SEO is as much art as science. And for those without access to Google's PageRank algorithms, some would say it’s a black art!

But if you’re fascinated by search engines the way I am, you study and analyze them - both the dark side and the squeaky clean side. And eventually you discover that there really are some proven strategies that can help affiliates improve their position on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).

The good news is, those strategies don’t have to be "black hat." In the process of developing the training materials we use in The Affiliate Classroom, I’ve met and talked with a lot of SEOs who really know their stuff. In every conversation, the topic of PageRank inevitably comes up. Believe it or not, most SEO experts agree on the best ways to raise your Google PageRank.

These 8 tips for maximizing PageRank through proper link tactics are based on my own observations and analysis, discussions with experts from all over the world, and plain old trial and error.

TIP #1 - MIX ‘EM UP!

Don't obtain links solely from high ranking sites. Why? It looks weird and illogical - even to Google! Realistically, does any normal web site only get links from high ranking sites? No.

So mix it up. If you have too high a percentage of PR 6 or greater incoming links, it STRONGLY suggests you bought those links. Sure, almost all aggressive webmasters buy a few high PR links these days. That’s understandable. But why give away the game? Balance out a large number of lower PR links with a fewer high PR ones.

TIP #2 - BEWARE OF TOO MANY LINKS, TOO FAST.

Beware of encouraging too many inbound links too quickly. (An inbound link is one from another site to your site.) Google and others may penalize you if your rate of new links is too high. And why shouldn’t it? Suddenly having 500 links all going to your site is a dead giveaway that something unnatural is going on. If your site is new or low-traffic, you're at even greater risk for getting whacked with a penalty than an older or high traffic site is.

TIP #3 - GO EASY ON RECIPROCAL LINKS.

Having too many reciprocal links eventually works against you. The idea is for sites to naturally 'vote' to reference you, without your 'buying' their vote by offering a link to theirs. Stick with reciprocal link arrangements that are on topic and relevant.

TIP #4 - IF YOU BUY A LOT OF LINKS, DON’T SPEND THEM ALL AT ONCE.

I’ve seen affiliates buy links in bulk to save money. That’s fine if you implement them over time - preferably a long time. Would a brand new site naturally have 1,000 other sites reference it in 30 days? We should all be so successful!

TIP #5 - DON’T JUST LINK TO YOUR HOMEPAGE OR SITEMAP.

Don't always request a link back to your home page. Use all of your site to spread that good PageRank around. Some links should naturally point to pages other than your home page.

TIP #6 - VARY THE ANCHOR TEXT.

Come on, inject a little creativity and varied keywords into those link descriptions! Always having the same anchor text smells of manipulation to the search engines. Google allegedly has a "sandbox" for sites they suspect of not playing nice when it comes to links. The best way to avoid penalties is to change that anchor text frequently.

TIP #7 - YOUR SITE NAME IS COOL... BUT SHOULD IT ALWAYS BE YOUR ANCHOR TEXT?

This is a key factor for proper linking that’s often overlooked by inexperienced affiliates. You go out to try and get some links, and discover that some webmasters prefer - or even insist - that the text for your link be your site name.

That’s good if you’ve got a very cool site name and you’re engaged in a major branding campaign. But for most affiliates building niche sites, using synonyms for your topic and relevant keywords is a much better way to add variety and avoid penalties.

TIP #8 - BUILD TRAFFIC - AS WELL AS LINKS - SLOWLY.

Invest the time to build traffic the slow and steady way. Google's sandbox is supposed to be primarily for spam sites. So avoid any resemblance to scraper spam by allowing your traffic to grow and develop naturally.

Of course, your site might just be the one that jumps to the bestseller list overnight. Good for you! You’ll have so much traffic, PR won’t matter :-). But for the rest of us, the tips above should help raise your PageRank the good old-fashioned, white hat way!

SOME SANDBOX TIPS

We all know that Google has been known to deny indexing to web sites by giving them a status that's come to be called "'being in the sandbox." And it’s pretty clear that the links on your site - both inbound and outbound - do have some kind of relationship to this sandbox effect.

