Posts Tagged ‘Link Building’
The Pros and Cons of LinkBait
Many marketers subscribe to a vague idea that “linkbait” is something to be avoided. Said the young male owner of a wildly popular blog recently: “What’s `linkbai’t? I always get it mixed up with `jailbait’. I end up imagining a hottie in a skimpy tank top.”
The disreputable air around the term ‘linkbait’ is illustrated even though he was obviously trying to be funny during a lively conversation. The practice of deliberately placing inflammatory writing on a blog which is specifically designed to create a firestorm of comments and backlinks is referred to as ‘linkbaiting’ so you can imagine why it is demonized by some.
But hold on… Isn’t that every blogger’s dream?
It may be but it still boils down to one important thing which is relevancy. This is the intangible but very real characteristic which separates good blogs with a solid reputation from the rest.
The sentiment on linkbait is not strictly black or white but has many shades of grey. Just like the Toronto Suns Sunshine girl is featured to attract a predominantly male reader demographic, some documents and blog posts are aimed at a particular audience.
Linkbait is nothing more or less than written content that attracts a buzz, comments and, above all, links. Whether or not linkbait is good or bad, shady or perfectly ethical depends on two things:
1. The main purpose and intent of the blog
2. The target of the linkbait post and the submitter’s intent
A lot of linking is associated with these types of posts and content: Opinion pieces which take the opposite view of popular or universal subject; Guides that are definitive and filled with high value content; Submittals that are of the “exposure” type; Inflammatory pieces intended to defame an organization or person; titillating dishonest pieces designed to grab links and provocative sexual content.
Two definitions of ‘linkbait’ which are obviously not bad things are definitive guides and controversial opinions. Intelligent controversy not only stops people from becoming complacent but is also guaranteed because of the right to free speech in America. The definitive and high value content in guides is reason enough for this type to deserve links.
A controversial piece is only as praisworthy as the motives of the poster. If it is untrue and there to strictly create links it will quickly fall out of favor.
“Exposure” type pieces are sure-fire “bait”, as well as negative in focus. While this usually attracts passionate reader interest, both pro and con, it’s a risky maneuver; one which can result in a sharp loss of subscribers after the initial reader obsession… Or, possibly, a lawsuit.
As far as contoversial pieces go inflammatory posts are on the lowest rung of the ladder. No matter how you feel about them, if you have ever read tabloid headlines then you should be familiar with this technique. And provocative sexual content seems to make page ranks plummet.
There is a point to all of this and that is, that yielding to the shadier temptations associated with “linkbaiting” is playing with fire. The online world is changing fast and furiously and only one strategy will still draw a steady stream of reliable back links in the long run…
Personnally written, original high value content.
Using Yahoo to build links
Yahoo’s SLURP is a link-affecting search bot you should be aware of if you are analyzing Google and its link preferences. SLURP uses what are termed as “graphs” by its creators instead of search algorithms. These graphs analyze and boot out linked spam, irrelevant pages, mirror sites and unrelated links.
Inadequate results from Yahoo are often just a reflection of the different approach taken by this search bot. Unlike Google, less importance is placed on cross-site and comment links by SLURP. In fact, links to social media and Yahoo sites which have high page ranking are given more importance by this program. It also gives less weight to backlinks.
One of the biggest differences between SLURP and other robots is the way it indexes your complete text, rather than just the first couple of paragraphs. Another unique peculiarity of SLURP: it indexes “dynamic pages” – which means all your .PHP files will be crawled. It’s an active little bunny, looking for new material on your site at least twice weekly, if it likes you.
Studying your server logs to see how much SLURP crawls your sites is an important tactic. If it does not appear in the server logs you may have to make your site more attractive to it by using your links. SLURP begins to access your links when it has finished with your Metatags and site content. Links that point to its favorite sites and directories are particularly sought after so it makes sense to submit to Yahoo directories as much as possible. By making sure that links are placed on all pages, your site will rank better with Yahoo.
A typical syntax example of how to display specific page links for Yahoo: linkdomain:www.sitename.com.
People-friendly content is what Yahoo and SLURP are all about. This should be kept in mind so that keywords included in your titles and links do not feel forced. You have to straddle the line between maximizing use of your keywords while keeping the content natural and relevant.
Understanding how SLURP works, focusing on the content and not being too “clever” are important strategies for dealing with Yahoo’s somewhat different search bot. If you are not completely comfortable with analysis and programming code, optimizing pages for various search bots is a recipe for disaster.
You can optimize for SLURP by creating a presence on Yahoo! Answers with inclusion of your websites anchor text and URLS. Include the link to your site in your answers whenever possible and as naturally as possible without overdoing it. This is particularly important because on this site the members police themselves and are zealous reporting anything that resembles spam.
