This method of traffic building is very important and its free, its simply a matter of contacting the right webmasters and getting the right links. However a full blown 'link-hunt' can be time consuming but the benefits it can bring are huge. Among them are:

• Highly targeted visitors
• Better search engine rankings

It is very unlikely for a link up on another site to be taken down.

1.      What kinds of websites should you exchange links with?

You need to focus on linking to similar high-traffic, quality sites, which will interest your visitors and complement you site, not compete with it. Sending visitors to a competition site with a similar product is a big mistake because chances are they'll buy  their product.

Try not to down-link. This means linking with a site with far less traffic than yours. Always aim to up-link with a few high traffic sites, rather than many low traffic sites.

Choose:

·        local business sites that offer products in relation with real estate: mortgage brokers, home inspectors, home appraisers, title companies, landscaping companies, cleaning services, attorneys, tax accountants, magazines, newspapers, service providers (movers, constructions etc.)

·        real estate websites that do not compete with yours, for example regional real estate associations

There are some basic rules to follow when exchanging links:

·        The relevancy of the website is more important than the PageRank; that means, you should choose related websites with a smaller PR, than unrelated sites with a big PR

·        Check and make sure the recipients aren't being blocked; unethical website owners will sometimes block the links backs from search engine spiders.

·        Link pages with more than 50 links aren't worth exchanging with; every page gets one vote and a link to your website counts as a vote. As each page only gets one vote, a link from a page with 10 links counts at 0.1 of a vote, whereas a link from a page with 100 links counts as 0.01 of a vote. Anything past 100 links is not counted at all. The higher up on a page your link appears, the more weight it is given. If the page lists sites alphabetically try to insure that your title begins with a number or a letter early in the alphabet.

·        Prepare for the future; take the extra time to build links that will still be valuable months and even a year from now

2.      How do I find these websites?

The simplest way is to search with DMOZ, Google, MSN or Yahoo. You can also check out Real Estate Link Exchange to find partners.

Another way is to check out what sites your competition is linking to. In Google, MSN or Altavista type the query: link: competition.com (leave out the http://www part and put the name of the website instead of competition) and you will get a list of websites that (presumably) drive traffic to your competition.

3.      How do I get my link up on another website?

Very simple. Write the other webmaster an email or give a phone call if possible.

Here are some simple rules to follow when contacting another website owner:

·        Always personalize the email; that means you need to visit the other site and learn the name and the correct email of the webmaster if possible.

·        Address the email directly to escape the spam filters. Having their name or website name in the subject will ensure your email is not dismissed as spam.

·        Always put up a link to them first; add a few details and a little bio to show you are truly interested in their website.

Here's an example of an email you might use:

Dear [Recipient's first name here],

I'm the webmaster of a [ The topic of your web site here] website at [Your URL here]. I've collected quality links to other [The topic of your web site here] resources on the Internet on my links page. I came across your site [Recipient's URL] and feel that it would fit perfectly into these links. I particularly liked your [Include feature you were impressed with the most].

I've already placed a link to your web site along with a description at [The URL of your Links web page here]. I'd appreciate if you'd place a link back to my site using the following link and description:

[Your URL here]
[Description of your web site here]

If you'd like the description of your site modified or if you have any other cross-promotion ideas just drop me a line.

Best regards from [Your town or country name here],

[Your full name here]

[Your email signature here]

It is best to prepare a link and promotion text for your website beforehand. The title would have to be identical or very similar to your website's title. It should be related to the product and the target, not the provider e.g. use "Homes for sale in Boston", not "John Adams - Real Estate Agent".

Instead of a regular text link, you can also use a banner and in this case you need to send the HTML code for that banner.

Don't be offended if you don't get an answer, keep trying and you will surely build up a serious link exchange in time.

4.      Where and how do I place the reciprocal links?

NetReal offers you two options for placing the reciprocal links and banners: in the footer of all your website's pages and in the "Recommended Links" section (you can also use a Custom Page for this if you wish).

We recommend you use the footer for important, large websites (some of them require links on the front page) and the "Recommended Links" and "Custom Page" pages for smaller websites.

How to: To place a link or a banner in the footer, go to the NetReal Control Panel, after you log in. Press the "Site Builder" tab on the left-side menu, then the "Site identity" link in the expanded submenu. Click on the "Footer elements" button. Use the online editor to add the links/banners to the text from your footer. After you've finished, click on the "Add/change" button to save.

How to: To add a link to your Recommended Links page, go to the NetReal Control Panel, after you log in. Press the "Site Builder" tab on the left-side menu, then the "Site content" link in the expanded submenu to get a list of your website's subsections. Click on the "Edit content" button of the "Recommended links" section. Press on the "Edit" button of the "recommended links" module to open a popup window and start entering links. The "Recommended Links" page has default categories and links. You can edit or delete a category by clicking on the corresponding button next to its title. To create a new category, enter a category name and submit it by clicking "Add category". To enter a new link, first select a category. Enter a link title, an URL and a description. Click on "Add Link" to submit it.

            How to: To build your custom page for a links' section, go to the NetReal Control Panel, after you log in. Press the "Site Builder" tab on the left-side menu, then the "Site content" link in the expanded submenu to get a list of your website's subsections.

First, you need to activate the page in order to work on its content (by default it is inactive). Click on the "Off" button to do it (the first button on the section bar).

Then, you need to give it a title. Click on the "Edit name" button. Fill in the now editable name field with your choice. Click on the "Change" button to save.

You are ready to start customizing the default content of your new custom page. Click on the "Edit content" button or on the name of the section link to expand the subsection's menu. Now click on the "Edit" button or on the subsection's name to start working. This action will open a popup window containing all the tools you need.

Use the "Short description" form to enter your links in the online editor. Click on the "Submit" button to save.