Google is all about linking. And if you want to snatch a top spot in Google’s search results you need to link like a pro.

But don’t worry. Linking is a whole lot easier today than it was a few years ago. Experience has taught us a lot and with the information in this article you won’t need to worry about endless trial and error. We have a repeatable process that anyone can do, as easy as 1, 2, 3.

That said; let’s take a look at the linking strategies that Google will give you the most credit for…

Link Strategy 1: Reap the Most Benefit from Anchor Text

You probably already know that anchor text is the clickable word or words that make up a hyperlink. But what you may not yet fully realize is just how powerful anchor text is. Want to see for yourself? Try a simple experiment…

Go to http://www.Google.com and search for "click here" (no quotes.) Did you get a link for Adobe Acrobat Reader at number 1? Why is that? Check out the page. They have no mention of "click here" anywhere on the page or in the META tags.

So why does it rank number 1 on Google for "click here"? It’s all thanks to anchor text. More specifically, it’s because of the countless pages that have "click here" as anchor text that links to Adobe’s Acrobat Reader download page.

Did you notice how many competing pages there are for "click here" on Google? Almost Two Billion! Anchor text is extremely important. Here are a few rules of thumb to get the most from yours…

1. Use your three most important keywords for your anchor text. Specifically, your most important word 60% of the time; your second most important keyword 25% and your third keyword 15%. And that is for every page you link to (each page should focus on two to three keywords.)
2. Use "long tail" keywords when appropriate (3 or more words in the keyword phrase.)
3. If your anchor text is part of a paragraph, like a signature block, make certain the surrounding text is optimized for the keyword you want or close variations. Be sure that text varies as much as possible. You want to have plenty of versions of the surrounding text block so Google doesn’t ding it as duplicate content.

Link Strategy 2: Make Your Target URLs Laser Accurate

URL accuracy, or format consistency, is extremely important. Be sure to use the exact same URL whenever you request a link. Even though a URL link beginning with "http" or "www" (or both) might resolve to the same webpage, Google sees them as different destinations.

Want to see for yourself? Go back to Google.com and enter "Links: http://" (without quotes) followed by www… any domain name you want. This shows you the inbound links for that specific domain.

OK, easy enough. Jot down the number of links. Now try it again WITHOUT the "www." And record the number of links. Now try it a third time with the "www" but NOT the http://". Are you getting different numbers? This is because Google sees them as different link destinations.

Link Strategy 3: Go Beyond Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal links just aren’t enough any more. Google now discounts the importance of simple link swaps so reciprocal links alone will not do the trick like they used to. But don’t worry, with a little time or money or both, you can have the best links imaginable.

The two fastest and least expensive ways are by submitting your site to directories or paying a link service, but NOT a reciprocal linking service. Let’s start with directories…

But before we do, there are two downsides to links from directories that I need to mention. First, Google has been discounting directory links over the past few months. Second, some directories charge a fee to get listed (for example Yahoo charges $299 per year!)

But don’t despair. Links from directories may not be all they used to, but they still help your SEO efforts. There is a great page I like to visit that has all the most important directories listed, along with links to the site, GRP (Google PageRank rating), cost (if any) and more; http://www.strongestlinks.com/directories.php

You can click on the column headings to sort by any category you want. This makes finding the freebies, or top GPR sites quick and easy. This site also appears to have some sort of paid membership available but I just use the free link above and it does all I need and more.

Important Note: There is a third possible risk that comes from link farms, which are sometimes very similar to certain link services. That risk is having too many inbound links coming from a single IP range (Internet Protocol address.) Google HATES this and will discount all these links, or worse.

As for reciprocal linking services, I recommend you avoid them like the plague. However there is a nice solution called "3 way linking" that still allows you the set it and forget it option. Here’s one service I’ve had great results with…

3WayLinker.com (http://www.3WayLinker.com ) does not link sites back to each other reciprocally. Instead it creates a series of one way links that are counted purely as inbound links by Google. Even more it helps eliminate duplicate content in your link text and makes sure all inbound links are from a wide range of IP addresses.

Here’s how it works… Site "A" links to site "B". Site "B" links to site "C". And then site "C" links to site "A". So each is a true one way link. This also gives the system more options regarding which sites form a team. With reciprocal links, if both sites use the same hosting provider, there is a very high chance you will be linked within the same IP range. With three way linking this problem is eliminated.

