Reciprocal Links Exchange Tool ARELIS Tips
Tip: Getting help
If you ever have a question about ARELIS or if you encounter a problem, then you won't be left alone. There are several ways to help you:
1. ARELIS comes with a comprehensive manual. Just select "Show Help Topics" from the Help menu. The manual has short "How do I..." chapters that explain many tasks that you may want ARELIS to do.
2. The ARELIS manual is also available online.
3. There's an online troubleshooting page for ARELIS.
4. Axandra.com, the developers of ARELIS, provide a support Web site where frequently asked questions are answered.
5. Re-reading some parts of this book may help to get one or two new tricks out of ARELIS.
6. If you have tried all other ways, then you can always write directly to [email protected]. You'll likely get an answer to your email within 24 hours.
Tip: Personalize your emails
It's very important that you personalize each and every email message that you send to potential link partners.
Webmasters get dozens and sometimes even hundreds of email messages every day. Many of those email messages are unsolicited messages with advertising (so called spam mails).
Your email message must not have a subject that sounds like advertising. By now, even email messages with the infamous subject line "Let's trade links!" will be deleted immediately without reading the body text. Too many people have used that subject line in the past and therefore it's not effective anymore.
You should also refrain from salutations like "Dear Sir / Madam", "Dear webmaster," or "Hi!". If you use a personalized salutation, then you'll get many more webmasters to read your email message.
That's why we recommend that you take a look at the Web site of the potential link partner before sending an email message. Try to find the name of the contact person. If the webmaster is called Paul, then write "Dear Paul,". Ask yourself: Which email message would you trust more, one that says "Hello Internet user!" or one that says "Hello <your name>"?
You must make sure that you've really visited their site. Tell them what you like specifically of their Web site, for example the clear navigation, the blue buttons, the friendly pictures, a special article, etc.
Only include links to your own Web site in the email message. Never include links to other Web sites or even advertising links. Your email message will look like another spam email message and it will be deleted immediately.
ARELIS helps you identifying potential spam words. When you send an email message with ARELIS, it will tell you if your email message sounds like a typical spam or advertising message. Of course, professional users can turn off this option.
Always remember: The key to getting many potential link partners to link back to your site is personalization.
Tip: Offer an incentive to link back to you
You can offer your link partners incentives to link back to you. For example, you can write the following:
"If you decide to link back to me, I'll put your link at the top of the category page and I'll also mark your link with a special "Tip!" picture. If you want, I can also display a banner next to your link if you link back to my site."
ARELIS makes it easy to offer your link partners these incentives:
1. To move a Web page that links back to you at the top of its category page, simply tick the "List Web sites that link back first" box in the "Link Pages Options" window.
2. You can also move Web pages at the top of your link directory by giving them higher numbers in the "Link order" column.
3. If you want to display a special "Tip!" picture or any other picture you want next to the Web pages that link back to you, the picture must be online. Just enter the URL of that picture in the "Picture URL for Web sites that link back" edit field in step 2 of the Create Link Pages window .
You only have to enter these settings once. Then ARELIS will automatically move Web sites with a ticked "Links back" box to the top of the list and mark them with a special picture.
If you want to display a banner next to the link of a link partner, simply switch to the "Edit Site" panel and enter the URL of that banner in the "Picture or banner URL" edit field for that link partner.
Tip: Keep your links related
It's important to keep your links related for your visitors and for search engines. If you're selling shoes, then put up only links to Web sites that are related to shoes. If your Web site is about fish, then include only Web sites are related or complementary to the topic "fish" in your link directory.
Do not send link request email messages to unrelated Web sites. Those Web sites are not interested in exchanging links with you. And even if they did link to you, that link would be worthless to you:
1. A link from an unrelated Web site does not bring targeted traffic to your site. When you're selling camping equipment, then you don't want visitors interested in keyboards. You want visitors interested in camping, camping grounds, caravans or trailers. Visitors from unrelated Web sites will leave your site immediately, and they will cost you traffic and bandwidth without buying anything.
