Posts tagged link campaign
When Stumbling Leads To Success
Mar 9th
Man is inherently a discoverer — a truth that many social media networks attempt to exploit, but only a chosen few like StumbleUpon effectively optimize. As an 8-yr old site it boasts 234,000,000 inbound links, 1,100,000 monthly visitors according to Quantcast, an Alexa rating of 362, and a (so far) indomitable reputation as a top social bookmarking site.
What it basically does is bring the spotlight on quality websites based on the formation of a collaborative opinion with the help of its users. Its more than 8 million users can add sites they just happen to find and recommend it under one of the around 500 topics used by StumbleUpon. Also, items with the lowest/oldest ratings are regularly removed to maintain its image as the go-to place for the moment’s best of the web.
From the online marketer’s point of view, it is indeed a social discovery site. What a lot people don’t know though, is that it can reserve a certain number of daily page views for the right price. Web publishers participate in this cleverly designed ad network for a minimum $0.05/StumbleUpon user who visits.
It may be best employed for brand or campaign awareness rather than that of a sales tool. So, does being a high-traffic site translate to being an effective source of new visitors for the bookmarked sites? Well, according to several experimental studies such as the one by www.social-media-optimization.com it does, especially in comparison with the other social media sites. What is even more convincing is the observation that SU users being in “discovery mode” tend to explore the destination website rather than other sites where they leave after the landing page. This behavior leads to its potential for improvement as a direct e-commerce driver.
Taking SMO Seriously
Mar 6th
If even the dictionary takes the matter of recognizing the word “Twitter” seriously — then you probably should, too. Right on the tails of the SEO industry is the concept of Social Media Optimization — making your online communication materials easier to immediately share among your audience’s networks.
An important tenet of SMO is to know which tool would be most effective to use for achieving the end goal, regardless of whether the aim is to influence a particular demographic, harness the unique potential of “crowdsourcing,” or to get direct feedback on your newest project. Therefore, at the very least a familiarity with the following online behemoths would be the best place to start.
- Micro-blogging. Even the already established publication, The Guardian, made the revolutionary move to be exclusively found on Twitter (after 188 years of being on print). The micro-blogging site represents some of the best things about the World Wide Web —- literally up-to-the-minute-news, social and professional networking, niche insights, and domino-effect information broadcasting. All those features — in 140 characters or less. Other micro-blogging sites include Tumblr, Plurk, and Squeelr.
- Video Sharing. After the success of YouTube, which can only be described as phenomenal, video sharing has become an important player in SMO. In tri-media, TV advertisements cost tons of money, whereas a video uploaded on YouTube can generate impressive hits for virtually no cost comparison. An interesting video with good reviews and ratings can singlehandedly lead to swift traffic swelling to your site. To help give your videos a push, consider the channel profile, the keywords/tags used, even the very title of the video.
- Picture Sharing. As cliché as it may sound, a picture paints a thousand words. And as a number of psychologists have employed over the years — an image can affect one’s disposition. At the forefront of this would be the Yahoo-owned Flickr, which Technorati is also affiliated with. As characteristic of the most successful social networking sites, their communities are very involved. For those involved with online marketing, the site’s link embedding capabilities, comment subscription for ease of response, affordable annual Pro membership, and good privacy options, Flickr has understandably become quite the choice.
- Social Bookmarking. Del.icio.us, Digg, Stumbleupon, and Technorati are sites that help collect, play up, distribute content online (so as to diminish the impending threat of information overload on netizens). Article tagging, link sharing, keeping on top of the hottest items online, and browsing by user tags all define in SMO. Del.icio.us, for one, has over 4 millions who have collectively bookmarked over 100 million web pages. Amongst social bookmarking users are the sought after bloggers, for whom using some variation of “add this to ” is almost reflexive.
Clearing Linkbaiting’s Name
Mar 3rd
It’s likely the term “baiting” that gives the wrong impression when it comes to referring to an online presence building technique that simply involves writing such compelling content that people are drawn to it. However, when one thinks about it, link baiting is as basic as both SEO and SMO can get — nothing sinister or deviously deceiving to it at all. Then again, confusion on the proper use of the term has doubtless led many to mislabel it as a black hat method.
One of the more appropriate descriptions of link baiting is that of www.seomoz.org. The site describes the term as creating “link-worthy, linkerati-targeted content.” In other words, it involves setting a standard of quality that does not only seek to promote a certain product/brand/campaign-in-your-face. Instead, it provides what any reader (who is a potential customer or influencer) is looking for — value.