But no one has completely figured out this mystery of sandbox and why it influences some sites more than others. In fact, because sites will occasionally get stuck in the sandbox and never get out, I tend to think of it more as a sand TRAP, as in golf.

So how do you improve your swing to avoid the sand trap? And how do you get out of it - without digging yourself in deeper - if you hooked your shot in there?

SANDBOX TIP #1 - FIND OUT WHY YOU’RE IN THERE!

If your site is indexed but doesn't rank in the top 1,000 for any of your main keywords, you're probably in the trap. So the first thing you need to do is take a good long look at your site. Does your site have any "footprints" - as in repetitive design or content flaws - that could appear to be spammy?

If not, then it’s time to look at everyone you’re linking TO. The flaw may not be in your content - it could be that you’re linking to sites with spam on the back end! A tool like SEO Elite (www.seoelite.com) can help you analyze all your link partners so you don’t suffer from their poor SEO decisions.

LESSON #2 - IS IT YOUR FAULT?

You may be sandboxed through no fault of your own. Google's algorithm is a closely guarded trade secret, but there are some theories that could explain your situation.

One claims that all new sites start in the sandbox by default. The longer that old, established, ranked sites link to you, the higher their power to pull you out. Eventually they do, and in the meantime, you wait.

But another view asserts that when a site is first indexed by Google's spiders, a timer is started. How fast your content changes, plus the quality of links pointing to you, all affect the length of your stay.

Which of these theories is correct? Judging by the heated exchanges on forums, no one really knows - though everyone has a favorite opinion! Your goal is to examine all the internal and external aspects of your site, and then decide whether there is anything under your control that can help you get out of that sand trap - I mean sandbox. Focus on what you CAN do.

For example, if you’re linking to some shady neighborhoods, what you CAN do is get rid of those links fast. If you’ve got cheesy, low quality content with nothing distinctive about it, what you CAN do is freshen it with content summaries, reviews, and news feeds.

LESSON #3 - BUILD EARLY ON ALL YOUR DOMAINS.

Using an old domain that was registered a few years ago might not keep your out of the sandbox. But you can increase your odds of not getting sandboxed for long by building now on a site you have planned for the future.

Make a habit of putting up some content and pointing a few permanent links to any new domain you purchase. Even putting up a blog and posting to it once a month can help. Let that domain age a couple of years. Like wine, it'll be ready when you are - and it will have at least some minimal search engine spidering.

LESSON #4 - BE PATIENT.

Sometimes a good swing comes from patience. If you're in the sand trap, add new content and links every month. Maybe buy some PPC ads to get a little traffic. Then relax because with any luck, you'll be out in six to 18 months.

What do you do while you’re waiting? Build another site, preferably on a different IP. And don’t repeat the mistakes you made with the other site.

LESSON #5 - TAKE THE ADVICE YOU FIND IN THE REST OF THE NOVEMBER 2005 AFFILIATE CLASSROOM MAGAZINE!

Sometimes even the best golfer hits a slice. If you’ve screwed up, remember that sometimes it’s best to just build a new site - and forget the old one.

Google can, does, and always will penalize certain kinds of linking strategies. But they all boil down to too many links, too soon, with the wrong kinds of sites!

So the best way to not get sandboxed - at least not for long - is to avoid those the linking no-no’s that everyone agrees on. So remember the common themes of this issue. It’s all about developing a natural pattern of linking into and out of your site.

ABOUT ANIK SINGAL

Anik Singal is the Founder and CEO of The Affiliate Classroom, a premium virtual training center for affiliate marketers of all experience levels. The Affiliate Classroom provides up-to-date training materials for affiliate marketers to help them attract more traffic and convert higher. Singal has been a highly trusted Internet marketing and affiliate program training consultant since 2003.

Reprinted with permission from The Affiliate Classroom Newsletter. Anik Singal, CEO of Affiliate Classroom, is running an optional workshop, Affiliate Manager Boot Camp, at Affiliate Summit 2006.