| Why Linking To Your Competitors Makes Sense |
Most webmasters know that reciprocal links are a great way to
increase search engine rankings and boost targeted traffic to their
websites. Many of them also believe that linking to a competitor's
website is a mistake. I couldn't disagree more. Why? Let me explain...
First of all, it is very important to remove the emotional obstacle
from the concept of linking to a competing site. Human nature tells
us that sending your hard-won visitors to a competing site just can't
be right. This is one case where human nature is misguided.
Sure, a link will send traffic from your site to your competitors,
but his link will also send his valuable traffic to your site! It all
balances out. Now consider the fact that this will be the most
targeted traffic your website will ever receive! After all, when a
visitor arrives via a link on a site that offers the same thing you
offer, it's a darn good bet they're looking for whatever it is you're
offering!
But in addition to the ultra-targeted traffic that you'll receive
from your competitor's site, consider the powerful search engine
benefits. You'll gain a valuable inbound link with anchor text that
you can craft to target your best keyword(s).
And since this link is on a site that is similar to yours,
the "theming" aspect just won't get any better. Your Google PageRank
will increase along with your search engine rankings, boosting
traffic even more.
What does all this mean? Refusing to exchange links with direct
competitors can cost you big time. I have been actively seeking out
link exchanges with my competitors for over a year now, and during
that time I have seen my site's traffic increase from around 200
unique visitors a day to over 4,000!
------------------
Rick Rouse is the owner of RLROUSE Directory & Informational
Resources, one of the fastest growing Directories on the web. Visit
http://www.rlrouse.com and submit your URL!
|
Back to Articles Index
|
|
 |
|