This entails content that is informative, accurate, relevant, updated, and insightful. As much as it is important to provide the latest developments, it is also vital to present the basic principles of the subject matter. Specialization in a field of interest also aids in establishing a credible reputation to make whatever linkbait you produce a resource worth viewing.
In an article on this method, several particular “hooks” were enumerated by the writer as an effective means of catching people’s attention.
- News. “Now” is the operative word when it comes to the Internet’s strength against other media. Optimizing this involves creating content that’s definitely in the know.
- Contrary. Although not necessarily taken to mean creating arguments for its own sake. Rather, being contrary in linkbaiting is taken to mean providing another critical view, a new insight to a pre-conceived notion, or the discovery of an entirely new area of interest for that matter. Originality—whether in layout presentation, approach to the main topic, and most of all, in terms of content—can spell the difference between a well-linked piece and a missed article.
- Resource. Being the authority on something (and having to earn that credence) is a distinguishing factor for any writer. A number of the most-read or viewed material online imparts knowledge that one can only get from the experts.
- Humor. Ah, never underestimate the power of rapport that can be built with a laugh. Humor in linkbaiting makes it something you instinctively want to share with other people. After all, one good laugh deserves another.
Empowered with SMO
Mar 1st
The acronyms the online community has come up with nowadays already number in the thousands. For online marketers though, two of the most important would have to be SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMO (Social Media Optimization). Given their similarities, SMO differentiates itself through its demand for active involvement, mediums of information communication, and key audience. The million-dollar question begging to be asked is, of course, “What is it for?”
The principle of SMO is grounded on the power of making information yourself (company, brand, unique selling proposition, individual, etc.) easy to share. We live in networks where re-tweeting, re-blogging, stumbling upon and Facebook posting drives people to impact the online presence of organizations with critical SMO strategies.
Beginning is always the most difficult step, but it can be made easier with the following pointers:
- Know that SMO and SEO, albeit extremely powerful when effective, function primarily as drivers and not directly as sales converters. Therefore, compelling content, targeted marketing, and a convenient sales process will be crucial most especially for e-commerce sites.
- Keep the end in mind — what are your goals and performance indicators? Will an increase in site visits, registered members/subscribers/followers/fans, page comments be the main metrics of success? Holding community-exclusive promotions (raffle, refer-a-friend, print-a-coupon, and crowd sourcing) are also an excellent means of making full use of SMO.
- Pick your weapon of choice. A shotgun approach to SMO might not be the best way to go about conquering the online sphere. Spamming is a big no-no especially when it comes to niche networks. These are communities, not just a gathering of people. They do not take it lightly when people try to take advantage of that. On the other hand when one provides the community interesting and relevant pieces, the group also tends to respond with an unimaginable swell of support.
- Make sharing instinctive through content worth spreading and ease of bookmarking/forwarding/re-posting. Constantly visible icons to the most common social media tools: Twitter, Digg, Facebook, Del.i.cio.us, Stumbleupon will increase the likelihood of your word being spread. But this is only second to the most critical factor — having content that people will want to share with in the first place.
- Participate! Commitment to being involved is the key distinction in SMO. Companies who harness this potential are able to make it a win-win situation. Now “knowing your customer” has become quite possible, accurate, and up-to-date. Also, press releases and other big announcements can be coursed through these networks, thereby ensuring that they reach the people for whom it matters most. On a bigger scale, industry news/developments can more easily be picked-up by keeping abreast with the field’s authorities. Niche communities also make the social media sites a gold mine of innovative ideas and consumer insights.
Link Baiting Mistakes to Avoid
Feb 26th
There are so many ways to create business-altering opportunities through link baiting, and about just as much ways to make mistakes that greatly backfire. There are so many tactics circulating out there, make sure you know the ones that will successfully stick and secure your goals. Several things to look out for enumerated below may appear to be common-sensical, but one would be surprised how often these are repeatedly committed by online marketers — newbies and veterans alike. Make sure you aren’t getting your marketing lines tangled up.
Here are a few tips to add to your tackle box in order to succeed in link baiting tactics.
On the headlines:
- Creating misleading hype that is only loosely connected to the content.
- Headlines that have content considered “fine print.” Worst case in point: promising to give a certain number of pointers or promoting the participation of a particular guest blogger, only to indicate at the bottom of the article that the remaining steps or the actual guest’s blog post can only be read in a different upcoming article.
