Link Building for Hilltop

Hilltop is one of the major concepts underpinning Google's search algorithm, yet its workings and implications are often misunderstood.

After the infamous Florida Update, many webmasters were aghast as their rankings plummeted; and again, when the mysterious "sandbox" was implemented, some webmasters could not get a Web site to rank well, period.

Part of the reason that some Web sites get shuffled out of the SERPs when new algorithmic features are implemented is that those sites never gained authority in the eyes of the search engines--that is, they were not sufficiently meshed into their local topical communities.

This concept of authority was one pioneered in a paper titled "Hilltop: A Search Engine based on Expert Documents," written by Krishna Bharat and George A. Mihaila. The full text is available online at http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~georgem/hilltop/.

(Note: Google has obviously not implemented Hilltop in its pure form, but rather uses the principles of topical communities and authority in its algorithm. Likewise, other search engines such as MSN and Yahoo! are not using Hilltop per se, but rather similar algorithmic features. Thus when I mention 'Hilltop' I am referring to not just the specific paper published by Bharat and Mihaila, but also to the fundamental theory upon which any authority-based link popularity algorithm is based. This theory applies to Topic-Sensitive PageRank, etc.)

The Basics of Hilltop

Google's PageRank formula revolutionized search, but it has a major flaw: it gives each page an absolute measure of importance. Recognizing that a page's importance should be interpreted in light of a given query topic, the Hilltop formula uses the link structure of the topical community related to the query topic when determining relevance.

For a given topic query, some pages are considered to be "expert documents," and others are "authorities." A page is an expert document if it "is about a certain topic and has links to many non-affiliated pages on that topic" (this type of page is also sometimes called a hub). A page is an authority "if and only if some of the best experts on the query topic point to it." To summarize: hubs link to authorities; authorities are linked to by hubs.

The Challenge for New Web Sites

The nature of the World Wide Web dictates that it will take time for a new Web site to get links from within its topical community. Many hubs such as resource lists or niche directories are only updated periodically with new links. Still others are static pages that will never be changed.

Then there is the "human factor." It takes time for a Web site to be recognized as valuable, and for webmasters to trust it enough to link to it. Older authority sites and hubs also tend to link to other older authority sites, creating a sort of self-perpetuating authority set (Mike Grehan refers to this phenomenon in his article "Filthy Linking Rich," available online at http://www.e-marketing-news.co.uk/Oct04/RichLinking.html). This all adds up to the fact that it is very hard to make a new Web site an authority in the eyes of the search engine, which begs the question: How can a new Web site become entrenched in its topical neighborhood more quickly?

Break Into Your Topical Neighborhood

To make your Web site an authority, you should first seek to obtain links from topical hubs. Obvious hubs might include any niche directories or resource pages about your Web site's topic.

One way to find less obvious hubs is to do a backlink search on authority sites in your topical community. Finding authority sites is easy--they are the sites that rank highly for a search for that topic. Once you find an authority, search "link:http://www.theirsite.com." Go through the backlinks, and find pages that link out to multiple sites within your topic; a page that links out to multiple authority sites is probably considered a hub by a search engine.

Aside from hubs, it can be quite helpful to get links from the authority sites themselves. I have seen many Web sites get a significant boost after obtaining just one link from a top authority. It is implied that an authority site will link out less than will a hub, and therefore it is possible that these links are even more valuable in terms of rankings.

Obtaining links from quality hubs and authorities is easier said than done. One can however use certain methods to get links quickly. These methods include but are not limited to: offering to swap links; submitting a relevant, well-written press release; submitting a relevant, well-written article with your Web site's URL hyperlinked and embedded in the copy; offering to buy or rent a links; and, of course, writing a lot of great content (it will get noticed, sooner or later!).

Conclusion

Obtaining links from reputable sources within your Web site's topical community is necessary in order for that site to be ranked highly in today's search engine algorithms. Getting your Web site entrenched within its topical community would be a good idea anyway, even if search engines did not exist--which is a pretty good litmus test for a strong, long-term SEO method.

Andy Hagans is a search engine optimization consultant who specializes in link building and risk management.

Visit http://www.andyhagans.com for more information. See http://www.andyhagans.com/articles.php for an archive of Mr. Hagans' articles.

