1.      Use keywords in your anchor text. Anchor text is the clickable text displayed for links - and it’s more important to your search engine rankings than you might think. Every time the search engines find a link pointing to your site it counts as a “vote” that someone considers your site good enough to share it with their own visitors. If your keywords are included in that anchor text, the search engines assume your site must be related to that topic and your site relevancy for those keywords increases a little. The more links you have with keyword rich anchor text, the more important the search engines consider your site. The most important sites make the top 10.

2.      Include keywords in the text surrounding the anchor text. You will get the most value from including your keywords in your link anchor text. However the search engines also look at the text around the link so be sure to include your keywords there as well. This can be useful for links where you’re unable to specify keywords to use in the anchor text. For example, some sites that you exchange links with may include your site name as the anchor text. Give the search engines a hint as to what your site is about by writing a site description that uses your major keywords.

3.      Make sure your anchor text matches the content of the page you’re linking to. When a search engine spider follows a link, it registers whether the anchor text used for that link matches the content on the page it arrives at. For example, if your home page is optimized for “prom dresses” and you get a link to your site that includes the anchor text “green prom dresses”, that link will be considered more valuable then if you linked to a page which was optimized for “prom tuxedos”. To get the maximum benefit from links pointing to your site, be sure that your anchor text matches the content of the page you’re linking to.

4.      Don’t worry about getting links from sites with the same IP. If you own more than one site and they’re hosted with the same company, chances are that they have the same IP address. There has been some speculation in the past that if you put a link up on one of your sites that points to the other, that the link is given no value by the search engines. However, many SEO experts now agree that this is a myth. So if it makes sense to link your sites together, do it!

5.      Make sure your link anchor text is varied. Search engines penalize sites that seem to have used link exchange services. How they spot these sites is by looking at the incoming links.  If the anchor text on every link is the same, then there is a good chance that software and not a human generated the links. Instead of using an automated service, take the time to submit link exchanges one at a time and make sure to vary the link text. This gives a more natural look to your incoming links.

6.      Get links from relevant sites. The search engines are becoming more sophisticated at reading and understanding what a site is about. And they are using this capability to look for natural linking relationships between sites. If a site selling “baby blankets” links to a “parenting information” site it will be seen more favorably because the two cover similar topics. Whereas a link from a “baby blankets” site to one selling “lawnmowers” is most likely only an attempt to improve a site’s link popularity.

7.      Provide good content and other webmasters will link to you. The most effective technique for getting people to link to your site is to make it the best of its kind in your industry. The more valuable and relevant content that you include, the more likely others will be to share it with their site visitors, blog readers and newsletter subscribers. And every mention brings new traffic as well as a one-way link that gives your search engine ranking a boost.

8.      Don’t add a blog just for SEO. The search engines seem to love blogs and they often index them quickly. But if you don’t update your blog frequently you won’t be doing yourself any favors. Nothing looks worse to potential customers than a blog with only a few outdated entries. So if a blog that is updated regularly doesn’t make sense for your business then don’t add one to your site.

9.      Get links to internal pages if it’s appropriate. A well designed site that has a proper internal linking structure will pass link popularity between its pages. So don’t worry about only getting links to your home page. If it makes sense to have another site link to an internal page then do that. Remember, you should always be focused on creating a site that is usable for your potential customers. If you write an article about “blue widgets” and then at the bottom you put a link to your home page where there is only general information about your company then you may lose the interest of potential customer’s. Instead link to your “blue widgets” page directly. This will still count as a link in the eyes of the search engines, and it’s much more user friendly.

10.  Use text links whenever possible. For both internal links and external links, it’s best to keep them in plain text whenever possible. That’s not to say that there is no value to links from images, but you lose the benefit of the keywords contained in the link anchor text. When image links cannot be avoided, be sure to use alt text that includes your keywords.

11.  Get one-way links. One-way links are when another site links to yours, but you do not link to theirs. The alternative is two-way links or reciprocal links, where they link to you and you link to them. The search engines put a much higher importance on one-way links because they are more likely to be a true “vote” for the quality of your site. The idea is that other webmasters would not tell others about your site if it were no good. The best ways to get one-way links are by submitting to directories and offering your articles for other webmasters to publish.