If it feels natural, other social sites with web presence and page ranking such as Twitter, StumbleUpon and Digg can also be linked to your Yahoo answer.
Boost Your Link Building with YouTube
One of the most buzz worthy places to embed your own links these days is YouTube… attached, of course, to a buzz worthy video.
One way to do this is to answer a question that stumps most people in that niche. Plunge right in to the answer by focusing on the audience, providing a short tutorial and spending as little time introducing yourself as possible.
Concentrate on producing a video that you would accept if you had to pay for it. Try to render it in different resolutions to accommodate users that are still on dial-up connections or who have internet access plans that charge by the minute or bandwidth.
Choosing what content is in your video can be done by getting familiar with the site and noting what is popular on a day to day basis. Sites such as Google love series, so creating a video series with a strong title goes a long way towards its searchability and your SEO. The title should contain your keywords, and the word “video”, which is a widely searched parameter. Branding your video with a signature look is also a good idea.
Whether or not your video goes viral depends on your choice of subject matter. However, even with the most simple of subjects, it is still an important activity, as it ensures that your URL is seen by many people.
Search engines do not access graphic links so your URL should be included prominently in your upload information. Also displaying it at the beginning and end of your video can help in getting it noticed.
Promoting your video in different places is where the real strategy lies. Publicizing your URL via Twitter links, a Facebook or MSN page, YahooVideo, Digg or a personal homepage is recommended, in addition to a link on your website. A separate category should be created in your blog and a new channel should be assigned to it on YouTube.
Use your videos to thank people who have helped you, or contributed to your answer. Never be shy about sharing praise – people appreciate it and in turn are more likely to promote your link. Mention at the end of your video that you are available for guest posts or interviews. These are both great opportunities to publicize your anchor text links. (Send out press releases too – but make sure they’re about the subject; not about you. Something readers will want to check out, answering the inevitable question, what’s “in it” for them.
Don’t ignore YouTube communities, either. Add your video to any community or subject area where its relevance will be appreciated.
In the video, helping the viewer should be your main focus, not publicizing your URL. This benefits you because it increases your popularity and web visibility which translates to more people seeing and linking to your anchor text and URL.
This is the best link building strategy in the long run!
Imagine speaking to a group of people you consider your friends about an “important” topic and all you get is an uncomfortable silence. Why? You did not pique their interest.
Anyone you engage in conversation is investing an important currency – their time. It has to be worth it. If not and they can, they will withdraw their investment.
Sometimes you think you are saying the same things to the same people repeatedly. I do. You canot find another exciting or intriguing topic. It is just work getting something interesting to say.
Here are 7 ways I jolt myself out of Writer’s Blahh, when I’m feeling too dull to blog. And I discovered – quite by accident – it’s also a great way to give your readers a genuine reason to leave their linkback!
1. Jump sides. Think about and research an opposite position to yours about your blog topics. Then discuss them. See what happens. You will be pleasantly surprised.
2. Borrow an idea from another site. For example I visit a site like Scribd.com and read something from their “Trending” section. What is featured there are topics currently being talked about. I select one of the topics that I find intriguing, even if it is not directly related to my blog topics, and I write something about that borrowed idea. Without fail, it sparks an idea to tie it into my usual blog topics. Voila – a fresh idea, a renewal of the readership.
3. Use a fable. Aesop’s fables have endured for centuries. Why, because he used stories to demonstrate a truth. You can find similar stories in your family. If you care enough to write about the idea or principle and can use a personal vignette to illustrate your point, then do so. Your readers respond more positively to entertainment than to a lecture.
4. Do not stress yourself. You are not perfect, so everything you write will not yield instant rave interest. Think of it as planting a seed which yields perhaps one fruit that can grow into many over time. The more important thing is to think about your reader’s interests and make sure you are addressing those. So Relax.
5. Use other posts. A good way to stimulate interest in your blogsite is to post on a topic of current interest. So do some reading. Check out what are the hot topics and the sentiments being expressed by other blogs. Summarize the most popular opinions and post them on your blog giving credit to the original authors of course. Your post will have authority and trust me it will trigger many linkbacks.
6. Seek what is not said. Just as you would do when checking a competing product, identify what is missing. Develop that view and post it.
7. Read the Comments on Authority Blogs. Go to these sites, thouroughly read the comments and use the keywords mentioned in the comments. This will give you a good start for an idea or topic which will be of interest to your readers and will draw traffic to your site.
So try one or more of these ideas to grab the interest of your readers. They worked for me and they will most likely work for you!