One of the keys to getting noticed online is having great search engine placement. While some of the most important parts to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are keywords and relevant content; another extremely effective means to getting great placement is by having great incoming links to your site. There are a number of different ways to get incoming links (commenting on blogs, one-way links, etc…) but one great way that has helped me personally is through link exchanges. The concept is simple – you link to someone else’s site and they link back to yours. Having great incoming links has helped me get to the first page of results for many photographer related engine searches.
A common pitfall that many people fall into by doing link exchanges is that they don’t have relevant links coming in. Some photographer sites might have links shared with auto dealerships, video game blogs, etc… That is a big red-flag for search engines and it can actually hurt your rank in the long run. A simple and extremely effective workaround for this is to have a content moderated link exchange -which is exactly what I’m talking about here.
I’ve written a couple .php files that will allow who ever uploads one of them to their server and links to it from their home page, instantly have shared links with everyone on that list. I personally moderate it to make sure that whoever gets on the list is a photographer or has a photography site and do periodic check-ins to make sure that the site has is still linked to the page. If they remove the link, they get one warning then are removed from the list.
One great aspect to this is that once you do the initial upload and link, that’s all that you have to do. I add the additional links here, remotely from you, and your uploaded page will automatically receive the new links with no work on your side. Basically, I have two files – one “reader” and one “writer.” You upload and link to the “reader” page and I keep the “writer” page. When I put something on the “writer” page, the “reader” page will automatically grab that information and it’ll show up on that page. Quick, easy, awesome.
So, if you think that you want to join in on the fun then just do the following and it’ll be all easy-peasy.
1. First thing is to download this file: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LINK EXCHANGE PACK.
2. After you have it all downloaded and unzipped, upload it to your server. Preferably, it should be uploaded to your root directory which makes it a little easier on the Search Engine crawlers and makes it seem a little more important/relevant on your site. However if you have it a little deeper down, it’s still OK. Personally I use Adobe Dreamweaver to upload stuff to my site, but it’s still easy enough to go through your server’s dashboard and upload it manually.
3. On your site’s HOMEPAGE, add a link to this file. When I go looking for your link, if I can’t find it on your homepage, I won’t add you to the list. It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious that it’s there. On my personal photography site, the link is in the footer and is a little period. On other sites, I used to have it as a space between a couple words on my site. So long as you tell me where on your homepage it is, we’re all good. If you have it all uploaded correctly, you’ll see THIS PAGE when you click on the link.
4. Fill out the form below. Fill out everything and then allow about 2-3 weeks for your link to show up on the page. If you don’t see it after a few weeks, feel free to contact me about getting it added.
It can seem a little intimidating but it’s actually a pretty simple process. If you do have some questions about it, feel free to send us a message and we’ll be glad to help you out.
