Back Links Analyzed
Blizzard Associate | 2 May 2006 |
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We all know we need to have as many quality links pointing to our travel websites as possible, without looking spammy. We are hopeful that the hard-earned (free or purchased) links are going to be found by Google and credited to our back links. So, does the lodging website with the best back links win in the free listings? Take a look at a quick analysis:
This chart shows us that you need back links to survive in the free listings, but that simply having them is not enough to ensure high performance.
Free listing placement depends on…
1. Back links
2. Meta tags
3. Content
4. Website size
5. On and off site link reputation
6. ***and much more
Back links are a piece of the never ending puzzle in the effort to do well in the free listings. How competitive is your market? When was your last link building campaign?
If you want to be able to see your back links, as well as your hospitality industry competitors’ back links, download the Google Toolbar.
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May 3rd, 2006 at 9:45 am
In the past, the quantity of links to a website was of utmost importance. The spammers manipulated the backlink aspect of the algorithms so much that the search engines have become much more discriminating. Now, the quality of links is much more important than the quantity and poor quality links can actually hurt your organic rankings.
May 3rd, 2006 at 7:12 pm
I vote for the quality links from quality websites. They deliver qualified traffic and if chosen wisely, deliver an excellent ROI on their own… the Google advantage is a bonus.
Also, “meta tags” is a word we should probably define… technically, it includes meta keywords (a small factor) and meta description (more important for converting an impression to a click). On-site optimization might be a better term because it includes (technically) title, h1, keyword density, html code and other on page elements that are not necessarily part of “meta tags.”
May 18th, 2006 at 12:15 am
Meta tags don’t improve rankings, unless you are considering the title tag a meta tag.
Also, I’d put anchor text at the top of the list of factors that affect free listing placement.
Stephan
May 18th, 2006 at 8:09 am
After some of what I learned at the PAII conference, I made some changes to the title tag and anchor text on a few select pages of our website. Within a few days, the organic ranking of our site improved with the search terms we were looking to score well with. I’m a total novice, but I’m also now a believer and will spend more time studying and implementing some simple strategies that obviously pay off!
May 18th, 2006 at 9:45 am
In response to Stephan - I disagree completely that meta tags do not make a difference in free listing placement. This is untrue - and the title otherwise known as “Meta tag title” is part of the meta tag. I recommend that Stephan test his own strategies to see what works and what does not work. I am sure he will find that meta tags make a huge difference in free listing placement.
And again - there are many different things that contribute the free listings placement…
Katie White