How to Increase Your Website’s Ranking, One Blog at a Time!
by Carrie Hinkel on January 2nd, 2008
By now, most website owners know that getting reputable sites to link to their site will have a positive effect on rankings. The problem is getting GOOD sites to give you those links. A powerful marketing strategy for your website can be getting bloggers to not only list your e-commerce site, but to talk about your products and services. Bloggers are generally regarded as authorities on certain subject matter, which make blogs one of the best places to get those valued authority links.
What are authority links? They’re links coming from sites that are considered by search engines to be of a high value, due to the high number of inbound links going to those sites. To the search engines, inbound links = authority. These sites are generally original content-heavy and cover very specific topics. Getting links from authority sites can boost your site’s credibility and in turn your search engine rankings.
If you remember back to the Million Dollar Homepage with Alex Tew, the success of Tew’s idea happened because of the hundreds and hundreds of bloggers that were writing about it – and the thousands and thousands of people who were reading all those blogs. If used properly, blogs can not only give you links, but readership – and in turn more links, traffic, etc.
So, how do you get bloggers to list your e-tail site or talk about your products?
Think of this as a marketing strategy, something that needs to be planned and researched before it’s executed. First, put together a list of all the relevant blog sites for your particular industry. This will take doing research on Google. For instance, if your site sells scrapbooking supplies you’ll want to search for "scrapbook blog", "scrapbooking blog", etc. Google has a blog search that will make finding these blogs easier – http://blogsearch.google.com/ . You can also try sites like Technorati.com , which will also give you "Authority" scores for each blog.
Now that you have your list, it’s time to come up with a strategy to get your link on those sites. There are really only two ways to get this done, so read about each and decide which method is best for the type of site you have.
Tell the blogger about your site and ask for a link – This is the easiest way of getting links to your site, however it only works if you have something new and interesting to offer. If you are yet another iPod accessory store, then forget it. But, if you are selling a brand new product that lets you turn your iPod into a universal television remote, then bloggers just might be interested. Imagine if you were writing an industry-related blurb day after day, you’d love something new to write about. Bloggers are just waiting for the "next big topic", and if your website saves them from racking their brain for ideas, then it’s a win-win. You have to be honest with yourself though; don’t bother asking for a link if your site or products don’t have any sort of "wow factor". If you annoy the blogger you’ll inevitably ruin your chances of ever getting a link or even a shot at the next strategy.
Think your products don’t have that "wow factor"? Maybe something else about your site or business does. Maybe you’re having a contest on your site, or you’re giving away something cool with each order. If you pitch that to the blogger, you might get yourself a link.
Become actively involved with blog sites – Don’t lose hope of getting blog links just because your site isn’t toting the latest gizmo gadgets. It may take more time and effort than the first strategy, but the result is the same – links! Start by posting highly informative comments on various blogs in your industry – but be sure to post on a regular basis. This way the blogger and posters will know who you are and hopefully will have some respect for you as an informative commenter. After a while, and in certain situations, you may find that mentioning your website is relevant to the blog post. Just be sure that the mention actually adds to the conversation and is not at all a sales pitch.
It’s a good idea to do a combination of both options. Start by getting involved with informative comments so the blogger comes to recognize you. Then move on to introducing your site to the blogger via email and asking for a link.
How NOT to get blog links
Never post comments to a blog just to mention your website or to sell your products or services. This cannot be stressed enough. Both bloggers and posters hate this and you are sure to get a slew of negative posts behind it (and get your comment marked as spam by the blogger).
When asking the blogger for a link, don’t annoy them. One introductory email, plus one follow up after a week is enough. If you don’t get a response, don’t keep spamming their inbox with link requests – just move on.
In Summary
The key to getting blog links is simple: offer bloggers and posters something relevant and interesting. If blogs were all about sales pitches, no one would ever read them. Good blogs are read because they’re interesting and informative. So, your website and postings should be too!