- The headline when used effectively, can be a powerful hook in itself. Poorly conceptualized titles can waste what would have been a well-written article.
On the content topic:
- Nobody likes a perpetual ranter who completely misses the point (if there was one to make in the first place). Articles that seek to win hits by being scandalous or antagonistic without any real reason are only inviting trouble. Sure, an initial spur would increase visits, but if there’s no real value, return readers are not very likely.
- Copy-pasted articles, whether literally committing plagiarism or continuously recycling ideas, are a surefire way of being forgotten in the long run. Any bet for link baiting must have some aspect of “freshness.”
- Many have written about carefully choosing hooks for link baiting. Read up on those. Not using them is a mistake that can easily be amended.
On the article quality:
- It is an insult to your readers to present them with a clearly unedited article – rushed/illogical flow of ideas, grammatical mistakes, typographical errors, broken links — all indicate sloppy work which likely translates to sloppy content as well.
- Never underestimate the importance of the visual/design impact of the article. Cluttered, difficult to read pages are more than likely to discourage readers.
- Give credit where credit is due. Citing references is the most basic application of this.
- Not speaking the target audience’s language means a missed point of connection. (Jargon – its abuse or inadequate use can both be the weakest points of the article.)
- Link spamming – anything with “spamming” involved is a no-no for anyone planning on being successful with link baiting.
A Niche to Scratch
Feb 23rd
With the virtual world expanding at exponential rates, your competitive advantage can be shaped by several factors. However, nothing will come close to the difference knowing/revisiting your core competency makes. This, after all, goes hand in hand being an expert when it comes to your own industry and target market. For anyone trying to go niche—whether as the entire company’s identity, for only a specific line or two’s branding, even in terms of marketing channels only—awareness is critically step 1.
The following outline details the routes to supreme awareness in aligning your company in their niche market:
Self-Awareness
- Look at the range of tools you already have: are you SEO- and SMO-friendly? With the different forms of linkbaiting, hooks, and media available, which direction is best-suited to your capabilities and branding strategy?
- There is always room for providing compelling content — whether it involves translating confounding concepts into a practical and comprehensive resource, or its opposite, expounding on a vague point by giving more examples and
- Play your strengths to your advantage — as a newbie with a refreshing perspective, a fairly well-known resource building a considerable reputation, or an authority that is going for the big time.
Audience-Awareness
- Who are you trying to get on-board and why? Although they are all essentially part of a globally expanded word-of-mouth campaign, your niche’s bloggers, and social media network active community members and industry watchers are sought for specialized expertise.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Consider targeting second-tier bloggers first (those that show great potential in creating a strong voice in the field) not necessarily going right ahead for the big fish.
- To get you started, why not use your own networks? This is entirely different from, say—God forbid!—requiring your friends to click a hosted ad on your blog every 15mins. Without resorting to anything that is likely to get you banned, your personal network will likely be more open to actively promoting your work.
- Never underestimate the power of language — it defines your relationship with your readers in so many ways. Only those who truly know their readers can get away with using their industry/community-specific terms without sounding like someone who’s trying too hard to fit in. Understand and learn first before jumping in with all the jargon and memes.
Industry-Awareness
- Why make the same mistakes everybody else is making at the beginning? This seems all the more foolish, given how information is quite literally at your fingertips. Observe and analyze successful/failing examples of what you’re trying to achieve and how you were planning to achieve it.
- Be in the know. You may not necessarily be the very first one to broadcast juicy news, but make it a point to cover all the major developments – even if it’s just to give a review or helpful hindsight.
- If possibly (and there are only a handful of things that are not) try to always test market prior to major changes in your strategy. Keeping an ear on the ground will make you go a long way.
Maximizing Article Submissions for Link Building
Jan 8th
A link building technique that can be utilized to direct some of that much needed exposure your way is through article submission. Any SEO strategy should incorporate article submission to secure the best link popularity results.
Article submission to directories is one of the most effective ways to publish content on the Web quickly. In fact, a link building company or a link building service usually offers article submission to help optimize web pages for the promotional campaign of a business or organization.
Like all other link building tactics, there are things to bear in mind in order to make article submissions work for your site’s link popularity. In order to have your articles contribute to a surge in your rankings, you must learn what works and what does not when submitting to article directories.
Basically, every article directory you submit your articles to require the following:
- Article Title
- Article Description or Summary
- Name of Author
- Article Body
- Resource Box
- Category
- List of Keywords
Prior to submission, it is wise to read the directory’s terms of service to make sure that you understand and consent to the process of republishing your work.