So to recap,

1. Get the most out of your anchor text;
2. Be very consistent with your link URL, and
3. Do more than just reciprocal linking.

Now go get that top spot you’ve been after!

Mike Small is the founder of http://www.SEOpartner.com and author of seven successful search engine optimization books.

Once you decide to create an opt-in email form in your website, it is not just the matter of sending your list of subscribers your promotional stuffs, but also familiarize yourself with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 to be sure that you are meeting the legal requirements of email marketing. These are laws that applied to help protect the privacy of the internet users from spamming and unwanted emails.

Like a horror film, email marketing often gets a bad rap. It is always understandably misunderstood by many with the ungodly amounts of spam flooding inboxes across the universe. Believe it or not, legitimate email exists, and as an unfortunate side effect of all of that spam, it is often a struggle to get these legitimate email through to their subscribers due to overly sensitive spam filters. It is a battle email marketers face everyday.

If you are new to the game, or have been considering stepping into it, there are 3 things you should keep in mind before getting your feet wet!

Take notice of your unsuccessful mail delivery.

These are bounced emails that might happen if the server was too busy, email address go bad, people change email address or ISPs and so on. Users Inbox may run out of space. A proliferation of email accounts means everyone and his 90 year old grandma has a Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo account or two, or even five. With only a few megabytes of storage space, users inbox fills up quickly. If you try to deliver mail to these accounts, you get a warning message.

Your system should also be able to respond to these bounced emails and act appropriately. Email servers are smart. If they see you bouncing too much mail, to too many subscribers, they’ll block you off their network segment entirely. Then you won’t be able to reach anyone on your server, even good addresses.

Managing your opt-in list by deleting those address that bounced so that you have an accurate statistic and records tells you how many are actually receiving your mail. A clean list will raise your response rate!

Always provide an unsubscribe feature at the bottom of your email.

Send your newsletter or email to people who opt-in ONLY. Double opt-in options are even more better. When they have to confirm their subscription, there is less chance of any misunderstanding and spamming. It also includes making sure to give the subscribers instructions on how to opt-out, or unsubscribe from further messages.

When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribe, always take the request seriously. If you don’t take them off, you are considered sending spam emails.

If you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into trouble. You can be reported to an authorities like Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or SpamCop and maybe blacklisted by many Internet Service Providers. This way, you will lose your email list and even potential subscribers.

Provide accurate and related content only.

Do not provide unrelated or disturbing content to your list. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complains may stem from these. Stick to the nature of your business and niche.

If you keep the above points in mind, you are more likely to get your spam free email delivered, and this is one of the greatest obstacles to overcome with any email marketing campaign. You can also have a healthy relationship with your subscribers.

An opt-in list can be a very useful tool for generating web traffic and profit. Basically, an opt-in list allows you to promote your website and products to potential customers via email. Many successful websites use opt-in list to keep their subscribers updated about any promotions, new products or information.

Although some people loath promotional emails, good content like newsletters will be able to keep your visitors interested and guide them back to your site. Useful content like newsletters and articles can help your subscriber list to grow. With a huge subscriber list, it will not be difficult to generate income.

Below, let us explore 6 methods to make money using opt-in list.

1. You can earn income through advertisements place by other websites or companies. With a growing opt-in list, companies know they are reaching more subscribers when they advertise with you.
2. Sell information or e-books on your list to make money. Manuals or do-it-yourself articles are popular among readers. Lots of people are willing to spend money to gain knowledge about a topic they are interested in.
3. You could sell or promote products from other companies or website on consignment basis. Well-placed descriptions, pictures or articles about the products can encourage readers to purchase the items via your site. Once the orders are received, you could purchase from the company and sell it for a profit.
4. By collaborating with websites that have similar themes or products, you could also make money. Introduce their wares and insert a link to their site in your site. Some interested readers from your list will click on the links to know more. By directing some subscribers to their site, you can earn income for every click.
5. Expand your opt-in list by encouraging your subscribers to invite others to your site. When your list have good articles or content, the readers are more likely to share with others, hence promoting your site. As your build up your list, income via product sales, advertisement rates and click on links will increase.
6. As the content in your list gain credibility, subscribers will be willing to pay for reliable information they can trust. You could charge a premium for special articles and earn income.