2. You'll get better search engine rankings if you get links from related sites. Search engines check which sites link to other Web sites. If more sites of the same topic link to you, then you'll get a better search engine ranking for your keywords.
3. Your visitors don't want a link directory that contains links to all possible Web sites. This is what search engines are for. Your visitors like to see interesting, new and useful links to the same topic that they're interested in.
Tip: Include your phone number in link request mails
If possible, include your phone number in your link request email messages.
Including your phone number tells the webmaster that you're a real person that one can talk to. In addition, they can call you if they have further questions.
You can increase your response rate even further if your link request mails include your phone number and if the emails are very short.
Tip: Include the link URL in your link request mails
When you send a link request email message to a potential link partner, you should always include the link location in your link request emails.
Webmasters don't like to search your Web site high and low to verify that you've linked to them. Therefore, you should tell them on which exact Web page they can find the link to their site.
This means that you must upload your link directory with the updated links before sending email messages with your link request.
Tip: Sample Success Letter
For beginners, it's difficult to create a link request email that gets webmasters to link back to your site. Here's an example for a successful link request email message with a very high response rate (the names and addresses have been changed):
Subject: Partnership request between camping sites
Dear Richard,
My Web site is about camping places and is very popular among camping friends. Therefore, I think that exchanging links with your camping equipment site would benefit both of us.
I've already linked to your site at "http://www.camping-places-123.com/links.htm".
I'd be glad if you linked back to my site. You can find sample linking code at "http://www.camping-places-123.com/link-examples.htm".
If you have further suggestions for a partnership, or if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to drop me a line. You can also call me at 123-456-789. Best regards, Tom Walters http://www.camping-places-123.com
Do you already see the reasons for the success of this email message? Let's go through the message step by step:
Subject: Partnership request between camping sites The subject line is personalized. The recipient knows that you've visited their site because the sender knows the topic "camping sites". In addition, the subject line does not contain any typical advertising words or excessive punctuation marks.
Dear Richard,
The salutation is personalized. Everybody likes to be called by their own name instead of the anonymous "Dear webmaster". It also shows them that you've visited their site. The recipient immediately recognizes that it may be worthwhile to read on.
My Web site is about camping places and is very popular among camping friends. Therefore, I think that exchanging links with your camping equipment site would benefit both of us. Again, we show that we have visited the site of the potential link partner. We also tell the webmaster what's in it for him or her.
I've already linked to your site at "http://www.camping-places-123.com/links.htm". With this line, we show that we've already done a favor to the webmaster, so it's much more likely that the webmaster wants to return the favor. In addition, we have told the webmaster the exact place where the link to their site can be found.
I'd be glad if you linked back to my site. You can find sample linking code at "http://www.camping-places-123.com/link-examples.htm". Webmaster would often like to link back to you but they think it's too much work at the moment. If you provide easy linking code then you've removed another burden that prevents other Web sites to link back to you. Visit our Add URL page to see how such a Web page could look like.
If you have further suggestions for a partnership, or if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to drop me a line. You can also call me at 123-456-789. We show interest in a long-term partnership and we show that we have nothing to hide. The phone number allows an easy way to contact you if someone wants to discuss partnership possibilities.
In addition, the sample link request mail is successful because
• The email message is very short. Webmasters don't have the time to read lengthy email messages.
• The email message does not contain any advertising for anything, for example affiliate links.
• The email message uses as much personalization as possible.
• The email message is clearly structured and easy to read.
• The links will be underlined and can be clicked at in almost any email application because they are in an extra line and are framed by quotation marks.
• The email message tells the webmaster who you are and why you write exactly to that webmaster.
• The email message mentions your real name and your real phone number.
• The recipient knows that this email message has been written specifically for him or her. That makes your email message special.
