic that converts into clients. The true value of a link has absolutely nothing to do with PageRank.

5. How do I view a Web site’s PageRank?
Go to http://toolbar.google.com/ and install the Google toolbar. The Google toolbar includes a PageRank slider, which indicates PageRank for the page you are currently viewing.

6. What can I do to increase link popularity?
If you belong to a bar association, local chamber of commerce, rotary club, or similar organization, be sure to update your online profile with them to include your Web site URL.
You could also write articles and allow them to be republished with your Web site URL, join online forums and place your Web site address in your signature line, or even start your own online blog.

7. What types of Web sites should I exchange links with?
Ask yourself whether someone who is interested in the information on your Web site would find the site you are linking to useful. If the answer is yes, exchange links.

8. How many links should my Web site have?
The number of links you should have is dependent on the competitive nature of your Web site’s focus. Find out how many links your competition has and that will give you an idea of how many links you need in order to be competitive. It’s important to continually work on developing your Web site’s linking strategy. A good linking strategy will help with your Web site’s positioning in the search engines.

9. How can I find out how many links my Web site has?
Knowing how many Web sites link to yours, and increasing the number of quality links, are important parts of any Web site’s online marketing campaign. To find out how many links your Web site has, type the following searches in your browser:

Browser

Type

Google or MSN

link:yourwebsiteurl.com (e.g., link:findlaw.com)

Yahoo

linkdomain:yourwebsiteurl.com

Your link popularity total will often fluctuate from search engine to search engine. This happens because the figures shown represent the number of inbound links that are known to that search engine. The search engines are constantly re-indexing and reorganizing their databases, so the links a search engine sees pointing to your Web site can vary at any given time.

10. Is it possible to have too many links?
Yes and no. It has to do with the time it takes to accumulate the links in question. The answer is no, if you acquire the links over the natural progression of a Web site’s existence (adding a few links at a time). The answer is yes, if you accumulate an overabundance of links in a short period of time. This will trigger a search engine’s spam filter. This unnatural growth of links can be associated with link farms (a Web site that exists solely to link to other Web sites) and can be considered undesirable in the eyes of the search engines. Some search engines penalize for this type of activity and might even ban your Web site from their index.

11. What does FindLaw do to help increase link popularity for FirmSites?
FindLaw provides an inbound link by adding your Web site URL to your FindLaw.com profile. If you have purchased a FindLaw top spot, this also counts as an inbound link. See www.lawyermarketing.com for more information on FindLaw products.

Secondly, FindLaw links your Web site to the FindLaw.com portal. Because FindLaw is the busiest legal Web site on the Internet today, it is considered an established and trusted Web site in the eyes of the search engines, thus giving your Web site additional credibility.

Additionally, it is very important that your Web site be listed in the world’s major search engines and directories. For this reason, FindLaw submits your Web site to dozens of search engines and directories.
Finally, whenever possible, it’s best to place all external links on a dedicated links page. For this reason, FindLaw provides clients with a Resource Links page.

SEM is an organic process with no guarantees in positioning. FindLaw abides by a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Code of Ethics that condemns the “whatever it takes” approach to optimization. We take an honest, ethical approach to helping our clients perform well in search engines and have seen great success.