By: Martin Lemieux

Google's toolbar is one of the best tools you should be utilizing! Not only for link popularity but also to improve your ranking, period. There are a few methods that seem to work and help really utilize your time effectively!

Here's a screen shot of this wonderful toolbar!

We will provide you with the exact location were you can download this wonderful tool at the end of this article... but for now, let's discuss how this tool can help you out!

Discover if a site has a ranking at all from visiting a site!

Google's made it easier for us to find out whether the site you are visiting has a rank or not within Google, here's how you can tell!

When you look at the toolbar you will see this:

This image indicates no google ranking!	This image indicates a medium google ranking!	This image indicates a   great google ranking!

What other ways can this help you?

Well when your looking for linking partners, now you can tell which sites have a google ranking and which ones don't! Here's a friendly tip, some "Resource Sections" have a better ranking than other ones!

For Example: Let's say you visit a site and you see 2 categories you would list your site in, look at them both and see which one has a better Google ranking. Sometimes i've noticed that out of 20 categories, only 2 categories have any type of rank, so obviously I submit my site to that directory! :-)

Now that my site finally has a rank, sometimes if I'm not happy with the layout of the link exchange directory from the site i'm looking at, I won't even link to that site. Once you have a ranking you can start to be picky, until then, stay with the program!

Like I mentioned before in Part 2, if you do come across a site that has a good Google ranking, look through their resource section and link to the sites listed within that directory as well. Makes everything easier when you have over 200 resources you can link to from one site alone!

Now that you have the toolbar, what I just mentioned above is even easier! Want to see who linked to the site your on with a touch of a button???

Here's how you find other links to the site your visiting:

You'll see on the toolbar ( PAGE INFO ) Click on that and a menu will pop down as you see from above! What you want to click on is ( BACKWARDS LINKS ).

Once you click on BACKWARDS LINKS it will automatically take you to all the links that have linked to the site you just visited. Now I say all the links but really it's all the links that were ranked by google!!!

Always remember your time is precious

So many times i've found myself looking for link exchange programs but end up surfing through the entire site! I've done it and i'm sure you will to. Just remember to stay focused and if you don't find a link exchange program right away, take a peek at their "Site Map" just in case. If you don't find anything there, it's a good sign to move on!

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