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Sending out link requests is a time-consuming business. So wouldnt it be wonderful
if other sites linked to you without being asked?
Sound impossible? Well, it can be done and in this book, we’re going to show you how.
With link requests, you first have to find target websites, review them to decide
if asking for a link is worthwhile, identify the contact person and send them a
customized link request.
If you can do all that in 15 minutes per request, you’ll be doing very well. On that
timing, you’ll be able to send out 160 requests in a 40 hour week and with a success
rate of say 10%, you’ll get 16 links for your efforts.
40 hours for 16 links - perhaps there is a better way to spend your time?
Sometimes the best way to get links is not to ask for them.
That doesnt mean you should sit back, do nothing and wait for links to appear.
Spend time creating content and making sure your site is attractive – with content
others will want to link to. There are lots of things you can do to build your link
popularity without sending out link requests (though, of course, the carefully targeted
link request that is impossible to turn down does have its place – more of that later).
Here are some of the approaches we’ll be exploring in this book:
1 - Play an active part in online discussion groups, forums, blog comments and other
social sites. Not only will you learn, you’ll also become known, spot the movers and
shakers, and if you post good opinions and helpful advice then people will link to you.
2 - Create relevant profiles on the large generic social sites (like Facebook, Twitter and
StumbleUpon) and on smaller specialist social sites that serve your market, eg, WAYN
for travel; RecipeZaar for cooking; stylehive for fashion and style. Build a network of
friends on these sites.
3 - people to link by asking, “if you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, you can link to the
permanent version at (insert URL)â€.
4 - Publish articles on other websites – blogs, ezines, information sites, media sites,
even article banks. You can find sites to submit articles to by doing a Google search,
eg, intitle:â€submit an article†business and this produces over one million results.
5 - Find niche blogs, sites and newsletters that serve your market and that you would
like to link to your site. Study the type of content they publish and adapt your writing to
their style.
6 - Create an interactive tool. My favorite of old was ‘The Longevity Game’. You
answered about 20 questions and the tool predicted at what age you would be likely
to die. Irresistible – I still remember that my prediction was 83. The test was designed
and published by an insurance company – could they have been trying to sell me a
pension? A little bit of creativity in thinking about such tools will be time well spent
and a good programmer will be able to create a tool in just a few hours.
7 - Create great content. (OK, it’s an old trick, but it still works.) Just keep publishing
great stuff. One of the best at this is online marketing expert Sean D’Souza’s
PsychoTactics. His site and newsletter are models of consistency and genuine value to
readers.
8 - Submit your website to legitimate award sites like Mike Corso’s Cool Site of the
Day. The emergence of sites like Digg and Reddit means that such ‘pick of the day’
sites will struggle long term but meanwhile they offer a quick, free link and traffic
opportunity.
9 - Praise and link. When you find genuinely useful resources, write a short,
complimentary review together with a link. Then publish on your website and click on
it just to make sure it ends up in your target’s referrer logs. Larry Chase of Web Digest
for Marketers publishes a monthly newsletter that reviews about 10 web resources. A
few days later he writes to each reviewed site and allows them to quote his comments
in return for a link.
10 - Become a source of quotes. Provide sharp, useful, timely quotes for the media.
You can get yourself known and you’ll find journalists will seek you out. Sign up
for services such as PR Leads ($99 per month) which can put you in contact with
journalists looking for experts to quote.
if other sites linked to you without being asked?
Sound impossible? Well, it can be done and in this book, we’re going to show you how.
With link requests, you first have to find target websites, review them to decide
if asking for a link is worthwhile, identify the contact person and send them a
customized link request.
If you can do all that in 15 minutes per request, you’ll be doing very well. On that
timing, you’ll be able to send out 160 requests in a 40 hour week and with a success
rate of say 10%, you’ll get 16 links for your efforts.
40 hours for 16 links - perhaps there is a better way to spend your time?
Sometimes the best way to get links is not to ask for them.
That doesnt mean you should sit back, do nothing and wait for links to appear.
Spend time creating content and making sure your site is attractive – with content
others will want to link to. There are lots of things you can do to build your link
popularity without sending out link requests (though, of course, the carefully targeted
link request that is impossible to turn down does have its place – more of that later).
Here are some of the approaches we’ll be exploring in this book:
1 - Play an active part in online discussion groups, forums, blog comments and other
social sites. Not only will you learn, you’ll also become known, spot the movers and
shakers, and if you post good opinions and helpful advice then people will link to you.
2 - Create relevant profiles on the large generic social sites (like Facebook, Twitter and
StumbleUpon) and on smaller specialist social sites that serve your market, eg, WAYN
for travel; RecipeZaar for cooking; stylehive for fashion and style. Build a network of
friends on these sites.
3 - people to link by asking, “if you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, you can link to the
permanent version at (insert URL)â€.
4 - Publish articles on other websites – blogs, ezines, information sites, media sites,
even article banks. You can find sites to submit articles to by doing a Google search,
eg, intitle:â€submit an article†business and this produces over one million results.
5 - Find niche blogs, sites and newsletters that serve your market and that you would
like to link to your site. Study the type of content they publish and adapt your writing to
their style.
6 - Create an interactive tool. My favorite of old was ‘The Longevity Game’. You
answered about 20 questions and the tool predicted at what age you would be likely
to die. Irresistible – I still remember that my prediction was 83. The test was designed
and published by an insurance company – could they have been trying to sell me a
pension? A little bit of creativity in thinking about such tools will be time well spent
and a good programmer will be able to create a tool in just a few hours.
7 - Create great content. (OK, it’s an old trick, but it still works.) Just keep publishing
great stuff. One of the best at this is online marketing expert Sean D’Souza’s
PsychoTactics. His site and newsletter are models of consistency and genuine value to
readers.
8 - Submit your website to legitimate award sites like Mike Corso’s Cool Site of the
Day. The emergence of sites like Digg and Reddit means that such ‘pick of the day’
sites will struggle long term but meanwhile they offer a quick, free link and traffic
opportunity.
9 - Praise and link. When you find genuinely useful resources, write a short,
complimentary review together with a link. Then publish on your website and click on
it just to make sure it ends up in your target’s referrer logs. Larry Chase of Web Digest
for Marketers publishes a monthly newsletter that reviews about 10 web resources. A
few days later he writes to each reviewed site and allows them to quote his comments
in return for a link.
10 - Become a source of quotes. Provide sharp, useful, timely quotes for the media.
You can get yourself known and you’ll find journalists will seek you out. Sign up
for services such as PR Leads ($99 per month) which can put you in contact with
journalists looking for experts to quote.
