Blogs as a Source of Links
Since Google slammed bought links, more and more webmasters have been scrambling around for a solution. Maybe not to replace their paid links, but to make their linking more natural in appearance, and definitely more scalable and sustainable. As an online marketing consultant I get paid well when called on to help out with this, but I am going to give you one solution for free.
The answer, of course, is to create something easy to link and worth linking to!
- Nobody wants to link to a homepage that says how great you are
- Ecommerce category pages are not going to be a link magnet
- Flash websites are notoriously difficult to deep link to
- Why would anyone link to your product page when you sell the same thing as Amazon?
Now, while the simple solution is to create a blog, you do need to be aware of one thing.
A blog is not a magic bullet.
You need to provide something unique and valuable, and you need to make it address your audiences real interests. Those automated “make money in your sleep” blogging systems might look appealing based on their sales pages, in fact combined with a history of buying links, all they will do is get you red-flagged as spam.
Talk to real human beings though, find out what solutions they are looking for, then craft a valuable resource, promote it well, and the links will come in. Quality links, of the kind that Google loves.
Great post Chris!
I think blogging is legit… check out beyond race magazine all you bloggers!