Over the last month some major changes have been taking place in regard to how a web site is ranked in the Search Engines. There is a new ranking system that is now being used by Alta Vista, Excite, Google, Lycos and the search portion of Yahoo. This new system will track and rank sites according to the number of links pointing to a particular web site. Not only is the number of links considered, but the quality of links is considered as well.

Establishing quality links to a web site has always been an effective way to build traffic, but now has become a necessity. By obtaining just a few links from high-traffic web sites your traffic will increase considerably. The more high-traffic links you receive, the more traffic you will receive and the higher your web site will be ranked in the Search Engines.

If you have a quality web site, chances are you're already being linked to and don't even realize it. That's a great starting point however, you must build on that by finding targeted web sites that may be interested in exchanging links with you. A targeted web site will have similar content to yours, but will not be in competition. A good way to find these web sites is to visit a Search Engine and type in one of your keywords. Visit some of the top ranking sites and gather information such as, the owner's name, email address and a little bit about the web site. Contact the owner personally and discuss a link exchange with them. Mention the owner's name, web site and what you liked about his site. In addition, tell him why you think a link exchange will benefit both of you and a little bit about your web site.

Requesting a link exchange is not the only way you can obtain links to your web site. Here are some additional ways:

About 80% of all web site traffic originates from the Search Engines. It is well worth your time and effort to spend some time developing as many links to your web site as possible. Not only will these links bring you additional traffic, but you'll increase your ranking at the Search Engines as well.

Web sites come and go each day on the Internet. If you visit a web site and find it to be a great resource, show your support for that web site by giving them a link. In addition, tell your ezine subscribers about them. By supporting your favorite web sites, you can show your appreciation for all of the hours and hours of hard work that goes into developing the web site and help ensure it will be there the next time you visit. Without your support, many of your favorite web sites may not be there in the future.

Shelley Lowery is the Webmistress of Web-Source.net. Your Guide to Professional Web Site Design & Development. Display complete, professionally written articles & photographs on your website that automatically update each week, free. Join The Syndicator.