SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the most widely used form of Internet marketing used in the market today. Similar to SEM or Search Engine Marketing, SEO also makes use of search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and other popular search engines to increase the volume or quantity of traffic to their website. However, unlike SEM which uses paid inclusion, SEO involves techniques to improving the traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" or un-paid search results. This is one of the many reasons why SEO quickly became in demand in the market.
Because of its popularity, many techniques have been introduced into the market, some of which are profound methods while others have evolved around older techniques. Popular example of a technique used in SEO which has evolved from a previous technique is the one-way linking.
Overview of One-way Linking
One-way linking is method widely used in the market today which involves a hyperlink that points to a website without any reciprocal link; thus the link goes "one-way" in direction. The technique is also known as Incoming Links or Inbound Links. According to a number of SEO consultants, including those from SEO Philippines companies, that this type of method would be considered more natural in the eyes of search engines. It is a technique which have evolved from a previous techniques used in link building, such as reciprocal linking and three-way linking.
A reciprocal link is a mutual link between two objects, commonly between two websites to ensure mutual traffic. This technique also gave birth to the three-way linking method which is a special type of reciprocal linking that involves three websites linking to each other. The attempt of this link building method is to create more "natural" links in the eyes of search engines. The value of links by three-way linking can then be better than normal reciprocal links, which are usually done between two domains. Eventually, one-way linking was introduced into the market.
Techniques of One-way Linking
Because of its popularity as well as with its longevity in the SEO industry, several techniques were introduced in the market which is said to produce one-way links (or Incoming Links or Inbound Links). Some of which are widely used in the market while some are less than recognized. Some of the most popular types of one-way linking include:
Blog Comments
Considered as one of the most popular types of one-way linking techniques today, this method involves the use of blogs, or any other publicly accessible online discussion boards, to leave a comment with a link pointing towards a website. However, the use of blog comments have also been widely criticized because of its abusive effects.
Blog comments is also used in spamdexing which is a violation to both search engine guidelines as well as causes flooding to blogs and other online discussion boards. Because of its severity, many solutions have been used to minimize or prevent spams in blogs. Most of the time however leaving a comment on a blog turns into a no follow link, which is almost useless in the eyes of search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
However, many are still using this technique primarily because most blog comments get clicked on by the readers of the blog if the comment is well thought out and pertains to the discussion of the other commenters and the post on the blog.
Forum signature links
Another popular type of one-way linking is the use of forum signatures. This is the process of using forum communities that allow outbound hyperlinks in their member's signature. This can be a fast method to build up inbound links to a website; it can also produce some targeted traffic if the website is relevant to the forum topic. However, similar to that of blog comments, forums using the nofollow attribute will have no actual Search Engine Optimization value.
Link baits
One of the most effective and efficient technique used in the SEO industry today is the link baits. Link bait involves the use of creative methods that somehow baits viewers to place links to it from other websites. According to Matt Cutts, an individual highly recognized in the SEO community, link bait is anything "interesting enough to catch people's attention." According to many SEO Philippines consultants, link bait can be an extremely powerful form of marketing as it is viral in nature.
Although the technique were developed not only for SEO, link bait creation falls under the task of link building, and aims to increase the quantity of high-quality, relevant links to a website.
Other popular techniques
Other popular techniques in one-way linking include:
Multi-way linking - A technique which has evolved from reciprocal linking, in technique is used for website promotion whereby websites may create similar one-way links that each involves 3 or more partner sites. This provides each website with a one-way non-reciprocal link.
Link campaign - Another form of online marketing technique which is now widely used in SEO. According to many SEO Philippines consultants, this technique involves a business seeking to increase the number of visitors to its web site can ask its strategic partners, professional organizations, chambers of commerce, suppliers, and customers to add links from their web sites.
Incestuous linking - This is a type of SEO strategy used by a webmaster to promote a collection of their own web sites, or those of close friends.
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