Issue #2 October, 2002
Editor: Kenneth Doyle, MA Comm.

Web Promotion Strategies and Techniques

Linking Strategies

On the web the convention is that if you're doing better than 1% in your sales conversion ratios then you're on the right track.

What this means is that 1 in every 100 visitors to your site actually buys something. So, the aim of the game here is to get  PRE-QUALIFIED traffic, and lots of it.

So, what's pre-qualified traffic?

Well, it's traffic (visitors) who have been through some type of sorting process to pre-qualify their interest in the topics/ products or services on your site.

And... how do you get this PRE-QUALIFIED traffic?

Well this list (below) is not every method of pre-qualifying your traffic, however it does list the main techniques used.

1. Search Engines [qualification through keywords and site content]

2. Viral Mechanisms [qualification through content and context]

3. Forums and Articles [qualification through content and context]

4. LINKING strategies [qualification through content and context]

The key to this is to PRE-QUALIFY your visitors before they arrive at your site, and to use methods that can automate the process of reaching millions of people.

According to the results of a 2001 statistical analysis of web traffic the majority of web traffic originates from linking.  It does not come from Search Engines. In fact only 6.86% originated from Search Engines.  46.13% originated from Internet links (including affiliate links and paid links) and navigation and bookmarks accounted for the remaining 47.01%.  

This means that 8 times more traffic originates from link partners than Search Engines.  You need link partners.  

AND... if you think about it these results make complete sense.

People may initially use a Search Engine to find a topic of interest, and then when they've found a site that relates to that topic (but it's not quite what they wanted) they'll look for associated links to other sites related to that specific topic. 

Now, if a webmaster has been smart enough to involve themselves in a targeted linking program then their visitor will click away to the other site.

Huh?  I hear you say...  "What benefit is there in that for me, and my site?"

LOTS!  Because exactly the same thing is happening in reverse when people click through to your site from another "competitive" site... and the point is that if a visitor had landed on your site and did not find what the were looking for they would have clicked away anyway... with no benefit to you.

However... if you had a comprehensive, targeted linking program then you'd be getting a LOT of traffic that's pre-qualified itself BEFORE it landed on your site. This is extremely valuable traffic to have, because these people have arrived at your site searching for information YOU have. 

You simply MUST have a TARGETED linking program that relates to the theme and content on your site.  [Note: This is NOT using Link Farms.]

The three linking methods that FYHM uses (or is about to implement) are...

1. Zeus [reciprocal link exchange program]

2. Traffic Swarm [free Pop-under viral system]

3. eBooks

4. Viral mechanisms

In the next four issues of The e*Analyst Ezine we will explore each of these linking methods in detail.

[Special note:  At FYHM we're about to fully implement a reciprocal link exchange program, which will also include a new, viral income generating ebook for our link partners.

If your have a quality site that's thematically in context with any of the 14 FYHM Directories we'd be most interested in exchanging links with you.  

We've set up a form to automate this process as much as possible.  You can access this form clicking on Exchange Links and then filling in this form.

KJ Doyle - e*Analyst
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