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Strategic Link Analysis Page 1 of 1 Revision-D 0902
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Overview
The Strategic Link Analysis defines the parameters for an optimal Link
Campaign by studying the link structure of top ranked competitors. An
optimal link structure will dramatically enhance search engine rankings
for spider-based search engines
In the beginning, spider-based search engines relied
solely on the text of a web site to determine its rank.
However, todays second and third generation search
engines, like AltaVista and Google, include off-page
factors. One of the most important off-page factors is
the link structure of a website.
External, Inbound Links
External links are those website links that reside on other websites. The
term Inbound refer to a links direction: pointing to a page on your website;
typically the home page. Sometimes, these links are called backward
links.
From a spider-based search engines point of view, each quality link to a
website is interpreted as a vote of confidence in that website -- the more
votes, the higher the ranking. But links are not all created equal.

The concept is simple. Affiliate and graphic links are for sales and
marketing. These links can be bought so the search engines dont
value them. But a text link required a Webmaster to inspect the
target site and then post a link. It is visible to everyone. The
implication is that the Webmaster has validated the authenticity and
theme of the target website through the link. When the link text
(anchor text), body or title includes the keywords, the link has a
higher value and complements proper page optimization.
The Evaluation Process
The process begins with an accurate measurement of a
websites existing link popularity and quality and compares
it to highly ranked websites for targeted keywords.
Each keyword is entered into a search engine. The
resulting top websites are cataloged. Then a specialized
tool measures the link structure (popularity and quality) of
each competing website for each keyword. This analysis
yields a quantified measure of how many quality links are
required to successfully compete for top ranking for each
keyword.
With the completion of the Strategic Link Analysis, a link
campaign can begin. Link Optimizer
SM
is a service that focuses
on building the proper inbound link popularity and quality for a
clients website.
Types
of link
Attribute Quality
Affiliate Link to Db; then page Poor
Graphic No text; only image link Poor
Keywords in body text Good
Keywords in title Better Text
Keywords in anchor text Best
Extract &
analyze link
structure:
Quantity
Quality
keywords
Search
engi nes
Catalog all top
ranked competitors
Define
optimal link
strategy
Link
Optimizer
SM

Link
analysis
tools
Site A

Site B

Site C

Site D

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

INBOUND LINKS
Links that point to a particular
page on your site
OUTBOUND LINKS
Links f rom a particular page to
an outside site
INTERNAL LINKS
Links f rom pages in your site
to other pages in your site

Link Structure (inbound versus outbound)

Root Page

Site A

Site B

Site C

Site D

Site E

Site F

Site G

Site H

An authority is a site pointed
to by many other sites (and
those sites are theme-
related to authority)

Example:
Authority Site:
Ford Motor Company
Hub:
Nationwide Ford Dealers

Hubs Versus Authorities

Authority
Site