One of the most vital aspects of online marketing
commonly unclear to new users are backlinks. If you are not sure what a
backlink is, here is a small explanation that should make sense to you,
even if you have no thought about Internet marketing terms:

A backlink is a hyperlink pointed to your website from another site,
or it can also be a link you give yourself from any pages within your
site. Backlinks are the bread& butter of online marketing for
die-hard webmasters, and the key to ranking high in the search engines.

Why are backlinks vital?

The answer is simple. Backlinks are vital because they are seen
as a type of credit given to you from other webmasters. Search engines
give you more status for quality backlinks, especially if they are from
other sites within your niche. The more status a site has, the higher it
will rank (this is especially right in competitive niches).

If for example your site is geared for travelers, a backlink from a
cruise site will give you fantastic “bonus” points in the eyes of Google –
especially if that site has a strong PR.

When you receive a link from another site administrator it is like a
token of appreciation that they appreciate your content. The more of
these links you get, the higher your website will rank. If those links
contain proper anchor text, featuring the keyword(s) you want to rank
for it is even better for you.

Can you rank a site without many backlinks?

You bet you can! But, if you manage to rank a site with only a few backlinks it usually is because:

• there isn’t much competition to start with, or
• the daily search terms for the keyword you rank for is very poor

So while it might feel fantastic to see your site pop up on the first
spot in Google, it means nothing for your bottom line if no one is
looking for the information in the first place (no/low searches).

Is it possible to compete with established authority sites?

Yes and no. Ultimately, given enough backlinks AND quality content
you can beat just about any ranking site in the search engines with a
few exceptions. But to do so takes time and patience. Plus you need to
know a thing or two about SEO and how to “tweak” your content with white
hat optimization methods.

Most people experience problems when they try to game the search
engines. They go off in search of work-today, get rich quick solutions
and bomb their site with backlinks from dodgy places and then wonder
when Google slaps them at the next PR update (or sooner).

All the auto-publishing features for blogs and websites will
eventually come to haunt you because logically they can simply not
function long-term. Neither can black hat marketing methods or any other
weird and not-so-wonderful marketing practices. More than ever quality
content is key. Google has been doing some heavy weeding out in recent
months and I suspect they will continue to do so in order to get rid of
all those crappy autoblogs you see pop up everywhere you look.

Patience is key

Whether you like it or not, Google will favor webmasters who practice
patience. These are the marketers who publish top quality content and
build links “naturally” over time. Since it is hardly possible to build
links naturally (meaning, you wait for others to link to you at will),
most webmasters do some form of link building.

This is fine, as long as you build links bit by bit and not buy
10,000 links today (for a groundbreaking new blog) and then nothing for the next
year. Google’s algorithm is sure to pick up on that and your site will
be branded negatively by bots you don’t even know exist.

What about costs?

If you are actively learning about online marketing you would have
already found a lot of services that offer backlink promotion for your
site. Many of them come at a healthy cost. Here is the thing, you will
always pay a price:

• You could pay the price of being bone idle
• You could pay the price of having no discpline
• You could pay the price of not knowing
• Or you could end up paying the price of stupidity by choosing the incorrect provider

There are two types of marketers online; the first group is the
person with no money, but with a resonable amount of time at their
disposal; the second group is the established marketer with plenty of
money but small time.

Type one would be best advised to do most of the link building
themselves to save money, gain knowledge and increase their website’s
ranking over time, whereas type two is probably best served by hiring a
capable SEO professional to do the link building for them.

You will know what’s best for you, based on your current situation.
But you look at link building, you really ought to make it one of
your regular activities if you want to see results from your online
marketing efforts.

————————————————————

A Guest post from Stanford from Pushing Social.

No doubt about it – Content is King. But, the formula for successful blogging doesn’t end there. In fact, content is just the beginning. If you want to make money, make a loyal readership, or attract new clients, you need to keep your readers ON your blog.

In a word, your blog needs to be sticky.

A sticky blog compels readers to read more than one post. A sticky blog immerses readers in an experience that results in comments and retweets. Sticky blogs are more profitable than regular run-of-the-mill ones because they place more offers in front of the same reader.

Got your attention?

