Link popularity has become increasingly important among the search engines. Since link popularity goes hand in hand with search engine optimization, it is important for any company with a web presence to build a link development strategy.
Link popularity is not simply obtaining as many links as possible, as believed by many online marketing specialists. The quality of the link holds more "weight" than the quantity of links. If you have link popularity from sites that have considerable traffic, you will get better results in the search engines. Submitting your site to the most visited directories can develop popularity of a web site. Some of the major directories are Yahoo, LookSmart, About.com, and Open Directory. Using sites/directories that are very industry specific, such as healthatoz.com for a health-related site, can develop further popularity.
Also, if your site is reviewed by a directory that is associated with a search engine, it can help your search engine ranking. To be accepted into a major directory, it is recommended that your site have content that can show credibility in your field. A tips page, links page, or a "how-to" page can showcase your credibility on your product or service.
Google ranking can tell us when a new client site is added to Yahoo. For example, oftentimes a client who has a ranking of 30, suddenly moves up to the number one position. Sure enough, when we go into Yahoo, we will find that the client site has been added. That is one of the reasons why a listing in Yahoo is essential.
Also, the rules for being listed well in directories are completely different from the rules about getting listed in the search engines. Your web site needs to be in the most appropriate category, and directories do NOT have the same categories. Plus, some directories allow a 15-word description. Some allow 30 words. Some allow 200 words. Directory submission is very time consuming because you need to have a strategy for different directories. Link popularity goes hand in hand with search engine optimization. Link popularity affects rankings in many major search engines such as FAST Search, Google, and Inktomi.
One of the biggest mistakes people make during directory submission is not doing the necessary research. In order to be listed in a directory (which will be approved by another human being), you must prove that you belong in that directory in the category that you have selected.
The best way to do this is to select the most appropriate category and to write a concise, accurate description that already resembles descriptions in the targeted directory. This makes it easy for the directory editor to approve your submission. If you are able to imitate the editor's style when describing your web site, you can increase the chance that your site will be accepted.
To obtain long-term results on both the search engines and directories, obtaining links from other web sites is not enough. People have to actually click on those links to your web site and browse the web site. And they need to return to your web site when they see the quality content, products, and/or services that you offer, i.e. the usability of your web site. That is the definition of "popularity" according to the major search engines and directories. Other terms for it are "click" popularity or "click-through" popularity.
It is to be noted here that you can't "fake" and or use artificial methods to create inbound links to your site in an effort to improve your sites Link Popularity. This means that top sites, link farms, link services, automatic link generators, doorway pages, Spamming with keyword text are a waste of time and money. In some cases the use of these methods will get you banned from a given Search Engine. Because of these realities, the number of sites, which link to your site, is one of the most valuable and accurate measures of a site's age, popularity, and quality. Since link popularity will dramatically affect your PageRank with Google and many other engines. Given that Google will produce the majority of your traffic, spend your time promoting your site via link swaps with other similar sites and creating quality content.
Therefore, both link popularity and click-through popularity are essential for obtaining optimal search engine placement. At the same time, it is important to constantly check how popular your site is and if there are any dead links on the site. Many sites offer Link Popularity Checkers, Dead Link Checker and Live Link checkers. Link checking is one aspect of site management -- the regular maintenance necessary to keep a site up-to-date.
Remember, a search engine position is not permanent since the search engine companies change their algorithms all of the time. Being listed in directories and other sites can significantly drive traffic and sales, particularly if your site is listed in specialized directories (health, financial, and travel, for example).
Link Submission and Popularity 