• The email message goes to a Web site that is related or complementary to your site. It's important that you write unique link request email messages. ARELIS comes with ten default link request messages. Take the time to personalize these messages and you'll soon have many link partners that are glad to link back to you.
Tip: Submit your link partner URL to the search engines
As soon as someone links back to your site, you want to submit their URL to the search engines. That way, the search engines will find another Web site with a link to your site. This will improve your link popularity and thus your search engine ranking.
To submit a Web site to Google, go to http://www.google.com/addurl.html.
To submit a Web site to AltaVista, go to http://addurl.altavista.com/addurl/new.
To submit a Web site to AllTheWeb, go to http://www.alltheweb.com/add_url.php.
The search engine links may change at any time, so if one of the links above doesn't work anymore, go to the homepage of the search engine and search for the Add URL or Submit Site page.
Tip: Arranging the Web site list
Did you know that you can arrange the Web site list the way you want?
You can arrange the Web site list in the main window alphabetically by column: URL, Link Text, Status, Links Back, Include in Link Pages, Category, Sub Category and Link Order. Just click the column header and ARELIS will sort the list. Click again to reverse the sort order. For example, if you want to sort the list by category, just click the "Category" column header.
Since ARELIS 4.0, you can also use the corresponding menu command in the List menu.
Tip: Use the right link text
A text link is better than a banner link. The reason for that is that search engines index the words of a text link to your site and use it for your ranking. Search engines cannot index the words on a picture. For example, if you're selling shoes in Brooklyn, a text link that reads "Shoe shop Brooklyn" is much better than a link like "Click here for Myers and Partners" even if that's the name of your company. Your potential visitors are more likely to be interested in "shoe shop" instead of your company name.
Choose your link text wisely and let your link partners know how you want your link text worded. Your most important keywords should be included in the links to your site. The more links you get with these keywords, the higher your search engine rankings will be for these keywords.
Tip: Optimizing your link directory layout
The layout of your link directory pages is an important factor for the success of your linking campaign. If you want to get the best results, you should consider the following:
1. Your link directory pages should look good
It's very important that your link directory pages have a nice design. ARELIS allows you to customize the link directory templates so that they perfectly match the design of your Web site. You should really take the time to adjust the link directory of your choice so that it looks like a common Web page of your site.
If your link partners see a link to their Web site on a good-looking Web page, they'll give that link a higher value than a link from a generic page with a simple design.
2. Your link directory pages should be accessible from your Web site
Make sure that Web surfers can access your link directory pages from your Web site. That means that you have to link at least once to your link directory. It's even better to add a "Recommended resources" link to every page of your site. If people cannot find your link directory page when they surf your Web site, a link in your link directory won't mean much to potential link partners and they won't link back to you.
A good looking link directory with good links can be a valuable resource for your visitors. They'll bookmark your Web site and come back if they search more sites of the same topic.
You won't lose visitors with a good link directory. Just open links to other Web pages in a new window. That way, your own Web site will remain open and Internet users will come back to your site when they have finished surfing other sites.
Opening links to other Web sites in a new window is easy. Just add target=_blank to your <a href> links. For example, change <a href="http://www.Axandra.com"> to <a href="http://www.Axandra.com" target=_blank>. Of course, all link directory templates that come along with ARELIS automatically open links to other sites in a new window.
If your link partners see that the Web page with your link to them can easily be accessed, they will give your link to them a high value. If your link partners cannot find your link to them easily, they won't link back to you.
3. Your link directory pages should be easy to navigate
If you have many links and categories, don't use a single page for your links. ARELIS allows you to have multiple page link directories. Multiple page link directories provide a separate page for every category and sub-category. A confusing long link page won't get good results.
If your link partners cannot find your link to their site because there are too many links on a single page, they probably won't link back to you. Make your link directory pages clear and easy to navigate.
4. Your category pages should be themed
Don't link to link partners that aren't related on the same page. ARELIS allows you to use categories and sub categories. The better you categorize your link partners, the higher they will value your link and the more likely they will link back to your site.
