Search Engine Ranking Basics
A search engine is a program designed to help find information stored on a computer system such as the World Wide Web, or a personal computer. The search engine allows one to ask for content meeting specific criteria (typically those containing a given word or phrase) and retrieves a list of references that match those criteria. Search engines use regularly updated indexes to operate quickly and efficiently. Without further qualification, search engine usually refers to a Web search engine, which searches for information on the public Web. Other kinds of search engine are enterprise search engines, which search on intranets, personal search engines, which search individual personal computers, and mobile search engines.
Some search engines also mine data available in newsgroups, large databases, or open directories like DMOZ.org. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically. Most web sites which call themselves search engines, are actually front ends to other search engines owned by other companies. The typical user will often not know which underlying search engine they are using.
Real Estate Web Site Link Swapping
What Is A Link Swap?
This is where you and another web site owner agree to "exchange reciprocal links", this means you will put a link to their web site on yours and the other person will put a link to your web site on theirs.
2. Why Is This Beneficial?
There are a few benefits. The main being search engine rankings.
Most major search engines (especially Google and Yahoo) take "links" into account when determining your ranking. While this is not the only factor in getting a good ranking, it is one of the most important ones.
Search engines rightfully assume that if a webmaster (a web site owner) takes the time to put a link to a web site on his/her web site than that web site must be:
A:
It's a quality web site. You (as a web site owner) wouldn't put a link to bad web site on your web site would you? You would want to link to a quality web site that is easy to use and has good content on it.
B:
The web site must be relevant to your visitors... example: if your web site is about Real Estate then you would link to other good web sites about Real Estate, you wouldn't link to a web site about "Music" since that has nothing to do with your site and would have no benefit to your web site visitors.
Why Would I Link To Another Realtors (Or Real Estate Related) Web Site
.. And Why Would They Link To Me?
Because you both (both web sites) get equal benefit from it, it's a totally equal "win-win" situation.
It's truly an equal benefit. Regardless of where each web site is in the search engine ranking (even if they are not or even close to being equal) both web sites will equally benefit from it. No one has anything to loose. Think about it.
A:
It is true that you have to link to a web site that could be your competition, but they have to due the same for you (so it's equal). The chances of anyone leaving your web site (or someone coming to yours from theirs) is pretty slim if you both have good sites. A site visitor won't leave a web site he/she finds useful and is enjoying.
B:
Both web sites will equally benefit with regards to search engine rankings. Regardless of who is currently doing better on search engines (or if you are equal). Each web site will get an "Equal Boost".
How Much Could This Help My Search Engine Rankings:
It could help a lot or only a little. You have to remember that this is only 1 way out of perhaps dozens that search engine determine the ranking of a particular web site. There is also many other factors involved. I have personally seen web site dramatically increase their search engine rankings using this technique.
Is There A Downside To This? Anything I Should Worry About?
Just 2 things:
A:
Don't go overboard. It's fine to have 5, 10, 20, or even 40 web sites out there that you link to and they link back to you. But don't create a "link farm" (Google hates these). If you do this for 100's of web sites it will not work for you any longer, even worse it would hurt your rankings. So don't go overboard ok.
B:
The web sites that link to you and the ones you link to must be "relevant" (on the same topic). Exchanging links with a web site about "Cars" when your web site is about "Real Estate" will do very little (if anything) for the search engine rankings of either web site. The web sites must be on the same main topic , also to a lesser extent they could be web sites in the same areas (perhaps local businesses), this strategy can also work but not as effective as if both web sites are on the same topic (e.g: real estate).
Use keywords in your links!
Example: you exchange links with another agent.
You web site is www.tombrown-realtor.com and his is www.johnsmith-realtor.com (examples only, don't try to go them).
When you put a link to the other persons web site and he puts a link to yours, don't just title the link the name of your site, company, or your name. Instead put keywords as the link.
Example - the examples below would go to a REALTOR website based in San Diego
Example Of What You Don't Do:
YourDomainName.com
Example Of What You Should Do:
San Diego Real Estate
Why, because this is another thing that search engines take into account when they determine your search engine ranking for keywords (search terms).
If someone searches on Google for say "Boston Realtor" and there are web sites out there with links to your web site that are called "Boston Realtor" than this could greatly improve your ranking for that search term.
Link Farm
To avoid being "mistakenly" considered a "link farm" (or being involved in one rather), do not list to more than 50% of the site that link to you and don't have more than 100 links on your site.
