Maximizing Hub Score

[JamesR]

So, if you were trying to maximize your "hub" score, would you:

a) Build a link page with a lot of relevant outgoing links
b) Link to relevant sites in body text throughout the site and spread the outgoing links over numerous pages
c) all of the above
d) none of the above, I hate web positioning and I'm getting another job

[seth_wilde]

I think the traditional hub would be a), but if I were to go about it I think I would use a combination of a) and b). But then again d) is looking better every day :)

[Mike_Mackin]

a,b, and thinking about D - :)

So let me see - that's C & D is it not.

[seth_wilde]

Well ya mike, I guess technically your correct :) I just wanted to make the distinction between combining the too or just doing either.

[Brett_Tabke]

For hub related, se's are looking for 2 things:
- a quality set of outbound referrals (raid some other directory¹)
- the text in the link. (critical).

How many pages it takes to do that? I think atleast 100 before you'd be considered an authority on it.

¹I never said that

[rogerd]

One tool that can lead you toward hub status is Zeus, which combines a spider and contact manager for seeking out relevant sites, and a link directory publishing tool for managing your links and creating link directory pages. One site I work with is up to 600+ inbound links and has 100+ pages of directory content. There is no easy way to get plenty of relevant inbound links. Zeus automates parts of this function, but you will still have to spend a fair amount of time. In the long run, though, the benefits are worthwhile and the results should be longer lasting. Resources: Check out the AIM-pro site for the Zeus review [aim-pro.com] and link popularity help file [aim-pro.com].

[JamesR]

rogerd, I tried using Zeus a couple of weeks ago but was very disappointed. It kept locking up my computer and the learning curve was a bit high (granted I didn't want to spend much time on it). Have you had good luck using it?

[rogerd]

JamesR, I have used Zeus on one site to very good effect and have begun several others. The learning curve isn't quite as bad as you might expect from the look of the screen, which really has a lot of data on it. On the largest site, I've built a link directory with a few thousand outbound links spread over 100+ pages, and have garnered hundreds of inbound links. The directory pages are themselves gaining traffic, and, of course, I make it easy to jump to the main site. For link popularity, there is no other tool that compares.

As far as lockups, etc., I've had pretty good luck. I've heard of some users with persistent problems, and the Zeus authors have put in some error logging features to help individual users identify the source of a problem.