The good thing about article submission is its “viral” nature. A well-written and interesting article will be published, re-published and spread over and over again, giving your site tremendous publicity. Thus, when done effectively, article submissions can indeed give you the link popularity results you need.
In accomplishing article directory requirements, keep these snippets of advice in mind:
- Make a strong article title. Come up with a unique, snappy, and content-relevant title that contains at least one strong keyword. Readers gravitate to catchy titles. Your article title has to be distinct because directories usually reject duplications. You can test your title’s uniqueness by typing it on the search field and see if there are hits on the search engines.
- Write an attention-grabbing article description. This is not a requirement in all directories but it helps to write a summary prior to proceeding with submission. Readers get a sneak peak of what the article is going to be all about with your article description so it is equally important to come up with (an) attention grabbing sentence(s).
- Include the author’s name. You can use your real name, or a pseudonym for that matter. Attaching your academic degree may also help establish prestige. You can also use the company or organization name.
- Write a 100% original article body. Everything in the article has to be original. High-quality articles incorporate expertise, wisdom, and knowledge so it is easy to spot software-manufactured articles. Another option is to hire a freelance writer or copy editor to come up with original and relevant articles. In addition to original content, produced work must be free of marketing undertones. Written pieces must be journalistic in style. How many words should an ideal article contain? The preference lies within the range of 400 to 800 words, but a 200-word stand-alone article will suffice for publication. Moreover, articles for submission need to have simple formatting. Curly quotes, extended formatting, apostrophes and quotation marks will cause problems. Writers are advised not to use contractions or dashes (-) because pieces that have them do not get published properly. Article directories go for very basic html formatting.
- Resource Box. Be sure to place crucial contact information and credentials that will be valid within a six-month period in the resource field. Also, a 30-50 word sentence about yourself will work. This way, publishers pass on information and link you provide in article directories when they are interested in republishing your work. Some experts advise against including an email address and recommend you to input a phone number instead. Include your web URL and if you have more than one, pick the most relevant link.
- Select a proper category. Article directories have an assortment of categories for you to choose from. Some directories allow you to configure your own category in case nothing in their selection suits your article.
- Use the right keywords. Keywords are a tool to enhance the article. If used effectively, keywords enable readers to find your site through search engines. Several resources and software are available to help you decide which highly-searched keywords to use.
When done right, article submission can be an effective link building technique that will boost your rankings in the search engines. Article submission creates a reputation for your company and establishes your position as an authority in your industry. Although it can be a time consuming link building strategy, article submission is an economical investment that could generate a massive volume of back links for link popularity and topnotch search engine rankings.
Enhancing Link Value with Forum Participation
Jan 8th
In any link building campaign, it is important to have an open mind about any link building opportunity. Techniques to direct traffic to your site, establish link popularity, and land a top spot in the search engine rankings abound. Each link building method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and some companies outsource some of these services to a link building company.
Link building campaigners can maximize the link value of their site by focusing on reputation building through forum participation. By interacting with other people and exchanging ideas with them effectively, relationships are built and online prestige is created. Compared to other link building tactics that are time-exhaustive, forum participation is a relatively easy method to acquire free links.
Forum pages are valued by search engines and are hence visible to non-participants of the forum. The visibility and credibility that could be potentially reaped out of your participation in an online forum has the potential to direct traffic toward your site and possibly get links pointed to it to establish link popularity.
The original intent for any forum participant is to interact with others in a meaningful discussion of topics. From a link building point of view, forums provide a venue where you can add your URL(s) to your profile as well as your post footer. If your forum posts and ideas stand out, a direct result could be minimal link juice for your site and a perfect opportunity to grab the attention of a viewer to visit your web page. Forums shun direct advertising, so great care has to be taken when putting up posts.
How does one maximize the potential of forum participation as a link building method? Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Forum participation is all about contribution. Forum participation is worthless when you have nothing significant to contribute to the discussion itself. For any post to be considered significant, it has to count in terms of how it can enlighten people on a given subject. Posting lines such as “I agree” or “Me, too” on a forum discussion will not help you build a good reputation. What you write and say to other commentators on the forum has to have substance. When your opinions stand out or make sense, it receives attention of other participants. In link building, attention goes a long way. It may earn you visitors, readers, and followers, who will contribute to traffic, possibly free back links that search engines love, and ultimately, link popularity. Spamming is taboo in online forums. Avoid it by all means.
