Reciprocal Linking Method

This reciprocal linking method page has been written to answer some of the many questions we have received from folks trying to get Arelis Reciprocal Links Solution software to work on a SiteSell website.

While we may help to bridge the gap between Arelis and SiteSell here, you should not forget that both companies have excellent email help facilities.

To avoid giving loads of different examples, this reciprocal linking method is based on our own resource pages. Obviously you can modify any detail to get your site looking the way you want it to.

Forgive a little more chat before we get stuck in, because we have found a few things which should help you, whenever you are trying to bash a new piece of software into shape!

• Take notes.
We have found that taking rough notes of the processes involved will greatly speed up your progress, produce a better result and certainly help you to repeat the process if you need to later.

• Give yourself enough time.
If you are under time pressure to finish something half complicated like this, it will all go horribly wrong. We call this the 'printers only fail 1 minute before you need to get the copy out' syndrome.

• Test in a safe environment.
You didn't learn how to walk on a narrow plank above a river. You learned somewhere with soft things to fall onto. In this case, play as much as you like with live pages which only you know the addresses for. Wait until they look great and do everything you want them to, before you put a link to them on the rest of your site.

• Everything in 'single quotes'
In this reciprocal linking method, 'click this link, etc.' can be found by following links on another site, not on this site.

• Some experience required.
Some computing knowledge will have to be assumed. We cannot believe you are interested in this page without already knowing how to open a new file etc. Likewise we hope if you are a web genius, you will not be offended if we say something which you already know. We are not establishing ourselves as experts here, if we have made any mistakes - please let us know.

• Have fun.

Reciprocal Linking Method Step 1

Prepare Some Folders

First you will need to make separate folders in your computer to put your linking templates in.

Make a new folder called 'links pages'.
Make a new sub folder in 'links pages' folder called 'arelis links docs'.
Make a new sub folder in 'links pages' folder called 'arelis links upload'.

This gives you one folder to safely store your original template documents and another folder to keep your links pages together, ready to upload to your site later.

Reciprocal Linking Method Step 2

Put Templates .txt and .html Into Folders

To get your SBI (Site Build It) template, log into your 'SBI site central' - 'Upload Your Own HTML Page' - (Just below 'STEP 1: Prepare Your Page for SBI!') - 'before proceeding click here for important template information' - read the help box provided (and anything else on these pages) and find the link given at '2) Now to get your template's HTML... click on this link'

You should now be looking at a blank template of your page without the nav. (navigation) bars visible.

Put a text file of this page into your 'arelis links docs' folder, by -
'view' (found at the top of your browser) - 'source'. This should have opened a text file of the source code for your template page (in 'notepad' for us). Goto 'file' - 'save as' - browse to the new folder called 'arelis links docs' - make sure the file is called something sensible like 'sbi-template.txt' and click 'save'.

Next we add the Arelis links code to this file and save as HTML,
like this -
Open 'sbi-template.txt' (in notepad or similar, must be a basic text editor not a word processor) - immediately before the code '</FONT>' insert this '##LINKS##' (without the quotes) - Goto 'file' - 'save as' - still in the folder called 'arelis links docs' - rename the file 'sbi-template.html' and click 'save'.

Note, you must use the suffix '.html' not '.htm' for it to work with SBI.

(you may now close all the open widows, we won't need them for a while)

Reciprocal Linking Method Step 3

Make your first Links Pages - Locally

Unless you already have, get some links into Arelis just to see what they will look like later.

Start by putting a few links to suitable websites into suitable categories and sub-categories. There is no need at this point to be choosing sites which link back - (see our reciprocal-linking-strategy page for why)

Create your first links pages locally like this -

In Arelis - click 'create link pages' - click button 'create new link page template' - 'next' - 'multiple page layout' - 'next' - in box 'enter a name for the link page template' (We put '4-small-businesses.com Multiple Page Layout 1.txt') - in box 'enter the file name for the start page of your link directory' (We put 'small-businesses-resources.html') - 'next' fill in this page as you wish - 'next' fill in this page as you wish - 'next' - use 'select' to browse to the place you have saved your 'sbi-template.html' highlight it by clicking it - open - 'next'- 'next' - 'next' - in the box marked 'save link pages to this directory' put the full path to your new folder 'arelis links upload' (you can use 'select save directory' button for this if you wish) - 'next' - 'show local link directory in browser'.

