Almost all bloggers will agree that 'Links' are very important for a blog to be ranked high on Google's search result. The more links you have the better your page rank is. As a result, a lot of bloggers end up doing all possible ways and means to get links from ANY blog even if the blog they're getting links from are not directly related to theirs.
Here are some of the common practices that bloggers employ to be able to create a link to their blogs.
1. Comment on blog posts of other blogs.
2. Exchange links to other blogs.
3. Submit Blog to Directories
4. Submit Articles to Article Directories
5. And the list goes on and on…
I will not deny the importance or the value of links for every blog's performance in the search engines' ranking. The value of links however diminishes once it is not properly optimized. Moreover, the trend nowadays is no longer about the quantity of links but the quality of links that are directed to your website or blog.
In today's article I will be blogging about the 7 Blogging Mistakes that Bloggers do When Building Links for their blog. I will explain each mistake and briefly point out what should be done to fully benefit from these links. Be reminded that the links mentioned in this article are external links (i.e. links to your blog from other blogs or websites). Internal link is another topic that will be discussed in details in the coming posts.
7 Bloging Mistakes that Bloggers do When Creating Links
# 1 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers leave comments to any blog or website where they have the opportunity to do so.
I'm sure that most of us, bloggers, have done this already. For instance, my blog is all about blogging, bloggers and blogs but you can find some of my comments on blogs that are not in any way related to blogging, bloggers or blogs. I even left several comments to an Asian dating blog thinking that this will boost my performance in the search engine rankings only to my disappointment.
The fact is, in today's search engine optimization it is not enough to have a lot of links but to have quality links to your blog. Let me explain quality links through an example. Assuming that I have posted a comment at Problogger.net, a blog that also talks about blogging, blogs and bloggers. On the other hand, I posted a comment at xxx, a dating site that blogs about dating, relationship and sex. Which link do you think is more valuable? I hope you've answered Problogger.net. When you post a comment on a blog, for the purpose of generating links to your blog, make sure that the blog you comment on is related to yours. Although commenting on other's blog is good for social networking (i.e. inviting them to view your blog, hence increasing your traffic).
Now you may ask why? Every time that search engines crawl a website they look for keywords and keyphrases. More importantly, they compare the contents of blog or website where the link originated and the content of the blog or website where link is directed. Search engines give higher value to links between blogs or websites with similar or related contents than links between blogs or websites that are not related at all.
# 2 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers exchange links to other bloggers to increase the number of links to their blog.
Before I explain # 2 Blog Mistake, allow me to define the terms 'One-way Link' and 'Reciprocal Link'. One-way link is a link from a blog to another in which case, the one being linked to does not link back. On the other hand, a reciprocal link is an exchange of links between two blogs or websites. (i.e. link to me and I'll link to yours)
Are both links the same in value to the search engines? Which link do you think is much more valuable to search engines? Apparently, one-way link is more valuable to search engines. You might have encountered websites or blogs that offer a three-way link. What does three-way link means? Three-way link is a form of reciprocal link but the benefits are the same as the one-way link. Allow me to use an example to illustrate a three-way link. Assuming that blogger-A has two blogs and would want a three way link to blogger-B. To do so, blogger-A will use his 'first' blog to link to blogger-B. On the other hand, blogger-B will link to the 'second' blog of blogger-A. Why do you think they are doing this? It is because one-way link is better than a reciprocal link. Therefore, if you are interested for better links, go for a one-way link or avail of a three-way link if possible.
In case you are offered a three-way link, make sure that the page where you will be given a link has a good page rank. Otherwise the link provided to you will be less of value to the search engines.
# 3 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers use words such as 'click here', 'view my blog', 'link to this link' or 'here' as an anchor text to their blogs.
Another common mistake that bloggers do when they create a link to their website is to use words that are not descriptive of the content of the page they are linking to. In order to maximize your search engine's potential, use words that describe the page where the link will be directed. (e.g. Check our what blogging mix is all about.)
Search engines are in constant search for keywords and keyphrases and with the use of descriptive anchor text (using keywords and keyphrases) you will be able to improve the value of your link.
# 4 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers submit articles that are totally different from the content of their blogs to article directories. They link to their blog from these articles.
