Developing links to your site on other directories and topic-related web pages is integral to building a strong foundation of consistent visitors to your website. Surveys and traffic analysis have shown that approximately 86% of website visitors regularly use links from comparable sites to find the information they are looking for. This indicates that strategic links are even more effective than search engines as a source of site traffic. In fact, having quality links to your site can actually increase your ranking with some of the major search engines.

Links position your site in front of your targeted audience and allow you to capture their interest when they are viewing sites that offer related services, products, or information.

A 6-step approach is the most effective strategy:

Step One: Baseline Research
Step Two: Target Identification
Step Three: Message Development
Step Four: Submissions & Requests
Step Five: Follow-up
Step Six: Updates & Analysis

Identify who is currently linking to your site and who is linking to your competitors' sites by querying LinkPopularity.com's free resource. Although it is not 100% accurate, it can give you a good idea of the type of websites you should target.

You should use a three tiered approach to identify appropriate and effective targets for link placement. The approach works like a one-two-three punch and utilizes the "General - Specific - Granular" technique of targeting. Identify targets in the following categories:

General Directories: You must consistently research the Net for new, quality directories and select the most important and effective ones to submit your site information to. These are the most heavily used directories by individuals searching for information on the web, and it is important that your site is properly submitted to them. These directories are very general in nature, meaning they include many different categories such as health, finance, art, education, etc…. Learn the proper procedures for submitting to these directories for maximum exposure and submit information to the appropriate sections of these directories one-at-a-time by hand. You can find them easily by using a free resource called the WebStep Top 100.

Topic-Specific Directories: There are many directories targeted to specific areas of interest such as health, travel, finance, affiliate programs, etc… Spend time researching and identifying ones that are appropriate. One example is Achoo.com, which only accepts submissions from health-related sites. Other examples include Yehud.com, which specifically targets the Jewish community, and Bizbot.net, which targets the business community.

Custom Link Development to Related Resource Sites: Research the web for strategic sites to request links to your site, including complimentary sites and niche sites. Link development at related resources requires creative thinking and persistence. When done properly, custom link development is an extremely cost-effective way to generate continuing traffic to content rich websites.

You must carefully choose the sites from which you request links. Rather than use a scattergun approach, analyze sites for quality, content, and popularity before requesting a link. This approach generally results in a high rate of positive responses within a month of the request.

Once you have identified the appropriate targets, compose description statements and write request emails to send to your identified targets. If a website does not have an online submission form, write to the webmaster and ask whom you should send your request to.

Each identified target has a different procedure for submitting requests. Some use online forms while others simply ask for an email with a particular format. Understand acceptable email etiquette when sending a request to a new target. For a free, email-based lesson on proper email etiquette and formatting, send a blank email to: class101@lol.databack.com

After approximately 4 weeks, perform an analysis of all submissions and requests from the link campaign. Websites that have not responded to submissions and requests should receive a personalized follow-up message as a reminder. Do not contact sites that have responded negatively to your requests except with an immediate "thank you" for their consideration.

Link Development requires consistent updating and analysis. Once a month, check all existing links to your pages, make sure the descriptions are current for each, report on any new sites that are linking, and make adjustments to descriptive statements and other variables to enhance your listings on each site and directory.

Now that you know how to conduct a strategic link development campaign, let's move on to another way that people find websites: word of mouth.