This should show you what your links pages would look like. Note at this stage it is likely that your page will be missing the nav. bar and other 'look and feel' elements. Don't worry, this is because you are viewing in a local browser and you probably haven't got some images in your computer. The pages should appear correct on your site after you have uploaded them because these images are already on your site.

Did you see the '<<NAVBAR>>' bit in your 'sbi-template.txt'? This is where SBI inserts the code for your navigation bar when you upload your pages. Doing it this way means that whenever you change your nav. bar later, you won't need to go through this whole process again. Simply re-upload your link pages and SBI will take care of it for you.

Check that the pages all look right (other than those missing images). This is the best time to play around with the various buttons for including numbering after the category, size of text etc. You will be able to change anything later simply be repeating the relevant steps in this reciprocal linking method.

Check also that links open correctly when clicked, and that the 'back to link directory index page' link works.

Reciprocal Linking Method Step 4

Make your first Links Pages - Globally

Assuming you are happy enough with the results so far, lets put the pages onto your site where only you can see them.

Log into SBI - 'Site Central' - 'upload your own html page' use this the first time you upload every page. (The following times you can use 'quick re-upload it') - tick 'no' to nav. bar option - Click 'browse' to search for the files containing your links which should be found all together in 'arelis links upload' - highlight the file names and click 'open' - click 'upload your html'. This should bring up an 'upload successful' box. (ignore all but the most dire warnings here, most things don't really matter, and if they do you can change things later) click 'continue to

step three' here you can 'preview' to check all is well (analyze is pretty meaningless here) then click 'build it'.

This should have put your new links pages up onto your site live, but at this stage you are the only one to be able to access them, because there are no other links from your site to your new links pages.

In a new browser window type the address of your new pages (eg www.your-site/resources.html) check that everything looks perfect. Your images should all be showing correctly and when any link is clicked it should go to the right place.

You know enough by now to be able to fill in your links pages with many links and play around until you are confident at adding and removing links, and putting the changes onto your site.

Don't forget, the first time you upload any new pages (eg. if you just added a new category) you must use the 'upload your own html page'. Thereafter you can use the 'quick re-upload it' method which allows you to upload up to 20 pages at a time.

The point about the separate 'arelis links upload' folder is clear now. If the only files in here are the ones to be seen on your links pages, then you can select one after the other very quickly using 'quick re-upload it'.

You can even delete all of these files and run Arelis 'create files' again. This will create a complete set of perfect files waiting to be uploaded in your 'arelis links upload' folder.

Reciprocal Linking Method Step 5

Show The World Your New Links Pages

When you have a set of links pages which you are proud of, simply point to them from anywhere on your site. You could put a simple link to them from your 'site map' page, or your 'home' page, or you could put a link to them on your nav. Bar.

To put a link to them on your nav. bar, simply re-upload your links index page ONLY, like this -

Using 'upload your own html page' click the button marked 'yes' to nav. bar option, browse to your 'links-index' page, and upload as before.

It takes a short while for SBI to refresh your nav. bar. This allows you to go back to 'Site Central' - 'navigation options' - and move your new nav. bar to the correct place - 'preview nav. bar' to be sure all is well - 'create new navigation order' - wait for SBI to upload the new nav. bar.

Sit back and admire your new link pages, or better still join the Arelis affiliate program. It is free, easy and profitable. We made the purchase price of the software back in less than one month.

Reciprocal Linking Method Tips
Now you're up to speed with your new links why not fit a turbo and watch them really fly?
www.4-small-businesses.com/reciprocal-linking-method-tips

Arelis - Axandra's Reciprocal Links Solution
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www.Axandra.com

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Reciprocal Linking Method, A Linking Campaign Using Arelis and SBI.