Submitting articles to article directories like articlecity or articlebase is another sure hit in search engine optimization especially when you submit your article to directories with good page ranking.
The content of the article you are submitting to directories should be related to the content of your blog or website. I have seen several bloggers who submit very well written articles to article directories but the article they've submitted does not have any relation to their blog or website's content. When search engines crawl the website where the article was published and follow the links to your blog, they will search for keywords and keyphrases but because you submitted an article of different content, search engine crawlers will find nothing.
# 5 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers submit their blogs to inappropriate category in directories.
In my previous post, I have written about submitting to the Open Directory Project and one of the points I have emphasized is the need to submit your blog or website to the appropriate category. The failure to do so might lead to the disapproval of your submission for inclusion to the ODP or to the less optimization of your blog. Search engines who use the information provided by the Open Directory Project will not be able to include your blog or website to the appropriate search categories. The same happens when you submit your blog to the wrong category to other web directories and blog directories.
# 6 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers request links from a blog with so many links.
A link to your blog provided by a website with several links to other blogs has a lesser impact and value than a link provided by a blog with fewer links. There is actually an equation that search engine optimizers use to calculate the boost in page ranks from the links provided by other websites but it is beyond the scope of this article. I will have to discuss that issue in another post. The bottom line is simple, the value of link provided by a blog or website diminishes as the number of link it provides to other blogs or websites increases.
# 7 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers request links from less popular websites or blogs.
As I've said earlier in this article, it is not about the quantity of links but the quality of links to your blog matters. It's therefore better to have one link to your blog from a website or blog that has a page rank of 9 than having 10 links to your blog from blogs or websites with 0 page ranks. Search engines give higher premium to those blogs with higher Page Ranks. You should therefore work hard to get links from websites or weblogs that have higher PR.
Moreover, search engines crawl websites that are more popular because they are frequently updated. Try to experiment and see for yourself. Create a link to your website by participating in the discussions at Blogcatalog.com then leave a comment to a less popular website. 24 hours later, check your links using Google. Simply go to Google and type your URL then hit enter, you will see that the link to your blog you have created at Blogcatalog.com will appear in the search result while the link you have created to the less popular blogs will only appear after a few more days.
Conclusion
Links are no doubt valuable in search engine optimization but link in itself should be optimized in order to maximize benefits derived from it. Through this article, we have learned that you should invest building links to your blog from blogs or websites with the following characteristics:
1. Good Page Rank
2. Few external links
3. Has the same or related content with your blog or website
When linking to these blogs or websites, you should also bear in mind of the following:
1. Use descriptive anchor text.
2. Submit articles with contents related to your blog.
3. Submit your links to the proper category.
Did you find this article useful? Do you have another idea that you wish to add to this article? I'm sure it'll be a great help to other readers. Share it through the comments.
Addendum
Daniel is right. Links posted at Blogcatalog.com is a no-follow link. Meaning, search engines will now follow the links to your website or blog. As a result, you are not able to optimize your link. The concept however in # 7 Blogging Mistake stands only that when you build links to your blog from other websites, make sure that these sites follow links.
Here are some of the common practices that bloggers employ to be able to create a link to their blogs.
1. Comment on blog posts of other blogs.
2. Exchange links to other blogs.
3. Submit Blog to Directories
4. Submit Articles to Article Directories
5. And the list goes on and on…
I will not deny the importance or the value of links for every blog's performance in the search engines' ranking. The value of links however diminishes once it is not properly optimized. Moreover, the trend nowadays is no longer about the quantity of links but the quality of links that are directed to your website or blog.
In today's article I will be blogging about the 7 Blogging Mistakes that Bloggers do When Building Links for their blog. I will explain each mistake and briefly point out what should be done to fully benefit from these links. Be reminded that the links mentioned in this article are external links (i.e. links to your blog from other blogs or websites). Internal link is another topic that will be discussed in details in the coming posts.
7 Bloging Mistakes that Bloggers do When Creating Links
# 1 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers leave comments to any blog or website where they have the opportunity to do so.
I'm sure that most of us, bloggers, have done this already. For instance, my blog is all about blogging, bloggers and blogs but you can find some of my comments on blogs that are not in any way related to blogging, bloggers or blogs. I even left several comments to an Asian dating blog thinking that this will boost my performance in the search engine rankings only to my disappointment.