Let’s talk about how to make a sticky blog by studying the 500 million-member juggernaut – Facebook.

The Facebook Trance

In 2005 Facebook was catching fire in the US. It had just passed the 5 million member mark after just being in existence for 18 months. Although Facebook’s growth was incredible, what made its college-dropout founders excited was something they called – The Facebook Trance.

If you watched a person interacting with Facebook, you would see them nearly hypnotically clicking screen by screen. Every click sucked the visitor deeper into Facebook. Every “engagement” deepened the trance.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, soon insisted that every new feature should enhance the “Trance”.

It worked. Even today people religiously visit Facebook and get lost in a trance for hours at a time.

You want to make something similar for your blog

5 Ways to Stick Your Readers to Your Blog Like Glue

#1: Interlinked Posts

As you write, look for opportunities to link to other posts that add value to your current topic. Go ahead and note these posts in your editorial calendar along with the topic you are plotting to write. Be frugal with these links, only pick one or two of your most relevant posts; too many links can become a distraction (and obnoxious).

#2: Tell the Tale in Different Ways

People learn in different ways. Up to this point, blogging has favored visual learners who like reading and viewing charts. Now you can use video and audio to make a fantastic experience for your auditory learners too.

It’s simple to read your post and offer as a podcast, or turn your post’s main points into a PowerPoint slide and offer it as video. You can take this one step further by adding a video commentary or introduction to your post.

The point is to appeal to your reader in the way that gets them to “lean forward” and gobble up your content. Video, audio, and visual slideshows are can’t fail tools that should be in your toolbox.

#3: Comment Responses

Have you noticed that a post’s comments can be more fascinating than the post itself? This is really a excellent thing. You’ve made your blog sticky when your readers actively respond to your posts.

You can encourage this interaction by quickly responding and following up with an “open-finished” question. Your commenters will get pulled deeper into the experience and “stick around”.

Try this: Take your most provocative comments and republish excerpts of them on Twitter. This will draw in a wider audience who can add reach and appeal of your post.

#4: Mini-Email Courses

Most blog posts are filled with “Why” and “What” information, but many fall small of offering brilliant “how to” advice. This means that many readers are left feeling cheated out of the excellent stuff.

You can make your blog sticky and build a list by making a “How To” email mini-course focusing on a specific post. Select a well loved post and turn it into an email course or even an ebook. You’ll build a list that you can monetize with follow-up products. Bonus!

#5: Extend The Experience

Gary Vaynerchuk is a social media high-roller because he understands how to use multiple platforms to make an experience. He uses Viddler for video, Facebook for community shout-outs, DailyBooth for photos, and Twitter to tap into real-time conversation. Once you get pulled into the Gary V’s world it’s hard to leave.

You can replicate the same experience. Reckon of each post as a “show” that can be supported by other social media outposts. Question yourself how you can use still-photos, video, Facebook updates, and tweets to surround your reader in an immersive trance.

How to Get Started

You might be wondering if all of this is a bit over-the-top. It isn’t. In fact, turning your blog into a “Sticky Blog” will soon be the price of entry. Anyone can write a post, but readers will flock to the author that takes it one step further.

With that being said, you can start slowly. Take a well loved post and use the tips to make it sticky. Pay close attention to your stats and comments to see if your readers like what they see. I’m confident you’ll be impressed with the results.

Tell me, have are you making your blog sticky? How can your sticky blog be a competitive advantage and make you stand out?

Stanford obsesses about how to get passionate people’s blogs noticed and promoted at Pushing Social… except when he’s fishing for monster bass. Follow him to get the latest about his new ebook “Get Noticed.”

This Post is from: ProBlogger Blog Tips.

5 Clever Ways to Make A Sticky Blog

Share This

Guest Post by Elle from Couple Money.

Getting exposure is a goal of many bloggers. They work hard writing and sharing their thoughts on various topics. Once they achieve a certain size but, growth seems to plateau a bit. They need a larger platform so to speak and some choose to join a blog network.

Blog networks have different meaning for different people. There are networks that are business focused and the members form a more formal alliance. They share revenue for example. There are networks that are more interest based, with the intention of helping the members grow. The network typically is based around a common niche, such as personal finance. When I’m referring to blog networks in this post, I’m referring to the more informal network

Note from Darren: this is what I’ve previously talked about as Blog Alliances.