12.  Use alt text in linked images. When you include pictures on your site it is important to include a description of the image in the alt text. This is particularly true for images that that link to other pages. Including relevant keywords in the alt text for these linked images has been shown to have a positive effect on search engine rankings. But be sure to use only relevant keywords and not stuff your alt text with unrelated information in the hopes that you’ll impress the search engines.

13.  Don’t try and trick the search engines with three-way links. As one-way links become more important to the search engines, some webmasters have devised a reciprocal linking plan that makes it look like they’re getting more one-way links than they are. The idea is that three sites participate. Site A links to site B, site B links to site C and site C links to site A. On the surface it looks like these are all one-way links. But it is only a matter of time before the search engines figure this out (if they haven’t already!) and penalize all of the sites involved.

14.  Get links from authority sites. Authority sites are ones that are seen as the best of the best in their industry. These are typically very large information sites that have been around for a long time. Because the search engines place a lot of value on where these sites links to, one link from an authority site can have a tremendous effect on improving your rankings. Although getting links from authority sites can be difficult, it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

15.  Consider the quality of the page you’re getting a link from. When deciding whether to pursue a link from a particular site, some people will tell you to look at its Google PageRank Google. But even Google admits that it does not keep the PageRank value shown to the public up-to-date. Instead, look at whether the site practices good SEO techniques. Where do they rank in the search engines? Getting a link from a site that is already ranking well will help improve your ranking. Your site looks better by association.

16.  Remember that internal links are important too. So much emphasis is put on external links that often the links within a site are overlooked. But they are extremely important and should be carefully planned. It is through your internal links that your site’s popularity is shared between pages. This gives the inner pages more importance because of their association with your home page. The key to a good internal linking strategy is to ensure that all of your pages have at least one link to them - ideally more. When setting up the links, use plain text whenever possible with keyword rich anchor text.

17.  Get one-way links from directories. There are hundreds of different directories on every topic imaginable. Be sure to submit your site to relevant ones in your industry as well as general ones. For a listing of directories check out http://www.isedb.com and http://www.grackelfish.com. The most important directory from an SEO standpoint is DMOZ (http://www.dmoz.com). Not only does a link in DMOZ carry a lot of weight with the search engines, but their results are also published on other sites, which brings more one-way links.

18.  Get one-way links by publishing articles. One of the best ways to get one-way links is to publish articles. Submit them to article directories, related websites, blogs and newsletter publishers. If you write good quality content you’ll find that it spreads quickly - bringing traffic and one-way links.

19.  Don’t waste time getting links the search engines don’t count. Too many webmasters spend countless hours posting on forums and submitting blog comments in the hopes that these one-way links will improve their rankings. However, the search engines are smart enough to know that the site owners did not put up these links and therefore they carry very little weight. If the link will bring you traffic then it is worthwhile, but do not waste time trying to get links simply for the search engine’s sake.

20.  Avoid using image maps for navigation. Due to the code that makes up an image map search engines often get trapped in them and can’t spider your site. If you use image maps for your main site navigation you should consider switching to standard HTML hyperlinks or your site will most likely not be spidered properly. If you want to keep the image maps you can, but you should add another navigation scheme to your site that uses only standard text HTML hyperlinks. An easy way to do this is to create a site map page that links to link to every page on your site. Then add a standard HTML link on each page of your site that links to the site map.

21.  Choose your navigation system carefully. Your navigation system is how spiders move around your site. If you choose a menu system that they cannot follow they will have no way of indexing all of your pages. Whenever possible, use text links for your menu. Or if you want to do something more graphical, make sure that your navigation buttons do not include an image map and that you include appropriate keywords in the image alt tag. Probably the worst option is DHTML menus that create effects such as pull down boxes so unless it’s critical to the design of your site, this type of navigation system is best avoided.

22.  Create a site map. Site maps are important for users and search engines alike. They are a great way to ensure that you have a link to every page on your site. To make your site map useful, it should contain as much relevant content as possible and not just be a set of one-word links. You can do this easily by adding a one or two sentence after each link that describes what the page is about.

23.  Don’t be afraid to link out. Some people worry that by linking out they are giving away their PageRank to other sites. There is no evidence to support this claim. And many SEO experts believe that having links to other sites is natural and expected by the search engines. An absence of links may be a red flag.

24.  Keep your link pages to a reasonable length. Including hundreds of outgoing links on a page is not a good idea. The search engines know that these pages have very little value to your site visitors. How are they going to find anything relevant amongst 200 links? Instead focus on creating pages that are valuable to your visitors. Include descriptions for the links and keep it to a reasonable number. If you offer link partners a good quality link they’ll be willing to do the same for you. It’s a win-win situation!