- Be respectful. Some people love to disagree online on the basis that being disagreeable is more interesting and more attention-grabbing. While this may be true and opposing opinions are inevitable, it is important to present arguments in a respectful manner. Picking fights at online forums achieve absolutely nothing for link popularity. In the end, relevant forum threads may get deleted and the link building opportunity wasted.
- Obey the rules. Forums are established with their own rules in place. Your participation to the forum is in itself a commitment to abide by a set of rules. Once you disobey the rules, you will get yourself booted out. This will prove injurious to your reputation. Forums vary in terms of posting rules. Some allow signature lines, while others do not. If the forum permits signature lines, leaving a simple and concise signature line with a URL or two at most, will be enough to earn you traffic based on the quality of your post.
The link juice that can be expected from forum participation may be minimal, but it remains one of the best reputation building techniques that can provide you with natural and quality links needed to create link popularity and bolster your position in the search engine rankings. The most important thing to remember is to conduct yourself appropriately, stand out in the posts you contribute, and build relationships in order to maximize the benefits of forum participation as a link building technique.
Critical Credibility: Verifying Facts and Figures
Jan 1st
Credibility is such a strong word. In the link building aspect of web content writing, this word plays an even stronger role. The sheer, overwhelming expanse of the Internet is full not only of useful information you could never have found any other way; it is also littered with unwanted facts, broken links, unmaintained sites since a decade back, befuddling jargon, and most problematic of all – misleading content. From serious cases of misrepresentation or misleading details, to accounts of harmful trolling, the need to verify information first has become a must when posting any material online.
Link popularity may be enhanced by a number of so-called black hat means, but nothing can rival the effectiveness of well-written articles that are convincing, substantial and accurate. Writers who take the extra step in double checking information (or using only credible sources in the first place) find it rewarding at the end of the day to know they are giving readers their due. A high standard link building company, for instance, would want to select only trusted sources for the articles and sites they are handling. What possible measures or guides can one consider in evaluating the content of an article online?
One of the most basic things to do would be to ask questions first:
- What do I need to know exactly?
- How is this data relevant to the article and to the audience?
- How will I be able to use this information in the most logical and persuasive way?
These questions will inevitably lead you to the right kind of reference work to use. For instance, on medical or scientific matters, peer-reviewed academic journals of a specific field would be the best sources. Government-issued reports are also often cited for facts on the state of the nation or for those that talk about government policies or laws.
Some time ago, there was quite a big fuss on this particular issue involving an online resource site where its users can author articles with their discretion. In order to answer the growing concern, it has made it a point to ask for citations in all its materials.
Quotations are especially sensitive, as a single word can alter the meaning of a statement. The same way an ill-placed link would do more harm than good to an article. This emphasizes the importance of a link building service not only in generating online buzz, but in getting the right kind of information and feedback.
To make sure that your articles are credible and deserve attention, verify all the facts including all the sources that you used.
Writing Quality and Compelling Content
Jan 1st
It is one thing to string one word after another, and quite another to be writing effective copy. This significant difference is even made more distinct by the creation of link building in web content and other forms of writing. Why all the fuss about something so basic? Well, for one thing, attention spans get shorter by the minute especially with all the information that the Internet has to offer. The unique dynamics of the World Wide Web ups the ante on the strategies of any other writer wanting to go professional today.
What works online with a link building service can be trickled down to “emphasis,” especially since the target audience is overburdened with having to deal with too much information, every single day. From focusing on active keywords, to using different attention grabbing formatting styles (bolds and bullets), to giving headlines and sub headlines more thought, it has become clear that the playing ground is as expansive as the options the writer knows he has.
The online universe continues to grow at an exponential rate, credibility and verifiability have risen in priority concerns as well. Proper citation, accurate quoting, and critically thought out wordsmithing separates the effective article from doubtful drafts. This is where employing a link building company that is dedicated to and knowledgeable about this function can be an advantage. At the end of the day, the most important thing to have for an article to be considered powerful is its substance.
Link popularity will be crucial in driving people to your site; however, if there is nothing worth reading there, it will eventually end up becoming an opportunity loss. Many well-written pieces (on the surface) end up no better than spam because they miss the point they were trying to get across in the first place. Style and structure shape the presentation, but this cannot change the fundamental purpose of writing – communicating information. Buzzwords and jargon in particular, have a proper place and a proper time of usage – something overeager marketeers and writers alike often forget.
A professional communicator writes more than words, he pens information. The writer who communicates effectively then is the one who knows the distinctions and their implications to the article, and ultimately, to its target viewers.