If you’re serious about getting great ranking on Google you need to be serious about linking. Of course there are lots of ways to get links so we’ll focus on just the methods that are fast, low cost or free and get the best results. Here are three that can put you on top of Google in no time flat!

First let’s start with getting inbound links from directories. A link from a directory gets a lot of weight from Google because they value it as a form of endorsement. You’ve probably used some directories yourself, like Yahoo. Or maybe you’ve used some without even knowing it, like The Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org) that powers many of the most popular search engines, including Google!

Each directory is different and offers different options for obtaining links to your site. Here’s a rundown of how different directories will link to your site…

1.) Free Submission ‘ Just like it sounds. No charges for inclusion. DMOZ.org is the best one and powers Google, AOL and even Yahoo Search (not Yahoo directory.) Just be sure to follow their submission guidelines and pick the most appropriate sub category possible for inclusion. This is extremely important.

2.) Paid Submissions ‘ They charge a fee to review the submitted link and possibly list the page. You might pay a few dollars one time, a recurring annual fee or as much as the $300 that Yahoo charges for commercial site review.

3.) Reciprocal Link ‘ These usually require you to link to the directory before they will even consider linking back.

4.) Featured Link ‘ Your link gets a premium spot that you pay for.

5.) Featured Homepage Link ‘ This is a featured link on the homepage. As you’ve probably guessed, this can get real expensive.

Yahoo is easily the most popular (and most expensive) but it’s not the best. It’s been my experience that a free listing with DMOZ.org is worth more than a paid listing with Yahoo. Even though Yahoo is more popular as a directory that people actually visit, DMOZ is much more popular with search engines and carries a lot of weight. A "vote" from DMOZ is a big deal indeed.

Here are the five top directories offering free listings. Some even offer inexpensive expedited listing services or featured listings:

1.) dmoz.com

2.) directoryvault.com

3.) domaining.in

4.) getlistedrightnow.com

5.) visitalink.com

There’s a site that keeps an updated list of directories, but not all are free. You have to visit each to see if there is any cost. Go to http://www.topwebsitetips.com/FreeLinks-Directories.aspx and scroll down to the drop down box at the bottom of the page. Select your desired Google PR and search. If you want to avoid getting niche directories in the results, check the "General Directories Only" box after your first return set and rerun the search.

As a second option, you can also consider paying a submission service to get your site listed in the major directories. There are plenty that will do it for a reasonable fee. Just be sure they do the following three things:

1.) Manual submission only

2.) Verify that your site is not already listed

3.) Provide proof of submission (usually screen captures)

Just search Google for "directory submission service" and you’ll get plenty of options. I’ve used http://www.seonext.com/directory-submission.html in the past with good success. They offer a "slow submission" service that makes your link building appear more natural to Google and other top search engines.

And finally, there is no better way to get quality links than from a traditional reciprocal link campaign. This can be a time consuming step without automated software, but is very important.

Here are 10 steps to a successful reciprocal linking campaign:

1.) List the keywords you want to be found for.

2.) Draft a standard letter you can use to easily customize for each site (customization tips at the end.)

3.) Run a search on Google for each keyword and jot down the URL for each match returned (not just the homepage but the URL for the actual page you want the link from, which is the one that came up in the search.)

4.) Remove any direct competitors from the list.

5.) Go back through your list and find the contact info for each site. Record this information.

6.) Create a link to each page you want to get a link from. This should be from the most appropriate page on your site, not the homepage. Do not exceed 10 outbound links per page at most. The fewer, the better.

7.) Send the customized email with the considerations outlined below.

8.) Verify their backlinks.

9.) Remove any outbound links that do not reciprocate within a month or so.

10.) Check your inbound links every couple of weeks. Make sure you are still getting the links you earned and that the people linking to you have not moved you to a less desirable page.

Reciprocal Link Email Tips:

A.) Address the email to a person by name if possible.

B.) Start with a complimentary statement about what you like on their site.

C.) Introduce yourself and your site.

D.) Lead into why you feel your site is a good, non competing match (list benefits for them and their visitors.)

E.) Mention that you have already linked to their site and hope they feel a reciprocal link will be beneficial. Provide the URL to the page you linked from.

F.) Explain why you linked from the page you did and the anchor text you used to show you understand link strategy.

G.) Request that if they link back they use one of your anchor text suggestions along with the exact URL you want them to link to.

H.) Offer to change the link anchor text of their URL if they wish.

I.) Thank them genuinely for the time and sign with your first name to make it more personal and natural.

You can do all of this manually or invest in a good piece of software to do the difficult and time consuming work for you. Many SEO professionals (myself included) use SEO Elite (http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com) because it finds the best link partners, automatically gets their contact info and even manages entire campaigns. It’s also a link verification system and search engine rank checker so it covers all of my SEO needs nicely ($167.)

So whether you do the work by hand or invest in a time saving "instant gratification" SEO tool, the information in this article can help you to the top of Google in record time. Good luck!

How great would it be to make your website #1 on Google? Trust me, it’s an amazing feeling that words really can’t describe. I can help you experience that feeling, if you have about 15 minutes.

