A Different Spin On PageRank Linking Strategy
by Jeff Alderson
A lot of web publishers believe that the best way to gain a high PageRank, or PR, is to entice highly ranked sites to link to them. The theory is that if a high ranking site links to you, it shares its PageRank. This sounds great on the surface, but there more to it than that.
In reality, Google's algorithm for arriving at PageRank dictates that the amount of ranking a page can pass along to those it links to is its own rank for the page in question divided by the number of outbound links on that page.
What this means is that a site with a PR ranking of 6 won't necessarily pass along that entire 6 to a site. Say, for example, this site already has a single link on it and yours makes number 2, the ranking unit you enjoy is actually a 3. Adding to the quandary is the fact that the 6 is very likely only given to the home page, not the page where the links are. This is the page that will dictate the PageRank potential passed along.
Considering that many high ranked sites have lots of outbound links, it can become painfully clear that these might not be the best places to go for reciprocal links to boost one's own PageRank.
One of the better strategies is to target sites that are up-and-coming that have modest PR ratings. This might seem like an odd way to go, but it makes sense. As long as the sites are reputable, but have lower rankings just because of their relative newness, they can pay off in the long run.
A host of reasons exist as to why these lower PR sites can pay off. The biggest lies in the fact it is generally much easier to get these sites to put up links. Plus, when they do, they are often willing to use keywords in the links themselves. Also, there are more inclined to put links on their front page. Another advantage to these sites that they probably don't already have a bunch of outbound links. The appeal of these reasons is strong, but the most compelling is the potential these sites offer. If high quality sites are chosen, they can grow in PR ranking and your site can grow along with them.
Before jumping into find sites to target for reciprocal linking, it is smart to research them a bit. Avoid sites that have very low PageRank. Those that show up in the white or gray should be discounted. Gray, in fact, could be a negative draw for your site. These colors indicate sites without PageRank and can even indicate banned sites.
If you're still scratching your head about the value of lower ranked sites, just do the math. A link from a page that's ranked at PR 4 and only has two outbound links will give you a PR boost of 2. A page that's PageRank is 8 with 16 outbound links will only give you a PR boost of .5. Which makes more sense? Obviously, it's better to target the lower PR site in this example.
Author Jeff Alderson develops PPC and SEO software. He is an expert on boosting traffic and sales. Jeff suggests building a profitable keyword list using his Ad Word Analyzer software to increase website revenue. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
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