Seek Inbound Links from Webpages with High Relevance and High PageRank
A single link from an authoritative webpage can be worth more than 100 links from irrelevant, "un-trusted," or spammy webpages.
Here's how to find out if pursuing an inbound link from a particular webpage is worth your time.
High Relevance
First, seek links from the webpages that rank in the top 200 at Google and Yahoo for your target keyphrase. When searching, use quotation marks around your keyphrase for an exact match.
At Google (but not Yahoo), you can go one step further to find relevant pages by adding "allinanchor:" prior to your keyphrase. For instance, if your keyphrase is "identity theft," then here is how to seek the most relevant webpages:
It's also a good idea to secure links from organizations that are considered authoritative on your subject, even if their website does not rank well for your target keyphrase, since you can still expect well-qualified referral traffic. For instance:
- If your small organization protects feral cats, seek links from larger, well-respected organizations that also protect feral cats.]
- If your mid-sized organization advocates for food pantries for the homeless, seek referral links from the biggest food pantries, such as America's Second Harvest.
High PageRank
Allocate extra effort to pursuing links from relevant pages that also have a high "PageRank" score.
PageRank is a measure of the importance of a webpage. Google calculates PageRank by evaluating the quantity and quality of websites that link to a particular webpage. A score between zero and ten is awarded separately to each individual webpage on a website. When comparing two equally relevant webpages, the page with the higher PageRank would be the better source for an inbound link.
You can get a rough approximation of a webpage's PageRank by downloading the Google Toolbar at http://toolbar.google.com. This free tool allows you to instantly view any webpage's (sometimes outdated) PageRank.
Lavish special attention on pursuing links from relevant webpages that have a PageRank score of 5 or higher and few or no other links on the page.
Second Opinion: High Page Strength
Another way to determine the value of an inbound link is to use the SEOmoz Page Strength tool: http://www.seomoz.org/page-strength
The SEOmoz Page Strength tool was designed to offer a second opinion on Google's PageRank scores, since Google is notorious for only infrequently updating the PageRank data shown on its toolbar. In contrast, SEOmoz Page Strength scores are calculated in real time.
SEOmoz weights its Page Strength score on the factors that are known to be among the most important for determining search engine rankings at Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
Lavish special attention on pursuing links from relevant webpages that have a Page Strength score of 5 or higher.
Location and Exclusivity
Please note that not all links from a relevant webpage have the same impact:
- Location on the page matters: To get the most impact from a link, it should be placed within the editorial content of the page, rather than in a footer or side menu.
- Exclusivity also matters: To get the most impact from a link, there should be no or few other links within the editorial content of the page; no more than 1 link for every 100 words.