As a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds get to where they need to be on the world’s best search engines. Now I’d like to help you do the same by sharing the simple three-step process that I personally use to get my client’s site on top of Google, Yahoo and tons of others. It’s very simple to duplicate the process and results usually show sooner than most people expect. Anyway, here goes…

Step 1: How to Find the Best Keywords

Google gets more searches than any other search engine so let’s peek into their database, shall we? Check out https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in any keyword or phrase you can think of that you believe your target audience is looking for. Not only will it give you tons of data on that and related keywords, it will also provide "Additional Keywords to Consider", which is a section at the bottom of the page.

Here’s a tip worth knowing; Try to use specific keyword phrases whenever possible. Let’s say you have a web-page that deals with floral delivery. Instead of "flowers", which has 233,000,000 competing pages on Google, try "send flowers", which has 1/10th the number of competing pages. Better still, think like people speak (I.E./ I’m sending flowers to my mom.) As it turns out, a lot more people are searching for "sending flowers" than are searching "send flowers" and – here’s the best part – "sending flowers" has less than 1% of the competing web-pages as the search term we started with, "flowers". Now that’s impressive! You have an advantage over about 99.5% of your competitors with just that single tip. Ready for more?

Step 2: How to Get Killer a Domain Name the Search Engines LOVE

If you already have a domain name with a hosted website, you can skip this part. However it’s worth a look if you don’t mind spending a few extra bucks and doubling your search engine real estate.

Most search engines will give you major bonus points if you have your main keyword or keyword phrase in your domain name. It’s even better if words in the phrase are each separated by a dash (-). Let’s try to find a good one for our main keyword phrase "sending flowers."

If you go to http://www.DomainsBot.com and type in your keywords, you’ll get plenty of choices. I’ll cut to the chase and select "sending-flowers.biz." A ".com" would have been better, but ".biz" is fine.

By the way, Google and a few other big search engines also consider when your domain name expires. The longer your domain name is "guaranteed" the better. I have found that a five year registration term, or longer, works great.

And don’t forget - If you setup this site and it ranks well, but you want your company’s name as the domain, you can always just redirect that domain name and point it to this site. That way, when people type in your business domain name it will go to the right place. It’s like getting two for one, which is always nice.

Step 3: How to Pick the Host with the Most

Where you host your Web site can make a huge difference. Choose your web hosting company very carefully. Here are some tips:

3.1. Avoid free hosting. Most search engines don’t think that serious sites (i.e. those worth top ranking) would be hosted on freebies.

3.2. Consider getting a private static IP address. Your hosting company should provide you with this number and you should be able to contact your site directly with it. Some of the major search engines don’t like ever-changing (dynamic) IP addresses because of problems they’ve had in the past.

3.3. Steer clear of companies that host banned Web sites, such as those owned by spammers. Search engines might penalize or even ban your web for being associated with such sites. Try to find a hosting company with a "family friendly" policy, like Godaddy.com.

Step 4: How to Get Great Links and Monitor Your Site

Having quality inbound links can account for more than 75% of you search engine optimization success. Getting these links is the crucial step that will get you over the top. Next you need to monitor your progress and your site’s status (how search engine really see it). This will tell you not just where you are – but where you are likely to be. In the old days, we used to do all link work and monitoring by hand – and it took a long time (I averaged about 16 hours per week – per site!) My advice to you is to find a good SEO tool and let it do the work for you. If you get the right product, it’s the best money you’ll ever spend.

I promised I’d show you how I have attained so many #1 placements on Google, Yahoo and more, so here are the two best products I’ve used, with my Top Pick on top:

#1 Pick: SEO Elite http://www.SeoEliteWeb.com Cost = $167 (lifetime free upgrades and no annual fees) Results: 121 top 5 rankings on Google in three weeks – Mostly 1’s and 2’s. Top Features: Finds best link partners; Automates link process; Provides 100% Site Monitoring Comments: I bought it 2005 and have used every upgrade – never spending another dime. I retired my other three programs after using this for the first three months.

#2 Pick: WebPosition http://www.webposition.com Cost = $149 SE or $389 Pro (plus $99 per year in subscription fees for either) Results: 44 top 5 rankings in Google in eight weeks – Mostly 3’s and 4’s. Top Features: 100% Site Monitoring; Great reporting; Site Critic Please Note: No automated linking capabilities. Comments: I purchased the professional version and found it most useful for reporting (but still did linking manually)

Step 5: How to get submitted to major search engines fast and free

I use the Submit Express free submission service all the time. It’s great. They’ll submit your site to 40 search engines instantly, at no cost - http://www.submitexpress.com/.

Now you’re ready! Just follow the steps and you can do this with no problem. I’ve been doing it for years and have helped hundreds do the same. Good luck!

What are the Top 10 SEO Tips for 2008? You decide!