You might not know this, but social networking sites aren’t just for teenagers anymore. In fact, social networking sites have evolved into something different altogether than what they once were – networks composed mainly of teenage girls. Today, social networking sites span the spectrum of demographic groups. While teenagers are still more apt to use them than older people, there are now niche social networking sites, which target people who all share some common interest, such as a skateboarding or investing.

Now, in addition to teenagers and adults, social networks are increasingly becoming used by another group – businesses. That’s right: many businesses are now infiltrating social networks to advertise in some subtle manner – and then replicate their message through systems that are already available within the social network.

Myspace

The most prominent social network is http://www.myspace.com, which boasts a membership base of 1.06 hundred million. If the affiliate product you are selling has a broad appeal, you may want to use Myspace to market your product, as you will be able to reach the largest crowd quickly.

Now, there are a number of different ways in which you can market your affiliate product through Myspace. One way is to setup a profile, purchase what is called an “adder robot,” and then begin adding friends to your list on a daily basis. The robot can add as many as 300 per day without any problems. Depending on your goals, you may want to add a personal profile for yourself and then talk about your business/product on your page; or you may want to simply create a profile for your business and use that to market your product. While you can send out bulletins advertising your product through Myspace, this is generally discouraged by the Myspace staff and could lead to your getting banned. It is probably a good idea to avoid this; instead, post related bulletins that don’t advertise your product, but talk about something similar. This will drive interested visitors to your page, where they can learn more about the affiliate product you are selling. Note, however, that you will have to link to a non-affiliate page, as affiliate links are expressly forbid on Myspace.

Once you have had some experience marketing to the Myspace crowd, you will want to consider looking at other social networking sites. One other large site is Friendster, which you can find at the following URL: http://www.friendster.com. Http://www.facebook.com is another large social networking site, which caters specifically to college and high school students. You will also want to look for niche networking sites, which will afford you an opportunity to capture a more targeted audience.

Squidoo

Another place you will definitely want to check out is http://www.squidoo.com/. Unlike Myspace, Friendster, and other traditional social networking sites, Squidoo allows members to create a “lens,” rather than a “profile.” So, rather than writing about yourself, you can actually just write about products and services you are promoting.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re promoting vitamins as an affiliate. Rather than creating a profile on Myspace, looking for people who might be part of your target audience, adding them as friends, and then sending out subtle messages, you can plainly create a lens that is about vitamins. You can talk about nothing but vitamins; and you can even include links to affiliate products throughout your entire lens.

Now, there are several pros and cons to using a Squidoo Lens over other options. The major pro is that Google views as lens as if it is part of Squidoo – a large, highly-ranking website. If you create a Lens, Google will reward you by ranking your content highly. Additionally, it will pick up on your content quickly and spider it often. Thus, you can put up a Lens about, say, Chocolate – and, in a few days, already start making some affiliate sales. The major “con” to using Squidoo is that you only get a 50% cut of your commissions. Thus, if you’re only getting a 50% commission to start with, you will only receive a 25% commission once Squidoo takes its cut.

Digg

Anther prominent social networking site you will want to explore is http://www.digg.com. Digg is distinctly different from both Myspace and Squidoo. Rather than allowing you to directly network with people or to directly sell products, it allows you to submit blog posts and vote on them. Once a post is submitted, it appears on a list in the category you selected. From there, it will either fall in ranking or rise in raking – all depending on how people vote.

If you’re having a hard time getting exposure, but you’re a good writer or have good graphic design skills – this is your chance to shine. All you have to do is put together a high-quality blog about your particular affiliate product topic. You can then tag it; and ping it to Digg. If people like your entry, they’ll vote on it and keep you near the top. If you use graphics, a movie, or charts, you can expect more people to view and vote on your particular blog entry. Try to make your post as original as is possible if you want to get recognized.

Whichever sites you decide to use, keep the following in mind: you can use social networks in a number of different ways. For instance, you could concentrate on developing a network of people who share a common interest and could potentially be interested in your specific product. Conversely, you could simply take some of your best writing (on the particular topic you’ve covering) and try to get it recognized on places like Digg – but without building any network whatsoever. Last, you can use social networks such as Squidoo to unabashedly sell products by developing high-quality content and then inserting affiliate links. Whatever you do, make sure you select the right network for your particular affiliate products.