Imagine that you're selling shoes and that you're searching for potential link partners. You would contact a potential link partner who's selling shoe polish. If that link partner finds your link to his site on a page that only contains "Shoe polish" links, that's much better for him than a link on a Web page that contains links to butchers, search engine optimization companies and local car dealers.
Keep your categories tightly themed. Create a Web resource for your visitors. Offer the best links of your business area. Your visitors don't want a link directory that contain links to all possible Web sites. This is what search engines are for. Your visitors like to see interesting, new and useful links to the same topic that they're interested in. As a positive side effect, tightly themed category pages are much better for search engines.
The more related the links in a category are, the better the results you'll get.
In summary
When you build your link pages, make sure that they look good, that your visitors can find them, that they are easy to navigate and tightly themed. A well designed link directory offers several benefits:
• your potential link partners are much more likely to link back to your site
• you offer your visitors a valuable resource so that they come back often
• you don't lose visitors
• your visitors are more likely to bookmark your site
• search engines like link directories with a single topic
Tip: Use context menus
ARELIS offers two context menus that let you quickly select the most needed commands. You must use the right mouse button to open the context menus.
In the Web site list in the main window, click the right mouse button to open the list context menu.
In the main window, you can click the right mouse button to open the main window context menu.
Get used to the context menus and you'll soon work faster.
Tip: Quickly switching the panels
You can switch the panels in the main window by pressing F2 to F4 for the panels Edit Site, Send Email Message and Check Links. Since F1 is reserved for the Help file in all Windows applications, you can access the first panel with Ctrl + F1.
By the way, did you know that you can use ARELIS entirely with the keyboard? Each window supports so-called accelerator keys. These are the underlined letters in the windows and in the controls. Just hold down the Alt key and press the underlined letter to select the corresponding menu or control.
With the Delete key, you can quickly remove the selected Web site from the list, and with the F10 key you can quickly send an email message.
Tip: Enlarge the preview browser
If you want to make the preview browser in ARELIS bigger, simply click the "splitter" line between the preview browser and the Web site list and drag it to make the preview browser bigger or smaller.
You can also use the "Set List Size" command from the List menu to adjust the sizes of the list and the preview browser.
Tip: Housekeeping ARELIS
It's a good idea to regularly check the integrity of the ARELIS database files. ARELIS can check if there is any damage or corruption that may occurred in the project database files due to an improper operating system or application shutdown.
Shutting down the application or operating system improperly will almost always cause corruption to a database that has been recently updated in any way. If the database is damaged or corrupted, ARELIS tries to repair the database automatically.
For these reasons, you should select the menu command "Check Database Integrity" from the Tools menu from time to time.
Tip: How to make ARELIS faster
ARELIS saves all information about the Web sites, your projects, the link directory templates, etc. to your hard disk. This means that the speed of your hard disk is a big factor for the work speed of ARELIS.
Defragment your hard disk regularly, about once a month, to ensure the full speed of ARELIS (and of all other parts of the operating system). See the manual of your operating system on how to do that.
Of course, a fast processor and plenty of RAM also help to make ARELIS faster. :-)
Tip: Make your link pages searchable
Many search engines offer a free site search solution. For example, Google offers a free site search solution that you can use to make your link pages searchable.
We can also recommend the free site search solution from FreeFind to make your Web site and your link directory searchable.
Tip: Make a backup
You should always make a backup of your most sensitive files. If you use ARELIS to improve your business, then the ARELIS database files should be among the files that should be regularly saved to a different place.
To make a complete backup of ARELIS and all your data, simply copy the whole ARELIS directory to your backup media. That's all there is to it!
Since ARELIS 4.0, you can use select the "Backup ARELIS" command from the Tools menu to make a backup of the ARELIS directory.
ARELIS does not use any DLL files and doesn't change the system registry. All project data, Web site data, etc. is saved in the same directory where ARELIS.exe is located. Most likely, you can find the ARELIS directory on your hard disk at "C:\Program Files\ARELIS\". This makes backing up the ARELIS directory very easy.