Here’s one of my favorites…

Optimize your 404 pages. This is the “Page not found” page on your Website. If you use a WYSIWYG editor like FrontPage, creating a link to a custom 404 page is as simple as clicking a button. If you do all of your development by hand, then creating a custom 404 link is probably very easy. Either way, go ahead and create a custom page. Keep in mind, if your customer reaches bad page on your site it is an instant free opportunity to get a customer you would have missed.

Here are some great tips to make your page SEO friendly AND user friendly.

Use your main keyword in your title, add a “pipe” (usually above the Enter key) and then use your secondary keyword. Here’s as example for an SEO site “SEO | Search Engine Optimization”

Add some keyword rich content using one to two keywords for the page. If you have less than 250 words on the page, just use one keyword and use it no more than three times total. Bold the first use and italicize the second or third use. Regarding content, remember this is an “inactive” page so simply tell the visitor what your site is about and wet their appetite with a good description. Something like this works well… “Thank you for visiting SEO Experts. We’re sorry you seem to have landed on an inactive page but rest assured, if you are looking for the world’s best search engine optimization tips, you are at the right place…” This will go on for a couple paragraphs or as long as you’d like.

Make the look and feel of this page match your main site as much as possible. This might be applying the same template, palette or using the same CSS base.

Link to the site map page if available, and make the link easy to find. You want your visitor off the invalid page and into your main content as quickly as possible.

Add your site’s standard navigation system (bar, column, etc.) and add a note to the page that says something to the effect of “You have come across a page that is no longer active. We apologize for any inconvenience and invite you to Click Here to visit our site map or click any link to the left.” Try to apply this with the above tip regarding page content.

It’s looking like some of the more advanced search engines, such as MSN, are giving greater preference to sites with “clean” back-end Web code. If you are not a Web developer this might not make a lot of sense but HTML and other scripting/markup languages can be written a bunch of different ways to give the same visual appearance on the viewable page itself. Unfortunately, many WYSIWYG editors (what you see is what you get) add a bunch of unnecessary and often messy code to the back-end of your Web pages. Aside from often placing the important META tags in a less than optimal place, these editors sometimes add extra tags and do not follow the W3C (Worldwide Web Consortium) standards, such as HTML formatting guidelines.

Before you spend a lot of money on SEO tools, we recommend getting the free Google Toolbar available for Windows based Internet Explorer at http://toolbar.google.com or for the Windows or Mac Firefox browser at http://toolbar.google.com/firefox/.

The toolbar will instantly show you key information that will help you in your SEO quest on Google. Key information are the Google PageRank (PR), a cached snapshot of a page so you know what Google thinks it’s looking at, and even the backward links that it recognizes from your site. That’s a lot of great information right from the definitive source - and all for free!

Balanced optimization is an insider term used by some SEO professionals. It means that you should remember that your site is visited not only by search engine robots, but by humans as well. If you plan on converting your visitors to paying customers, you should try to keep a balance between user-friendliness and keyword optimization.

“Gray-bar” is an SEO insider term used to describe what happens when Google bans your site and takes away your page rank. The term itself is referring to the color of the Google PageRank indicator bar that resides on the Google Toolbar, available at http://toolbar.google.com.

The background color of the bar should be white with an amount of green in it showing your PR, much like a horizontal thermometer reading. If the green fills 40% of the bar, your page has a PR of 4. Don’t worry if you’re not good at estimating horizontal thermometers. You can simply let your mouse hover over the PR bar and a tool tip will show the PageRank value or you can use the Google PR tool avaiable right here.

If the bar is all white, this means your page currently doesn’t have any accumulated PR. However, a gray bar is usually a good indicator that your page has been banned for some reason, such as employing Black hat SEO techniques. But don’t panic just yet. We’re told that on a couple occasions multiple pages have shown up gray-barred simply because a change was happening on Google’s end or the bar was just “buggy” at that time. Their rank – complete with green and white colors returned the next day.

If after optimization, your page’s content sounds natural to a human visitor, it will probably appear valid to a search engine spider. However, don’t forget that the bots are still machines, and they analyze specific aspects of your text. Mainly, you should pay attention to the following properties:

1. Weight, also known as Density: This is the percentage of your key phrases in a given area, such as a META tag, or a page.

2. Prominence: This refers to how close your keyword is to the beginning of the analyzed area.

3. Frequency: This is the absolute number of the times a certain keyword is repeated in an area or another. Unlike Density, Frequency does not depend on the total number of words in the text.

4. Proximity: This refers to the distance between parts of your key phrase. While it’s always better to use a complete phrase, sometimes the language structure doesn’t allow this to happen. You’ll still have to keep the words as close as they can be in this case.

If you’re using cascading style sheets (CSS) or JavaScript, move them from your actual page to an external file, and embed them through a SRC link. Search engine spiders are rumored to place a slight penalty when the textual amount of scripts is bigger than the amount of actual “crawlable” content.

Don’t use the META Refresh tag to redirect visitors. Most search engines will consider it spam, especially if it redirects right away. You could use ASP, PHP, or another such technology for this purpose, or change the ".htaccess" file to use the “301” redirect, meaning that the site moved permanently. An example of this would be: Redirect 301 /old-page.htm http://www.somesite.com/new-page.htm