Build Your Site's Link Value

Link Value is the perceived value another site will derive from linking to you. The more value they see, the more likely they will be to link.

At its basic level, the most immediate value most sites see is a reciprocal link. 'You link to me and I'll link to you.' But such exchanges rarely bring significant business benefit to either party.

Much more productive are one-way links, 'I'll link to you because I think your site is useful and attractive to my audience.' Such links do not come easily and involve hard work and effort. But they can bring enormous returns in increased traffic, qualified prospects and sales revenue.

To persuade other sites to give you a one-way link you need to maximize your link value. The more value they see the more likely they are to link. To create value and compelling reasons for other sites to link to you, you've got to consider link value from three perspectives:

• The value you offer the linking website. Perhaps you offer complementary products or services: perhaps the information you publish may help them close a sale or perhaps they want to be seen as a knowledgeable source.
  

• The value that you offer their audience ' the people that will follow the link to arrive at your website. They will be interested in what you have to offer and will already have expectations based on the link they followed. Will you be able to fulfill those expectations'
  

• The value that the additional traffic brings to your business. There's no point in generating incoming links and traffic if you can't convert the people who arrive at your site.
  

Sites that offer great link value

Let's look at a few examples that deliver value from all three of these perspectives:

IKEA, http://www.ikea-usa.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/office/download1.html