By M.Christian

YNOT EUROPE – Without a doubt, links have become a very sought-after component of any internet-based business — even, or maybe especially, adult industry businesses.

In a new column, Rob Chant of Search Engine Watch put together a very informative guide not just to acquiring links, but also how to set goals for their use on any internet business site.

Chant points out that, in many ways, links are even more important than keywords, as they factor into ranking and indexation.

As for how many links one needs, the trick is to set a realistic goal: paying particular attention to what your site(s) needs and not just packing them in. The number of links has much to do with the size, and type, of your market. Google Webmaster Tools, Open Site Explorer and Majestic SEO are all excellent tools for determining incoming links — and except for Webmaster Tools, all give you a look at what links your competitors have, as well.

In fact, looking at what other people are doing with their links is a key to effective search engine optimization, or SEO. Examining others’ links and linking strategies can give you clues about how many links your site(s) should have, what kind of quality you need to aim for, etc.

Of course, determining who — exactly — is your competition can be a bit tricky, especially with the niche markets and such found in the adult industry. A trick Chant mentions is to pay particular attention to “sites that are already ranking for the keywords you’re targeting.”

A word of caution, though: It is not a wise choice to consider giants like Amazon or Wikipedia your competition. In other words, be realistic, especially when you are first starting with your link building. You can chase the big dogs later.

When you have your competitors in your sights, the next step is to use link-checking tools like Open Site Explorer or Majestic SEO to examine actual statistics. That will give you a good idea of what your own counts should be.

However, Chant adds another word of caution: Not only should you be realistic in your link-building goals, but you also should pay particular attention to both quantity and quality of links. It’s far too easy to pad link numbers with links that have little or nothing to do with a site’s target audience. That move may result in search engine penalties, which defeats the purpose of linking in the first place.

“It’s all-important to have a figure for which to aim and to give your otherwise vague task some context,” Chant noted.