Link Question

[vc181200]

I am trying to increase my backward links. I am doing a links page to do this. I am linking my site to the directories I am on. Do I insert the link directly to the page that my site appears on, or do I just do the main site. Does this matter?

Thanx,
vc

[ska_demon]

If you have directory listings i wouldn't bother linking back to them at all. In fact most directories have dynamically generated listings so its quite possible the links from those pages have no weight at all. Inbound links carry more weight than reciprocal links. If you are setting up a recip links page you should link to wherever the other site wants you to.
Ska

[fathom]

In gereral, it doing matter which.

However, if your are also attempting to increase relevancy of the page to the term you which to be found on (rank wise) directly link to the page, above the page your link is on. (provided the internal links of that site to the page you are on are same or similar to what you are targetting).

If not - link directly to the page you are on.

[mack]

If you have directory listing pointing to your site then well done, but I dont see what you can really gain by linking back to the directories.

If the directories that have linked to you require you to link back then they are not true web directories. The enforcement of a reciprical link sounds more like a free for all links page than a true web directory.

Mack.

[vc181200]

I am looking for spacific directories and sites to link to that have a higher google ranking than mine. This is to increase the ranking on my site, and of course the sites are relevant to what I am doing.

[ska_demon]

I understand what you are saying. If you want to improve rankings by adding links then it is no use putting up a links page. You will need to link your specific keyword pages to pages that rank higher than yours for the same keywords. You need to use the keywords in your link anchor text. One or two of these links per page should help a little. Quality, relevant inbound links will help you more than linking out to high ranking sites. However links are not the be all and end all of SEO.
Ska

[fathom]

Quality, relevant inbound links will help you more than linking out to high ranking sites. However links are not the be all and end all of SEO.

While both statements are somewhat true, they are somewhat inaccurate as well.

Seed the web with linkage "appropriately".

Don't believe that "outbound links are bad"... and just "inbound links are good".

Don't think about this as a PageRank thing, or a link pop thing but more as "Authority Score" (inbound) and "Hub Score" (outbound).

You need "hub score" to induce a higher "authority". (If you're Google - or another well know entity - this doesn't apply. They naturally get unsolicited links - period!).

Unfortunately most reading here... are not at that level.

As to the second comment - a "link" is merely an extension of content "elsewhere" thus in saying "links are not the be all and end all of SEO" you are also identifying that "content" isn't important either.

The link isn't as important as the content it points to...

But removal of one - removes both.

[vc181200]

I will fix my site accordingly and prey google doesn't drop me.

Thank you,
vc

[martinibuster]

From Anatomy of Large Scale Hypertextual Search Engine [www-db.stanford.edu]:

Most search engines associate the text of a link with the page that the link is on. In addition, we associate it with the page the link points to.

So, traditionally, the outbound link is counted as a statement of what you are relevant for. Additionally, the page you're linking to is described by the anchor you are using.

I wouldn't recommend pointing links from your website back to the directory. It's a waste of time that can be better spent finding more directories. Set a goal to submit to a hundred or more free and paid directories.