Contacting other webmasters is a good way to increase the link popularity of your web sit. But these days, webmasters get many link exchange messages and it’s really difficult to get noticed. Below is a list of things to make sure that webmasters reply to your link exchange request:

• Don’t expect too much action from the other webmaster.
• Don’t teach the other webmaster about search engine optimization.
• Remember the K.I.S (Keep It Short) strategy when writing an email to other webmaster.
• Don’t ask for a link if the other site is not related to your niche.
• Link to the other website first.
• Make sure that your website has a professional design.
• Be polite and humble.
• Never praise your own site. It’s enough to mention your site URL.
• Don’t use free email addresses when sending email to other webmasters.

Backlinks are the links given from one website to another. These links enable you to keep track of other sites on the Internet that link or point to your site. For instance, suppose webmaster A has a site that webmaster B finds interesting. Webmaster B then goes to his own site and write something of his own, linking back to webmaster A’s site. Now webmaster A’s site will automatically show that webmaster B has linked to it.

Link popularity is a general representation of the total number of sites and their quality which link to a particular site (or individual web page). Almost all the major search engines including Google, Yahoo & MSN support the “link:” operator. Type in link: in front of the URL about which you want to know.

Link popularity is important because it plays a major role in the visibility of the website and is used by search engines in determining the ranking on a site in search results. Generally the more inbound links, the higher will be the position of the site.

We know that backlinks are one of the most important factors in determining the worth of any website on the search engines. And, buying backlinks is one of the easiest and fastest ways to build backlinks. So, there is no question of Google penalizing any site just for “buying backlinks.” BUT, you must ensure that the backlinks you bought contains your targeted keywords. For instance, if you are targeting the keyword ‘acne skin’, then these two words should appear somewhere in the text of your backlinks. Your backlinks must be concise so the search engine spiders won’t get confused. Another important factor to consider is if the website you are buying your backlink from is banned by Google or not. If it is, chances are that your website could get banned too if it links to yours. So beware!

Yes, forum signatures are a good way to build links. You should join popular forums in your niche, make a signature and insert a link to the homepage or some inner pages of your site and start contributing to ongoing discussions.

The nofollow tag does not allow trading PageRank with another website. That’s why it is not recommended in reciprocal link trading where you not only have to trade traffic but also the PageRank with other website. On the other hand, the dofollow tag allow you to trade PageRank and reward those who comment on your blog or message board.

There are a lot of tools available on the Internet for checking backlinks to any site. Some of them are listed below.

• The fastest tool to check the backlink is Google’s toolbar. It’s FREE to download and works with any browser.
• Greg Boser’s Tattler is another quick tool and works with the Yahoo! Site Explorer. It is also free.
• Marketleap.com is another good tool.
• Another option is the Link Checkup link checker software.

There are a lot of ways to check backlinks. The easiest way is to download the Google toolbar to check it quickly. You can also perform a search on Google with the keyword “checking backlinks” and it will show you a lot of the ways. You can choose the one that suits you best.

There are a number of ways which can help you to get other websites to link your site. Below is a list of link building tips that are likely to guarantee that you will receive free links from already established websites:

• Submit your site to Web Directories.
• Submit Press Releases to PR sites.
• Reciprocal Links with Similar Websites.
• Squidoo Lenses.
• Article Submissions.
• Social Media Profiles.
• Social Bookmarking Websites.
• Forum Signatures.
• Create a Tool, Theme or Widget.
• Blogs on Other Blog Platforms.
• Comment on Other Blogs.
• Guest posting on other blogs.
• Hold Contests.
• Collaborative Projects.
• Offer your Expertise.

Link popularity is the number and quality of the links pointing to your site. We know that no marketing tool can substitute the effectiveness of word of mouth advertising. The same is true for website links. When a “well established” site links to your site, people do not hesitate to follow the recommendation. This is how link popularity works.

In order to build long-term link popularity, you should offer good content and features on regular basis that will add real value to your visitors. When they will like your site, chances are that they will link to your website and send more visitors and so on.