Join a Network or Start a Network?

But, for some niches it can be hard to join an established network, as current members have established their brand and they add new bloggers slowly. Understandable for sure, but it can be frustrating.

Starting a blog network is an option, but for many newer bloggers it appears to be daunting. So many blogs have come and gone that it can seem hard to keep everyone focused. Is there a way to start a blog network that can help spread the word of member sites quickly and effectively? Can any group of bloggers start a network and get their best material to a larger audience.

I want to share a case study behind the scenes of a blog network that promotes others and has grown rapidly.

Case Study of Building a Network

Financial Samurai had a post back in January about an Alexa Challenge. It was an open invite to personal finance bloggers to help promote one another and improve their Alexa ranks. It started as an informal gathering of hungry bloggers and in less than 9 months it has become a network of around 100 bloggers.

If you’re willing to work hard and have fun, building a (or revitalizing a stagnant) network is possible. In the spirit of Yakezie, I questioned members to share their best tips on building a successful network.

Set a Specific Goal

The wonderful part of this network came about was how it was presented as a challenge. Having a specific metric to measure our efforts helped many to work harder. Competition and camaraderie can go hand in hand.

Develop a Pattern of Cross Promotion

One of the huge phrases thrown around was ìselflessly promoting othersî. The thought was to get the word out on each other’s sites and learn from one another. I believe a successful blog network is truly collaborative.

It’s certainly one thing to say you’ll promote each other’s best material, but it’s something else to organize and do that. How bloggers promote each other in the network varies, but there has to be some strategy behind it.

What are some things that you can do to help promote your network?

Mini Carnivals can be a boost: Submitting to carnivals is something encouraged to new bloggers, but lately it seems to have tapered off in the personal finance niche. The Yazkezie holds a network carnival, with different members signing up to run a small and tight carnival promoting other members’ best posts. It’s a fantastic way for members to learn each other’s sites and to promote favorite posts.

Reciprocate when appropriate: You should never feel pressured to link back to any post just because they linked to you. Sharing fantastic content whether it’s your own or someone else’s is vital to the success of the network. Providing useful material to readers is what will help your site and network to grow.

Some Yakezie members are meticulous and use spreadsheets to keep track of bloggers that have helped them by sharing a link. When the time is right, they are gung-ho with returning the favor. It’s a balancing act to be sure, but it’s worthwhile in the long run.

Make search simple: Yakezie has a tool in the form of a special search page that allows users to quickly check to see which topics have been covered. If your network hasn’t done something similar already, I highly recommend doing so.

Be open to guest posts: Sometimes bloggers get overly possessive about their sites. It’s certainly understandable to want to maintain a certain level of quality on your blog. You can, but, broaden out and still keep the spirit of your blog.

Guest posts are a wonderful way for you to expose readers to other viewpoints and topics. Coordination between bloggers in the network has allowed sites to round out their blog’s scope while promoting other bloggers. It’s a win-win situation.

Mentor Newer Members

When you have new members, it helps to get them quickly on board with the goals of the network and help them maximize content and monetization on their blogs. You can’t expect them to know what more established bloggers know, so mentoring them can beneficial.

Some topics that you can help one another with include:

• How to handle advertising inquires
• SEO tips that have worked for you
• Blog and logo design feedback and recommendations

With helping newer ones with the above topics, you’re also reviewing your own decisions and may be able to refine the network and blogs.

If you have a blog network established, do you take time helping newer members with their specific goals? Do members volunteer to help one another?

Next Steps

For a network to survive, it has got to keep engaging bloggers and readers. An inactive blog network can become a liability. With a few leaders in the group, though, it can become a fantastic to interact with your online colleagues and your readers.

How about you? Are you part of a blog network already? Do you have plans to start your own?

Elle has been blogging about personal finance and freelance work over at Couple Money. To follow Elle you can chat with her on twitter (@Elle_CM) or subscribe to her blog.

This Post is from: ProBlogger Blog Tips.

How to Build a Blog Network from the Ground Up

Share This