The Right Way to Serve Up Links

Most Web sites have a page with outbound links. In theory, they serve as a resource for your customers, but Shavkat Karimov argues that, in practice, links pages rarely add value. "They just list sites," he says in a post at the Digital Marketing Blog. "That's it. It's a very long list, and the sites listed are sometimes irrelevant and useless." If this sounds like your links page, Karimov has some advice:

When naming the page, don't use the word "Links." It's toxic from Google's perspective. Instead, Karimov suggests adding a word like "Sites" or, if you're a marketing company, "Digital Marketing Sites."
Write descriptions for people, not spiders. "[T]ell a 'story' about your subject," says Karimov, "and add the external links … where expected." Natural link placement within a narrative will appeal to human visitors and Google.
Categorize your links. Customers won't see the maximum benefit from 50 links presented without context, and neither will your various link partners.
Pretend you're still in college. Karimov sometimes links from citations placed at the bottom of an article. This technique lends the credible appearance of an academic paper.

The Po!nt: Giving your links page a user-friendly makeover not only enhances the customer experience; with appropriately placed calls to action, they also can improve your bottom line.

Source: Digital Marketing Blog. Click here for the full post.

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