Link Trading For Traffic

Trading links with other sites is and always has been one of the easiest and quickest methods to generate additional traffic to our sites yet, many webmasters in the industry seem to be shying away from this method of getting traffic, perhaps its because they dont see the value in trading links with other sites or, perhaps its because they simply dont know how to trade links with other sites, one thing is for sure though, trading links works and, whilst it doesnt yield an extreme amount of traffic it does deliver quality traffic. That being said, lets take a look at a few pieces of information that will help you get your next link trade going.

1. Trade with people you know.

Sounds simple enough but, with so many trading scripts out there in the industry, webmasters seem to take the 'more is more' approach when they do their link trades and, this simply isnt the case, rather than quantity, go for quality, it works every time. Gettng quality link trades with people that you already do business with or, know from the boards is one of the best things you can do to benefit your business.

2. Duh - Trade with sites that have traffic.

This is the mistake i see webmasters making all to often, they start their trades with sites that have little to no traffic and then start saying that link tradin doesnt work. Of course it doesnt work if the site you are trading with only has 5 hits a day. When setting up a link trade, the first thing you should be asking is how much traffic the site you are trading with has each day.

3. 'Trust me' - Its over-rated.

Whether we like it or not, its a fact, the industry at the current time has more people who will rip you off than you think especially when traffic is involved! Trust no one, do your trades and be vigilant, check your links for the next few days, check your link trades once a month, check your links whenever you get a few spare minutes. People will remove links without warning and, if you still have their link up, change it to another site that is going to KEEP your link trade in place.

4. Text links.

Most site owners will try to get you to use a button or a banner for link trades and, if you can avoid using graphics for your link trades do so. The ONLY type of banner or button you have on your sites should be the ones that you use to send surfers to your sponsors and that make YOU money!

5. Location is everything.

Despite what people tell you, your link trades should be in a visible placement on your site, they dont have to be front and center on your main page but, they should be visible. Dont bury them on a links page with 100 other trades, they wont benefit your or the site you are linking with. The bottom of your index page is a good spot for link trades right below your sites 'enter' link.

6. Initiate the trade.

Ask yourself this, what would you find more appealing, linking to a site that already has your link in place or linking to a site that doesnt have anything in place presently? By showing that you are actually willing to trade links and placing the link trade on your site first, you are showing one of two things, you are serious about trading links and, you can be trusted (see #3 above).

7. Use email.

If you dont know how to get in touch with a webmaster who you want to trade links with, send them an email, most webmasters have one email working for their domains these days and, it is usually webmaster@domain.com it takes all of 3 minutes to send an email requesting a link trade and, the worse that can happen is your email bounces.

8. Be polite.

A simple, please and thank you, can go a long way to ensuring your link trades get executed. Dont forget, behind the monitors and keyboards we are individuals. Sometime we havent heard from another webmaster in a few days if we have been busy, a simple please and thank you might be all that is needed to make your link request stand out from others and, it doesnt cost you a dime.

Link trading is definately a good method to generate traffic but, by following the 8 rules above, you will find that your link trades get accepted more often. Of course there is always the exception to the rule but, for most, the traffic and business relationships you can build with your trade partners can be of benefit for you many years down the line.

Give link trading a try and see how much benefit you get from target link trades, i guarantee that you will find at least one site working the same niches as you that will be willing to trade links and, by doing so, it makes the both of your sites stronger.

Article written by Lee.

http://www.webmasterconsultants.com