Reviewing a Web Site
Traditional methods of finding a good website to link to can be time-consuming. Keeping track of the data, like remembering when did I send out that link request? Did they link back yet? To name but a few of the tasks involved in a linking campaign that eat at your time is a concern we all have. Yeah, it’s wonderful to have 1000 links pointing to your site but they don’t magically appear.
Link generating software tools can help you become organized but you must still visit every website you wish to link to and make an inspection.
Ask yourself these questions:
1) Does it serve pop-up windows? Google rejects sites from its WordAd Program if the site has pop up’s. Personally, I hate them and I don’t know of anyone who likes them, except for their creators. One of the largest free downloads on CNET is the pop-up window-killing software. Remember your website is a storefront not some obnoxious shove it in your face ad machine. If you have link partners that offend your visitors you become guilty by association.
2) Does it have a link directory?
3) If it has a link directory, is it clearly visible from the home page?
Surprisingly some people will hide the link to their link page and if you can’t find it neither will a search engine so don’t waste time with sites that play hide and seek. While visiting the link directory be sure it has a related category to your site. Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Don’t waste your time linking to unrelated subjects.
4) Does the site have a good navigation layout?
5) Is it pleasing to your eyes?
6) Does it have pages under construction?
7) Does it lock up your web browser due to poor coding?
8) Does it work using Netscape?
9) Is it fast loading?
10) Does it have its own domain? You don’t want to spend time linking to junk sites as link partners or those without their own domains.
http://www.geocities.com/~something/ or
http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/merchantaccount99/
If a site owner can’t spend $10.00 per year to maintain a domain you can safely bet that site will not be there for very long. There is nothing more frustrating than to obtain a link and a few months later find out that the site is now a 404 error and can’t be found. Worse are the tricky website owners who add your link and then in a few weeks take it down. They must have rocks for brains because it does no one any good to play games. They are counting on the fact that you’re not going to be diligent and check back on your link and that they will get a link to their site without giving one back. Fortunately, if you have Arelis it has a built-in Link Checker that works and you can check incoming links to your site in seconds. If it finds a broken link Arelis will ask you what you like to do about it. The Zeus link auditor does not work very well and it takes days to check about 50 sites, it seems to forget that it checked a link and if you interrupt the operation it has to start all over.
