| Submit your yoga web site's link to online yoga | | | | down the street from you, they're a competitor. And |
| directories so that students can find your classes and | | | | you don't want to link to a site that holds no benefit for |
| services. The right yoga directories will not only send a | | | | your yoga site visitors. They won't appreciate it if you |
| trickle of traffic directly to your yoga web site, but also | | | | waste their time with useless links. |
| help your site show up higher in the search engines. | | | | More considerations for yoga link exchanges and paid |
| Get your site onto page one of Google for yoga in | | | | listings: |
| your area, and would-be students will flock to your site. | | | | Another thing to look out for when exchanging links or |
| Where is your yoga web site in Google right now? | | | | paying listing fees is to make sure you get what's |
| Is your yoga web site lost in Google? Most yoga | | | | called a "direct link" to your yoga site. Some yoga |
| searchers won't look past page one or two when | | | | directories don't actually link directly to you, but instead |
| searching for yoga class information, so it's important | | | | link to themselves then redirect the traffic to your site. |
| to help your would-be students find your web site and | | | | An easy way to tell if this is happening is to put the |
| yoga classes easily. | | | | cursor over a link in the directory to see what address |
| Just like in a brick-and-mortar yoga business, the most | | | | shows in the bottom of the screen. If the url of the |
| important factor for your yoga web site's success is | | | | web site being linked to doesn't show up, it's a good |
| "location, location, location." And in this case, the location | | | | sign this isn't a direct link. |
| you want is on Google's first page of search results, | | | | Another trick link directories employ is what's a called a |
| using the most popular search terms for yoga in your | | | | "nofollow" link. This looks like a direct link -- when you |
| area. | | | | mouse over a link, the actual web site's url shows up. |
| One of the easiest ways to claim your stake on this | | | | But the directory has inserted some code -- either into |
| coveted search engine real estate is to submit your | | | | the link itself, the meta tags in the header of the page, |
| yoga site to various yoga directories online. | | | | or in a file called robots.txt -- to keep search engines |
| What is a yoga directory? | | | | from following the link. |
| A directory is a site that lists links to web sites | | | | What this does is set up a condition so that human |
| grouped by topic. There are general directories, which | | | | visitors will see your link and can click to your site, but |
| may have a yoga section in addition to other, unrelated | | | | your web site won't get the benefit of a "vote" from |
| topics, and then there are niche yoga directories, which | | | | the directory. That means your yoga web site won't |
| only list yoga links. You may even find directories that | | | | get a bump in search engine results. The easiest way |
| only list links for a subset of yoga, such as Ashtanga | | | | to detect "nofollow" links is to use the Firefox browser |
| Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, or Kripalu Yoga. | | | | with an add-on called SearchStatus. SearchStatus will |
| As a general rule, it's a good idea to submit your yoga | | | | display "nofollow" links with a pink background. |
| link to any directory that will bring you web traffic and | | | | Directories use these strategies so that they will |
| or help boost your site's rank in search results | | | | maintain higher listings than the sites they link to. It's fine |
| pages.You want to earn as many links from other | | | | to submit your site to these directories, but think twice |
| related sites as possible to your web site not only to | | | | about linking back to them from your own yoga site. If |
| get traffic from those sites, but more importantly, so | | | | it's a high-volume directory (like the online Yellow |
| that Google and the other search engines will consider | | | | Pages, for instance) it might be worth it. Otherwise, a |
| your site an authority on the subject you and the other | | | | link back is not worth it, and neither is paying for a link, |
| sites cover. | | | | in most cases. |
| Become a yoga "authority," and search engines will | | | | Though directory links and links from a list of links don't |
| bring you traffic. | | | | count towards authority as much as a link surrounded |
| Authority web sites rank higher in search engine results | | | | by a few paragraphs of text (called a "contextual link"), |
| pages. The higher your site ranks for yoga terms | | | | general directories with yoga sections and niche yoga |
| people actually search for, the more traffic you get. | | | | directories are a great place to start in building links to |
| The more traffic, the more yoga students. | | | | your yoga site. It's easy, and it's free. |
| Some sites will ask you for a reciprocal link. Keep in | | | | Get more students: Submit your yoga URL! |
| mind that linking to another site is like casting a vote for | | | | Yoga directories are a great tool you can use to drive |
| it, and the content on that site is like an extension of | | | | more traffic to your yoga web site and earn more |
| your own site. Consider carefully who you link to. For | | | | yoga students, so start submitting, and please stop in |
| instance, you may not want to link to the yoga studio | | | | to let me know how it goes! |