"The Desktop Global Marketer" (tm)

   A free on-line newsletter of Sidereal Designs, Inc.,
   for Internet Entrepreneurs, and those who are
   considering becoming one.
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                December 2000

In this issue: "a guest editorial by Parker Garlitz with
some practical advice on the subject of reciprocal linking, which
includes a new angle - a company that brokers such linking
arrangements."


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Those of you who have read this column for any time know that we
have repeatedly advocated alternatives to search engines as the
best methods of marketing your web site. In particular we have
always highly recommended reciprocal linking, the trading of
links with non-competitive sites of interest to the clients you
are trying to attract.

In this issue we offer a guest editorial by Parker Garlitz with
some practical advice on the subject of reciprocal linking, which
includes a new angle - a company that brokers such linking
arrangements. We nave NO association with Links4Trade, have never
done business with them, and can offer no recommendation
concerning them, but with that caveat, we think it's an
interesting idea you may want to explore, and we offer his
article in that spirit.

Best,

Jamie


A BETTER WAY TO TRADE LINKS
By Parker Garlitz
STI Consulting and Website Promotions.
parker(at)clickshack.com


According to ActivMedia Research, "Link Trading" between websites
is second only to search engines in terms of the way people find
information on the web.  This means that link trading is crucial
to the promotion efforts of any website.  Websites that do not
have an effective link trading strategy are missing out on an
every increasing amounts of qualified site traffic.

Link trading does two important things for you.  First, it brings
qualified traffic in a short amount of time.  When you trade
links, you look for other websites that share your traffic
demographics, but that do not necessarily compete with you.  For
example, if you have a site that sells flashlights, you might
look for law enforcement sites, outdoors sites and emergency
preparedness information sites, and request link trades with
them.  By reciprocal linking with qualified sites, you will
increase the qualified traffic to your own site.  Second, link
trading helps to improve your link popularity.  Many search
engines rank sites according to how many other sites link to
them.  It is kind of a rich-get-rich, poor-stay-poor approach to
relevancy listing.  Trading links with other sites improves your
link popularity and as a consequence improves your rankings in
many search engines.

The big challenge with link trading is that it is time consuming
and tedious.  Finding link trade partners is slow, adding and
managing links is burdensome, and policing link trade partners to
make sure they are linking to you can be frustrating.
Notwithstanding, link trading is worth the effort, because it
works!

LINK TRADING STRATEGIES

1- If you don't have one yet, you will need to set up a link
trade page.  This is a page on your website where you list the
links to your link trade partners.  You have no doubt seen
hundreds of examples on the web.  Your link trade page should
include a visible invitation to trade links with other sites in
the categories you specify.  Provide an email address so
interested link trade partners can email you to request a link
trade.

2- Finding potential link trade partners is not hard.  Here are
some ideas on finding the best candidates for link trades.

a. Look at the link trade pages of sites similar to yours.  These
pages will list many sites that are already in the habit of
trading links.  It stands to reason that sites that are already
in the habit of trading links will be more apt to trade with you.

b. Use Webring member directories to find potential sites.  You
can find Webring member directories by category at
www.webring.com.  Webrings are a very intrusive form of communal
link trading, because they require members to place a webring
navigation graphic on the front page of their site taking up
valuable real estate, and some would say, "cluttering" the site.
Sites willing to submit to this are typically more willing to
trade a simple link.

3- Now that you have a link trade page, you need to start with
what I call the old "surf-n-swap".  Basically, find sites on the
web that share your traffic demographic, and send them an email
requesting a link trade.  Be sure to personalize the email so
that the recipient knows the mail is not part of a mass mailing.
Here is a sample link trade request letter you might use:

"Greetings, my name is ______________, and I'm the web master for
(name your web site).  I came across your (name their web site)
while surfing and it occurred to me that we could both benefit by
a reciprocal link exchange.

"I have found that trading links is one of the best sources for
increasing qualified traffic to my site.  If you have any
interest in exchanging links with me here is my information.
(Give the title and URL of your web site.  Give the source code
for a link back to your web site.)

"If you would like to exchange links use this information to
place a link to our web site.  Then email me with your
information and I will arrange and immediate reciprocal link to
your (name the web site.)

"I look forward to hearing from you.

Your Name
Webmaster

Start sending this email to as many sites as you can.  Perhaps to
10 or 20 sites a day if your time permits.  You can expect six or
seven out of ten link trade requests you send to be ignored.  You
can expect two or three out of ten responses in the negative.
You can expect a successful link trade with one or two out of ten
requests you send.  So in order to get 20 link trades, a typical
site would have to send out between 100 and 200 link trade
request emails.  This takes time and effort.

THE HARD REALITY

Many website owners and webmasters give up on link trading
quickly.  It is easy to see why.  Even though the results often
justify continued effort, many people get discouraged because it
takes lots of time and effort.

A BETTER WAY

A new company called Links4Trade, at http://www.links4trade.com
has built an exciting new tool that automates the process of
finding, adding, maintaining, and policing reciprocal links.
Setting up dozens or even hundreds of links with qualified sites
can be done in a matter of minutes, not days.

When you signup with Links4Trade you create a link trade page
that is actually remotely hosted on the Links4Trade servers.  You
link to the link trade page from the main page of your site, just
as if the link trade page were hosted with the rest of your site.
You can customize the remotely hosted link trade page so that it
has the same look and feel as the rest of the pages on your site.
You can also import your pre-existing links.  Every member of the
Links4Trade service has a remotely hosted links page just like
you do.

Once you have created and linked to the new link trade page, your
website profile will be added to their large directory of member
sites.  Other sites can find you in the directory and request a
link trade with you by clicking a button on your profile.  You
will be notified of the link trade request by email, and you
simply log in periodically to review the requesting site.  You
accept or reject the trade by clicking a button.  The accepted
reciprocal links instantly appear on both link trade pages.  You
can even set your account to automatically accept link trade
requests from sites in categories you specify and matching your
specific criteria.

If you want to be more pro-active, you can surf the directory and
request links with as many other sites as you like.  It only
takes a few minutes to set up dozens of links with eager link
trade partners.

Links4trade completely automates the entire link trading process.
Finding link trade partners is fast and easy, and adding and
managing the links is totally automatic.  Because Links4Trade
controls both sides of the link trade, there is no need to police
for dead links, or link trade partners who are not holding up
their end of the bargain.  You also get detailed statistics about
the performance of your link trading efforts, and much more.

Links4Trade is currently accepting pre-registrations for
beta-testers to do a limited beta test of the site and the
link-trading engine.  To promote their site, they are offering a
drawing for a free HP laptop.  You can enter the drawing by
becoming beta tester.  You can learn more and register for the
beta at http://www.links4trade.com

Parker Garlitz
STI Consulting and Website Promotions.
parker(at)clickshack.com


Submitted by:

Shawn Bandley
Marketing Director
Links4Trade, Inc.
sbandley(at)links4trade.com
www.links4trade.com
801-222-9414

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