One of the most important elements of the Google (and other
search engine) algorithms is link popularity. If you have a
high link popularity, among other factors, your page will be
considered important and have a higher PageRank, which will
result in a higher position on the results page when someone
searches your keyword phrases.

"PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the
web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an
individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a
link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B.
But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or
links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts
the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves
"important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages
'important.'" according to Google.

So, what are the keys to encouraging other sites to link to
yours? Maybe you look at the other sites in your keyword
phrase searches and wonder what they have that you don't.
You've got your meta tags perfected, your home-page text is
just right, but you're still on page two. And your customers
are trickling in.

Content is the most important key
The most important key here? Content -- both on your site
and on site that are similar to yours. You need to add
content, frequently changing, to your site so that your
readers will be drawn in. once you start including quality
content, you have the foundation for a successful site. If
your site is an online cellphone shop, you do not want to
include an article on the mating habits of squid. An article
comparing the features of your newest cellphones would be a
great draw, however.

Second key: Links to your site
The second key to increasing your link popularity is, again,
links on other people's sites. I know what you're asking and
the answer, again, is content -- written by you and offered
up to other sites for publication. Of course, there is a
catch. The other sites can publish your content -- but they
must include a resource box at the bottom of the article.
And you guessed it. The resource box includes information
about you/your business and a link back to your site.

Put those articles up for publishing on people's websites
and soon your link popularity will increase exponentially,
right? Well, that's the plan. Your articles most be relevant
and high quality. Relevant articles address issues that are
important to people and that fit within the theme or subject
matter of the sites you are targeting. This also means they
must be well written, which means free from grammatical or
spelling errors. Microsoft Word features grammar and
spelling tools that can help you clean up your writing.

If you're targeting cloth diaper makers as the people who
you want to publish your articles, writing about your first
experience with sushi will not get the results you want. An
article about how to cloth diaper while on a road trip will
get a much better response.

Targeting the right market
The third key in getting your freshly written and edited
article printed is capturing the attention of your target
market. I mentioned earlier other sites that have a higher
ranking in the search engines for your keyword phrases.
These sites would be the ideal places for your articles. You
wouldn't need to have very many articles/links to impact
your own PageRank.

However, getting your articles on those sites may be easier
said than done. So, I wouldn't stop there. Also, target all
those sites that aren't ranked as highly as yours. You'll
need a lot more links to start affecting your PageRank, but
this shouldn't be too much of a problem since they would be
using the article you have already written.

Now, to let those other sites know that you have wonderful
content that will increase their site's value to their
customers, you need to advertise. The first way to
accomplish this is to put a page on your website offering
your articles for reprint (as long as the resource box is
included).

You should also include your article on sites that give away
free content. Add your articles to these sites and let the
members of the site advertise your article for you. Word of
mouth can be the most effective (and free!) method of
advertising.

Now that you have the three keys to increasing your
relevancy and PageRank with articles, you can go out and
unlock the world of high Page Ranks and top search engine
placement.

© 2005 Michelle Waters http://www.dotcomfamily.com
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Michelle Waters runs a web design, hosting and ecommerce
building company from her home-based office. Her newest
site, http://www.dotcomfamily.com, is a resource for home
businesses.