How to Get Others to Link to Your Site

One of the things that increases your "Google Juice" is "Link Love." I'm helping a friend build a Web site about Trout fishing, called www.TroutU.com. I was explaining that Google and other search engines give high credibility to sites that have a lot of links to it, coming from other sites.

He asked me how to get others to link to his site, which is a great question. A good way to get other people to link to you, intially, is to do "link swapping." Contact other web site owners and say you will link to them, would they give you a link from their site.

More importantly is to have links that are "in context." In other words, a link to Tyler Brothers that is just one of 100 links on a page isn't so spectacular, but one where a person describes the Carhartt clothes and work shoes that they use, and the great customer service, all those words make a much more valuable link in Google's point of view.

So for TroutU, the best approach would be to find out who is blogging about Fly Fishing and get involved in the conversations, leave comments, and feel free to leave your site's URL, but DON'T come off as a self-promoter who just wants some links.

My friend has done a great job of finding some really decent sites related to Fly fishing. The best bet is for him to see himself as part of this ecosystem. Join in the conversation. Be a giver, not a taker.