Thanks again for reading.

Posting on forums is one of the cheapest and fastest ways in which you can advertise affiliates products on the Internet; however, in order to do this successfully, you must do a number of things carefully. Simply starting a thread that contains an affiliate link might be a good way to get banned from a particular forum board, but it will never be a good way to make sales.

The general procedure involves making multiple posts on a forum board before you even setup a signature file, which includes a link to your site. Even if the particular forum you are using does not specifically mandate this, you will want to do this, anyway, as it will increase your credibility – which is your real goal.

You can start by finding a number of forums for your particular niche or marketing angle. You can find massive lists of forums at the following two URLs:

http://www.big-boards.com/
http://board123.com/forum_directory.php

The first resource is currently the largest forum directory on the Internet. The second resource contains less directories, but includes some that are not listed on Big Boards.

Now, once you have selected a number of directories that match your specific marketing angle and affiliate product, you will want to investigate to determine whether or not they have rules regulating signature files. For instance, some sites do not allow any links in signature files; others, by contrast, allow links, but do not allow any commercial links. Make sure you know what the rules are before you post. Otherwise, you are simply setting yourself up to be banned from the forum.

Next, take the list of forums you have created – that are both relevant to your topic and allow commercial links – and begin developing a reptuation on those forums. Post regularly, avoid meaningless fights and flamming, and contribute useful, on-target information to discussions. In a matter of 1-2 weeks, you will have developed a reptuation, provided that the forum receives a considerable amount of traffic.

Once you have developed a good reputation, you will want to begin advertising through your forum signature. Ideally, you will want to include some eye-catching assortment of colors, symbols, and words in your signature. This will draw people’s attention. You will then want to link them to something other than an affiliate page – whether it be a page you created to sell an affiliate product or an autoresponder course used to capture email addresses.

Remember to repeat this process in all applicable forums. Look for high traffic forums that allow commercial link posting in signature files – and that also happen to fit with your specific audience-targeting and marketing angle goals. Next, create a reputation. Last, add your signature in some attractive way that draws visitors’ attention, but is also likely to convert them into interested clickers. You will find that this form of advertising pays off considerably – and does so faster than other methods available.

With the basics covered, there are a number of details you should take into consideration before you start posting. The following are two advanced techniques, which could score you additional points on the forums. Not only will they improve your credibility as a forum contributor, but they could also drive endless traffic to some product you’re promoting…

Technique #1: The “Real Time Project” Post

If you want to succeed with a real time project post, you’ll need to have the dedication to see it through to the end. Additionally, you’ll need the fortitude to deal with being in the spotlight, since that’s exactly what creating such a post will do – put you in the spotlight.

The following is a simple outline for succeeding with a real time project post:

Step #1: target one forum related to your market and scan it for hot topics. Find something that everyone is trying to do. If you’re targeting an Internet marketing forum, for instance, you might select a topic such as “Adsense sites” or “search engine optimization” — two things people perpetually struggle with.

Step #2: declare – in a post – that you are going to attempt to achieve something related to that hot topic. For instance, you might say: “I’m going to build 5 Adsense sites in the next week using the following steps: x, y, z. I will post every detail – failures and successes – in this thread.”

Step #3: actually follow through with your claim. If you make absolutely no money at all, post that. If you made $3, post that. At least a few times each week, post a full update, treating that particular thread as if it is your blog.

By the time you finish with your project post, you should have a lot of people eagerly following along to see whether you failed or succeeded – and what you did along the way. This is not only a great way to network, but it will expand your forum audience in the future. Next time you make a post, you can count on more people reading it, which will work to your favor if you decide to make a product pitch.

Technique #2: Post Product Reviews — Fast

This technique is short and straightforward. Whenever there’s a new product release, be the first person to jump on it. Grab a copy of it, review it thoroughly, turn that review into a PDF; and then freely give it away on forums. Ideally, if you can start to circulate your version of the review on message boards on the night of the release, you can expect to pick up a lot of additional affiliate sales.

With that said, be careful to craft a review that thoroughly engages the plusses and minuses of the new product. Don’t simply say “buy this”; instead, try to be as thoroughly rigorous and objective in your review as is possible. And, of course, don’t forget to include your affiliate link to the product at several points throughout the review!