What is link popularity

Link popularity is a term used in the context of search engine optimization (SEO) to 

describe the level of popularity or authority a website or web page has based on the

number and quality of links pointing to it from other websites. It is one of the many 

factors that search engines consider when ranking web pages in search results.

Why is it important?

Increasing the number of quality links to your web site is the single most efficient technique you can use to increase traffic to your web site and boost your search engine rankings. The benefits of having a large number of relevant web sites linking to yours

are two-fold....

1. Direct Traffic

Your web site will start to receive a consistent stream of highly targeted visitors. Unlike search engine rankings and paid advertising (banners, per click, etc.), traffic generated by link campaigns can usually be counted on for years to come, with no recurring cost. If you have a commercial site, an added benefit is that incoming visitors may perceive your site in a better light, since they have found it via a recommendation (link) on another web site.

2. Search Engine Rankings

Increasing the link popularity of your web site can dramatically improve your search engine rankings. Most major search engines have tailored their algorithms (internal rules used to decide which sites are given priority) to reward sites which have high link popularity. Why? Two reasons...

- Search engines have found that judging a site by who links to it is one of the best 

indicators of site quality. After all, not many webmasters make a habit out of linking to bad or less than useful web sites.

- In the past, search engines have played a continual cat and mouse game with many webmasters who try to 'trick the engines' or 'beat the system'. Link popularity is one of the few factors which is very difficult to abuse (a webmaster would have to have control of tens or hundreds of different sites located on different servers). As a result, it is a safe bet that the major engines will continue to rely on link popularity and reward 'well-linked' sites in the future.

It is this approach which has made search engines like Google the new standard. In fact, Google's entire approach relies heavily on link promotion and link quality. In describing their proprietary ranking system (PageRank), Google's web site says the following...

PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."

It's not just quantity.... it's quality!

Anchor Text: The text used in the link (anchor text) can also impact link popularity. Relevant and descriptive anchor text can help search engines understand the content of the linked page.

Link Diversity: Having a diverse set of sources for your backlinks can be more beneficial than relying on just one or two sources. A variety of sources can indicate broader relevance.

In addition, links from these sites have the advantage of being considered 'more relevant' by the search engines and will help your own rankings improve.

I wish You Success.