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Build your own Web neighborhood

Posted by Michael Martinez on June 12, 2007 in SEO Theory

Many people now have some understanding of the concept of a “Web neighborhood”. We each visualize Web neighborhoods somewhat uniquely but we have some common ground when speaking about them. The problem is that most people segregate their own Web sites from the majority of sites they are safe to associate with.

That is, the myth of “relevant linking” has done tremendous damage to the business Web community because people are obsessed with nonsense like “relevant links”, “quality links”, and “being part of a good neighborhood”.

Most Web neighborhoods include at least a few suspicous sites, if for no other reason than that most site operators are not even aware that some of the things they do might be regarded as suspect by search engines. Most Web site operators really do not try to manipulate search engine rankings. They just don’t know how.

Obsessing over whether you’re associating with the wrong sites is a waste time. In most cases, people attempting to manipulate search engine rankings through links are associating with the wrong sites regardless of what they do. The basic flaw, the log in the eye, is that they are trying to manipulate search engine rankings through links. That is why so many sites suffer every time the search engines update their filters and algorithms.

When you create a new site or launch a new marketing campaign the first thing you should do is create a neighborhood map. Not a map of an existing neighborhood but rather a map of the neighborhood you want to create. You are the sub-division developer. You get to lay out the grid, assign the lots, and pick the model homes that will be built.

In short, you choose the Web sites you will associate with. You should choose carefully and wisely for these sites will be your partners, your friends, your allies, and your neighbors. They are not your minions blindly doing your bidding as you march upon the search engines, bent upon conquest of the rankings.

Web site relationships must extend beyond search engine optimization. You can only achieve stable SEO success by not thinking about the potential SEO advantages of linking relationships. You must understand that search engines strive to map natural relationships, so your best chances of success lie in creating natural Web relationships.

Industry does not matter. In fact, the one most common mistake that people make in forming Web relationships is that they limit themselves to specific industries. “I sell cars so I should only link with car-related Web sites.” Does that sound familiar? That’s why you fail.

Let’s say you have a small car dealership and you set up a Web site. You’re probably thinking, “My Web site should be all about the cars I sell, the great deals I offer, and the compelling reasons for why people should buy from me.” That’s the way most small car dealership sites are set up.

Nothing sets them apart. Now, some people browse Web forums and read SEO blogs and they catch on to the great linking craze. They realize, “Hey, I just need links from other car dealerships and I’ll have great search engine rankings.” That’s not how it works but that is how people want it to work.

So a lot of small business sites exchange links with other small business sites in far away communities (so they cannot hurt themselves by working with the competition). Does this sound familiar? Yeah, Matt Cutts might have said something about this with respect to real estate sites recently.

So there you are, small business site operator, participating in an artificial Web community that really doesn’t offer your visitors anything of value. So why should they buy cars (or real estate) from you? Maybe they’ll do it because you’re the only game in town, but you can build relationships that make your site useful.

No car dealership Web site should be just about selling cars. No real estate Web site should be just about buying and selling real estate. Your business is part of a community. It needs to show new customers that they are part of a community too.

So maybe you do the easy, obvious thing and join the Better Business Bureau, the local Chamber of Commerce, the state Chamber of Commerce, and you buy some directory links and advertising. You’re still not doing anything for your community.

Nor have you built a real Web neighborhood.

What you need to do is create a list of Web sites that you will actively promote and help, asking nothing in return. Your site should have a master plan for adding new resources on either a weekly or a monthly basis, asking nothing in return.

Does your brother’s wife’s cousin build mailboxes? Link to her site. Tell your visitors about her site. Mailboxes may have nothing to do with cars but that doesn’t matter. We’re talking about friends and family here. You want them to recommend your car dealership to other people, so why don’t you recommend their mailboxes?

Does your aunt Gracie sell antique quilts? Does she have a Web site? If not, help her create one. Then tell your visitors that you helped aunt Gracie set up a quilt site and you want them to visit her site.

Does your high school pal George have a truck washing facility? Does he have a Web site? Tell people about it.

Put these links on your front page, or on your contact page, or somewhere big, bold, and obvious. Make them look like legitimate referrals. Tell people why you recommend these other businesses.

Don’t assume you’re losing traffic to your outbound links. I’ve never yet heard of anyone staying on a Web site 24/7, so you’re losing all your visitors one way or another anyway. Getting them to come back, time and again, until they are ready to buy from you — that’s the real trick. You cannot trap them, but you can definitely help them.

Helping people is easier when you don’t ask for anything in return. You’ll find that if you start linking out to useful sites you want to help promote that many of them will link back to you, that your visitors will drop links for you in forums and blogs, and that you don’t end up with so many links to suspicious sites. As long as you pick the sites you link to because you want to help them in exchange for nothing, you’re not likely to link to any sites that are on a search engine’s radar.

By tossing out all those ridiculous myths that dwell on nonsense like “relevant links” you ensure that your Web site will stand out from others. You don’t need to hide your links if you’re trying to help people. You don’t need to disguise what you’re doing if you do it openly. You don’t need to ask yourself, “Is this advertising?” (it’s not).

Free yourself of the “relevant link” burden and you’ll never look back. Stop asking other people for links. Stop exchanging links. Stop trying to manipulate search engine results through links.

If you want to be the top-ranked car dealership Web site in your town, create content on your site that tells people you sell cars in your town. You’ll get the links because you give other sites a reason to link to you. You won’t be getting links because you’re a clueluess moron like all the other clueless morons out there trying to fit into artificial neighborhoods.

You can promote local charitable organizations and events, local schools, local business organizations, local government services, even local businesses that your friends and family own. You can be subtle, low-key, and downplay the connection. Or you can be magnimous and show your visitors a local site of the week or site of the month.

You can also promote online partners, national and international organizations, special interest groups, and other businesses that have helped your customers. You don’t have to limit yourself to just getting “relevant links”. You should not be exchanging links with other sites at all. Exchanging links isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s formulaic and mundane. Everyone does it because they don’t know how to do anything else.

Take control over whom you link to. Decide to link out only when it serves your visitors’ best interest.

Building your Web neighborhood is not about building traffic, although traffic will eventually come. Building your Web neighborhood helps you establish a unique identity, improve your visibility, and acquire a reputation for having integrity. People will trust your judgement if you excercise a little good judgement and only link to sites you truly, honestly want to recommend.

There should be no limit to the number and types of sites you recommend. Just remember, however, that you run a car dealership site, not a Web directory. Make each outbound link count. Give each one love and attention. Treat them all like children, so that you associate value with them.

You can define your own Web neighborhood, ensure that it is a good one, and help other people find a good neighborhood for their sites, too. If you’re going to build links, start with the links you can provide to other people. Create value through your links that no one else can replicate.