Q: How Do I Get PR For My Site?

While the answer to this question may seem incredibly simple, it can be very difficult to do.

The answer is to get links to your blog or web site.

However, in the process you don't want to be caught buying or selling links. You also don't want to be caught using artificial link building strategies. You know what I mean. Many sites operate a low quality links page or a free-for-all page that you can get a link from. Don't do it.

The reason it is very difficult to get links is that you have to provide enough quality on your site that people spontaneously decide to link to you. If you are writing a blog this can be done by participating in the community of blogs that share a topic similar to yours. If you aren't blogging, it gets harder!

Don't despair. You can also start down the path towards accumulating PR by submitting your site to various directories or by submitting content to article directories. These link building strategies, and others - such as forum post signatures, and social bookmarking are a safe way to get started.

Oh, in case you didn't know it, the higher the PR of the page that links to you the more help it will be in transferring PR to you. As well, the fewer outbound links there are on a page the more your site will benefit from being linked to from that page. This doesn't mean you should be all that choosy, but keep these factors in mind when considering the value you are receiving from a link.

Q: Why Does The Adwords Minimum Bid Change?

If you are new to Google's Adwords program then don't be surprised if you notice that their minimum bids change quite often.

It seems that Google does an initial analysis of your site when you create the ads. This quick scan is used to determine your starting minimum bid. Later, once you have been given some impressions, Google will take a look at your click through ratio and determine whether or not your ads are truly relevant based upon viewer interest.

If you do not get good click through rates, in general, or as compared to other advertisers, then your minimum bid will be raised.

However, from time to time, Google may then drop the minimum bid again and give you a chance to get impressions once again. I'm not sure why this happens, but perhaps it has to do with the click through rates of other advertisers. If their rates fall, or if a successful advertiser runs into a spending limit, Google will do what it can to maximize their revenues.

Q: Should I Sell Links?

Shhh!

Selling links is a dangerous game these days. They are certainly one of the best ways to monetize a site with PR, but you risk that PR if you sell links. You see, it seems that Google will impose penalties on sites that they deem to be selling links for the purpose of PR instead of traffic.

So, what is the poor webmaster to do?

Obviously, how and why we sell advertising is a business decision that should be up to us, but just as obviously we cannot ignore Google's viewpoint as they are the site the currently determines PR.

My advice, go ahead and sell links. However, don't do it publicly! There are all kinds of link brokerages on the net -- though it is beyond the scope of this post for me to review them all for you.

Just do a search on Google and I'm sure you'll find them...

Q: Should I Buy Links?

This is a question that gets a different answer every time it is asked.

To make a long story short, yes, but read on to see the ins and outs of this situation.

Yes, Google can penalize a site for selling links. This means that the selling site might lose PR and that the links may not pass PR to you. Obviously, if you are purchasing links for the purpose of acquiring PR, then this is something that will concern you.

However, don't forget, links were originally sold for traffic. Buying a link, a banner, a button or whatever is simply advertising. It is a great way to get targeted traffic to your site for whatever purpose you want them there.

Importantly, no, Google does not generally penalize a site for actions that somebody else could do to your site. If you think about it, if buying links caused a penalty to the buyer, then people would buy links for their competitors in order to have them be penalized.

The competitive nature of the net ads a lot of things to think about when determine how and why penalties might be applied.