Link popularity - who should you link to

Link popularity - who should you link to

When you're building links to increase your link popularity, who do you link to? The question of where to link to increase ranking can be confusing. Logical thinking is needed to achieve link popularity in a natural way.
Google PageRank

First and foremost, PageRank is part of the algorithm of Google's ranking in the search engine results. Other search engines use link popularity in their algorithm to evaluate your website as well. But PageRank is only one of the 100 plus criteria Google uses to evaluate your web pages. Use the idea of PageRank as a tool to help make decisions, there's no need to live and die by the results. Link popularity itself is merely one way to improve your ranking.
Should you link to them?

Think about it. You see a quality website, you see good content. The site is a Mum and Dad website with little ranking. So what if the Google Toolbar says PageRank 2/10? That 2/10 may one day be 8/10. More importantly, you're linking to it because it's good to link to for your visitors - end of story.
Reciprocal linking fears

There is a general fear of reciprocal linking to websites who inadvertently link to a bad neighbourhood with penalties or PageRank zero, passing on problems to you.
Use your common sense. Is this a website you would want to visit or your visitors would want to visit? If the answer is no or you can't tell what the subject of the site is, make a note of it and keep looking. A website full of links with little content doesn't make sense because what benefit is it to you or your visitors? Of course you are going to link to your partners in business or maybe the small website that is doing a bang up job of selling widgets and providing widget information.
Linking just to link

If you're going to link, what purpose does it serve? The idea of acquiring link popularity by linking back and forth to other sites to boost your popularity artificially is a popular method. But is it of value to your website? Ask yourself:

• Would you link to this site if link popularity in the search engines didn't matter?

• Would your visitor care about this link or find it helpful?

• Does the website have good content?

• Is this an opportunity for you to publicise your website by being listed there?

• Will this link cause you to spend a great deal of time worrying about it?

• Is the link just a link or do you want a link from any site whose visitors care about what you have to say

Places to seek out links that make sense

• Accessibility & CSS support packages

• Get on-going help with:

• Problem HTML and/or CSS code

• Accessibility checking of new or existing pages

• The writing of HTML/CSS code

• Training or advice on accessibility and/or CSS

It makes sense to list your website in the search engines and directories. In fact, one-way linking, such as listing your site in directories, is a good way to improve your link popularity naturally. Well, you say to yourself, of course I've done that. Besides the major directories, what else is out there? You'd be s