Frequently Asked Questions

Q: "Can you please give me information on sending and establishing links with other sites. Some sites actually encourage this, but how do I send, or establish a link with another site and what do I have to do on my site if we swap links. Can you give me this sort of information, or can you tell me where I can get this sort of information."

A: I have found exchanging links with other sites to be very beneficial. Some sites have a reciprocal links page or a page where you can submit your link with a form you can just fill out. Others may not have a form but would be willing to place a link if you request it from the site owner.

Some sites offering reciprocal links are much like placing free classified ads. Your links may be found by visitors to the site, but in my opinion, it is not as beneficial as targeted linking. Banner exchanges can also be beneficial. I haven't done much with banner exchanges because I prefer not to have a lot of banners on my site. I also feel that sometimes link exchanges are more beneficial because you can associate text with the link and they don't take as much time to load.

When you find a site that you feel would be beneficial for a link to your site, contact the site owner. The site should have an email contact. Send an email message to the site owner or give them a  call. I have found that it works best to explain why you would like a link on their site and offer a benefit for the site owner. This works especially well if the two sites compliment each other in some way.

If you can form a relationship with the other site owner and what you have to offer is beneficial to their target audience many other opportunities may arise from the contact. On the Internet personal referrals mean a lot. Find other sites that compliment yours. Form a relationship with that site owner and promote each other's products or services. The other site owner will create the link to your site on theirs.

For instance, if you are an outfitter or guide, you might want to exchange links with motels, RV parks or bed and breakfast establishments in your area. Depending on your customer's needs it may also be good to have links to restaurants or other services they may need while in your area.

Most of the time if you have a replicating web page you may not create links on the pages because they are governed by the major site owner. This is one drawback to reseller programs where replicating pages are created for you. The solution to this is to have your own website with links to the replicating pages so you can have better control over the success of what you are offering.

Placing a link on your site:

To place a text link on your site just type the information you want and create a hyperlink to the site you are linking to. If you have a webmaster taking care of the site just forward the information to the webmaster and they will place the link on your site for you.

Placing a banner on your site:

Many times a site will provide the html for the banner. Just copy and paste the html into your page. Some buttons and banners require you to save the graphic to your hard drive with a hyperlink to the site. To do this right click on the graphic. Click on "Save As" and save it to a file on your hard drive and insert it into your webpage and create the hyperlink.

A few cautions:

• Be sure your are sending your visitors to reputable sites. Their experience with other businesses that your links refer them to is much like a referral you would make in person.