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10 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up a Link Directory
...... levels or two clicks away from your main index or home page they will either not be indexed by some search engines, or if they are indexed they will achieve a lower ranking. Some web sites will not link to you if the page you are to put the link on is more than 2 clicks away from your home page because these webmasters know what I've just told you. Ensure each page of your link directory has a link back to your home page.
Once again the reason for this is to do with how search engines will rank your directory pages, so make sure these links are in place. Don't be obsessed at linking only to web sites that have a good ranking with the search engines. Look first at whether the site has anything to offer your visitors. If it has poor or unrelated content don't link to it. If it has good related content that compliments your own content but has zero or low page rank, consider linking to it. Later on you may be glad you provided a link, when it's page rank improves. Don't use link directory software that doesn't automatically check links to your web site are still present on the other sites. Doing link checking manually can be tedious and you have to remember to do it. Software that you can set a schedule to check links and automatically send out emails to webmasters when links are not found will save you a lot of time. Link management software that will automatically suspend links and delete them if they are repeatedly not found is an added bonus. Don't use standard templates that come with any link manager, link directory management software. You need to modify these templates to match the look and design of your own web site. This requires you know something about editing a web page using an HTML editor. Also don't use the standard email templates, personalize them in some way, even if it's only to add your name. Don't assume you're finished once you've set up your link directory and done all the things I've said. You must test and retest every aspect to ensure everything is working properly, before visitors arrive.
This means making an add a link request, as if you were a visitor to your own web site. Setting up test links and making sure these links are being checked by the software so it detects when links are removed or defective. Making sure it sends out email notices correctly and check the formatting is correct when they are received. You should also check you can make backups of your link directory database and be able to restore it in the event of a problem.
About the Author Tony Simpson, Has been doing Web Site Design, Promotion and Optimization for 5 years. He provides advice, product reviews and products at http://www.webpageaddons.com/
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