Business Consulting Web Development Web Site Design Graphic Design Ecommerce
Marketing Web Hosting Domain Name Registration Clients Web Maintenance Voice Overs Talent
Contact Us Company Info Home Page
>> Link Exchange Directory - Ad Your Site Now! <<

INFORMATION AND HELPFUL ARTICLES
Web Design Web Hosting Web Development Search Engine Optimization
Web Design Samples Graphic Design Samples Glossary Pantone Chart RGB HTML

Tampa Web Design and Development Tampa Bay Web PHP Development and Web Hosting
Graphic Design Tampa Bay Small Business Consultant

Search Engine Marketing Agency, Formic Media, Launches PR Web (press release), WA - 15 hours ago Formic's initial SEM service offerings include web analytics optimization, keyword research & recommendations, website search engine optimization (SEO) ...

Internet Marketing News

SEO Malaysia | Greenfrog Studio | SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) Klue, Malaysia - 10 hours ago SEO helps your website move up the search engine rank. This means, that you instantly become more visible and you will received more traffic to your website ... High Position in Topseos UK Rankings - search engine optimisation WebWire (press release) Google Search Engine, Subject of Search Growth Studies WebSite Host Directory (press release) SEO Consult Maintains Its Ranking as The UK's Number 1 Search ... Market Wire (press release) Internet Marketing News - BigNews.biz (press release) all 19 news articles

RAGE Software Updates Search Engine Optimization Software Suite ... Promotion World (press release), CA - 16 hours ago We are pleased to announce major updates to our search engine optimization software suite for Mac OS X. The updates include new versions of a number of our ... RAGE Software Announce Major Updates to their SEO Tools Suite webhostdir.com all 2 news articles

Search Marketing Expo - SMX West Rates Increase January 10, 2009 PR Web (press release), WA - 21 hours ago Sessions are organized thematically on topics including search engine optimization (SEO), paid search advertising (PPC), online/offline issues and landing ...

TechRadar UK

Looking For The Key To Search Engine Optimization? Meadow Free Press, ID - Jan 1, 2009 The writer who promises that his or her book will tell you everything that you need to know about search engine optimization for your site. ... New approaches to search engine optimization Central Valley Business Times Use public relations to drive search engine optimization (SEO ... Examiner.com Search Engine Optimization for Long - Term Results PWO Search Newz - Live-PR.com (Pressemitteilung) all 21 news articles

LA Management Company Drives Traffic to Charlotte Limousine Service dBusinessNews Charlotte (press release), NC - 12 hours ago Charlotte - Marketing services firm, LA Management Company has been engaged to provide search engine optimization services for Signature Transportation, ...

Puppy's Picks - January 5th, 2009 Search Engine Guide, TX - 9 hours ago Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing ...

Search Engine Optimization-Budgeting PWO, France - Jan 3, 2009 The key to a successful webpage is search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is the art and science of making your website attractive to the ...

FindUrgentCare Partners with WebForDoctors.com Newswire Today (press release), UK - 8 hours ago WebForDoctors is the first company to partner with FindUrgentCare specializing in search engine optimization and marketing. Amanda Pacion, FindUrgentCare ...

Bruce Clay, Inc. and Search Marketing Expo - SMX Continue ... MSNBC - Dec 31, 2008 Search Marketing Expo - SMX West Will Feature SEOToolSet(R) Training From Bruce Clay, Inc. in 2009 SIMI VALLEY, CA - Search engine optimization and Internet ...

© MediaRocket.com All rights reserved.
 
Business Consulting Web Development Web Site Design Graphic Design Ecommerce
Marketing Web Hosting Domain Name Registration Clients Web Maintenance

voice overs work, onhold music, on hold message, on hold messages, message for voice mail, voicemail greetings, voice mail greetings, voice mail greeting, voicemail messages, messages for voicemail, messages for voicemails, voice services, radio voices, radio voice, voice over recordings, voice over auditions, voice acting, voice over artists, voice over artist, voiceover artists, voiceover artist, voiceover auditions, voiceover audition, voiceovers auditions, voice over agents


Tampa web site design voice talent and voice overs, small business consulting web design graphic design business consulting services tampa web design web design tampa business consulting st. petersburg web design florida web design sarasota web design jacksonville web design orlando web design miami web design business consultant  radio station web design radio web design clearwater web design tallahassee web design small business consultant real estate web design west palm beach web design ecommerce web design business web design hosting web design professional web design flash web design flash graphics web design web design company web page designers color chart Web Design -- Business Consulting Services Web Development Web Site Design Graphic Design Ecommerce Marketing Web Hosting Clients Web Maintenance Contact Us Company  Home Page Employment  Privacy Glossary, Voice Talent, Voice Overs voice over talent voiceover artist voice overs