We recommend making a backup whenever you add a significant number of new link partners.
Tip: Suggest a new feature
ARELIS wouldn't be the most complete solution for managing reciprocal links if it wasn't for all the great people who shared their ideas with us and suggested new features.
Customer feedback is vital in our efforts to make a good software program even better. If you miss a feature, or if you have some ideas to simplify things, or if you just want to tell us what you think of ARELIS, just drop us a line.
Thank you very much for your help.
Tip: Lost unlock code
As you might know, if you purchase ARELIS, you can turn the free trial version of ARELIS into a fully working software program with your personal unlock code. If you ever lose your personal unlock code, don't despair. Just go to http://www.Axandra.com/unlockcode.htm to get your personal unlock code back.
Advanced tip: How to create email message templates
ARELIS helps you to quickly create customized email messages that you can send to potential link partners. You can create so-called "email templates" that automatically replace variables from the Web site list in the email message. These email message templates help you to save time when you contact potential link partners.
For example, you could have the following email message template:
Dear <<recipient-name>>,
My name is John Doe, and I'm the owner of John Doe Inc. I'd like to let you know that I've just placed a link to <<recipient-domain>>.
You can find the link to your site here: http://www.JohnDoe.com/<<recipient-sub-category-file-name>> I've used this text to link to your site: "<<recipient-site-title>>" Sincerely,
John Doe
When you use that email message template in the "Send Email Message" panel in ARELIS, it will replace the << ... >> variables with data from the Web site. For example, the template above will result in the following message:
Dear Johannes Selbach,
My name is John Doe, and I'm the owner of John Doe Inc. I'd like to let you know that I've just placed a link to axandra.com.
You can find the link to your site here: http://www.JohnDoe.com/Search-Engine-Optimization-Software.htm I've used this text to link to your site: "ARELIS link popularity software" Sincerely,
John Doe
As you can see, ARELIS has replaced the variables with a real name, a real domain name and the URL of the page that contains a link to the link partner. When you select the next link partner in the list, ARELIS will automatically replace the variables with the information of the next link partner. ARELIS offers more than 20 variables that you can use in your email message templates.
You can save a lot of time if you create your own email message template with the right variables.
How to create a new email message template
Do the following to create your own email message template:
1. Start ARELIS and switch to the "Send Email Message" panel.
2. Click the "Edit Mail Templates..." button.
3. Click the "Add..." button and enter a new name for your email message template, for example "My new template".
You can now edit your new template message in the "Template subject" and "Template text" edit fields. The template subject will be used as the email subject for outgoing messages and the template text will be used as the email message text.
To use variables in the template text, do the following:
1. Enter the following in the templates text edit field:
Dear name,
2. Now double click the word "name" so that it is marked and select "<<recipient- name>> in the "Insert Template Variable" popup menu. ARELIS will replace "name" with "<<recipient-name>>" so that you can see the following:
Dear <<recipient-name>>,
3. You can then continue to write your email message. Whenever you want to insert a variable, select it in the "Insert Template Variable" popup menu.
When you've finished your new email template, click the "OK" button to close the window. You can now select your new template "My new template" in the "Replace message with template" popup menu in the "Send Email Message" panel.
Automatically use a template whenever you switch to the "Send Email Message" panel If you always want to use a special template in ARELIS, then ARELIS can automatically open it for you. Do the following:
1. Start ARELIS and switch to the "Send Email Message" panel.
2. Click the "Edit Email Options..." button.
3. Click the "...start with this template" radio button and select your template in the popup menu next to it.
ARELIS will now open the selected template whenever you switch to the "Send Email Message" panel.
Tip: Don't forget to add at least 1-2 personal sentences to each outgoing email message. Your email message should not look like a mass mailing. An example email can be found in the chapter "Tip: Sample Success Letter".
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