The fact is, in today's search engine optimization it is not enough to have a lot of links but to have quality links to your blog. Let me explain quality links through an example. Assuming that I have posted a comment at Problogger.net, a blog that also talks about blogging, blogs and bloggers. On the other hand, I posted a comment at xxx, a dating site that blogs about dating, relationship and sex. Which link do you think is more valuable? I hope you've answered Problogger.net. When you post a comment on a blog, for the purpose of generating links to your blog, make sure that the blog you comment on is related to yours. Although commenting on other's blog is good for social networking (i.e. inviting them to view your blog, hence increasing your traffic).
Now you may ask why? Every time that search engines crawl a website they look for keywords and keyphrases. More importantly, they compare the contents of blog or website where the link originated and the content of the blog or website where link is directed. Search engines give higher value to links between blogs or websites with similar or related contents than links between blogs or websites that are not related at all.
# 2 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers exchange links to other bloggers to increase the number of links to their blog.
Before I explain # 2 Blog Mistake, allow me to define the terms 'One-way Link' and 'Reciprocal Link'. One-way link is a link from a blog to another in which case, the one being linked to does not link back. On the other hand, a reciprocal link is an exchange of links between two blogs or websites. (i.e. link to me and I'll link to yours)
Are both links the same in value to the search engines? Which link do you think is much more valuable to search engines? Apparently, one-way link is more valuable to search engines. You might have encountered websites or blogs that offer a three-way link. What does three-way link means? Three-way link is a form of reciprocal link but the benefits are the same as the one-way link. Allow me to use an example to illustrate a three-way link. Assuming that blogger-A has two blogs and would want a three way link to blogger-B. To do so, blogger-A will use his 'first' blog to link to blogger-B. On the other hand, blogger-B will link to the 'second' blog of blogger-A. Why do you think they are doing this? It is because one-way link is better than a reciprocal link. Therefore, if you are interested for better links, go for a one-way link or avail of a three-way link if possible.
In case you are offered a three-way link, make sure that the page where you will be given a link has a good page rank. Otherwise the link provided to you will be less of value to the search engines.
# 3 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers use words such as 'click here', 'view my blog', 'link to this link' or 'here' as an anchor text to their blogs.
Another common mistake that bloggers do when they create a link to their website is to use words that are not descriptive of the content of the page they are linking to. In order to maximize your search engine's potential, use words that describe the page where the link will be directed. (e.g. Check our what blogging mix is all about.)
Search engines are in constant search for keywords and keyphrases and with the use of descriptive anchor text (using keywords and keyphrases) you will be able to improve the value of your link.
# 4 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers submit articles that are totally different from the content of their blogs to article directories. They link to their blog from these articles.
Submitting articles to article directories like articlecity or articlebase is another sure hit in search engine optimization especially when you submit your article to directories with good page ranking.
The content of the article you are submitting to directories should be related to the content of your blog or website. I have seen several bloggers who submit very well written articles to article directories but the article they've submitted does not have any relation to their blog or website's content. When search engines crawl the website where the article was published and follow the links to your blog, they will search for keywords and keyphrases but because you submitted an article of different content, search engine crawlers will find nothing.
# 5 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers submit their blogs to inappropriate category in directories.
In my previous post, I have written about submitting to the Open Directory Project and one of the points I have emphasized is the need to submit your blog or website to the appropriate category. The failure to do so might lead to the disapproval of your submission for inclusion to the ODP or to the less optimization of your blog. Search engines who use the information provided by the Open Directory Project will not be able to include your blog or website to the appropriate search categories. The same happens when you submit your blog to the wrong category to other web directories and blog directories.
# 6 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers request links from a blog with so many links.
A link to your blog provided by a website with several links to other blogs has a lesser impact and value than a link provided by a blog with fewer links. There is actually an equation that search engine optimizers use to calculate the boost in page ranks from the links provided by other websites but it is beyond the scope of this article. I will have to discuss that issue in another post. The bottom line is simple, the value of link provided by a blog or website diminishes as the number of link it provides to other blogs or websites increases.
# 7 Blogging Mistake: Bloggers request links from less popular websites or blogs.
As I've said earlier in this article, it is not about the quantity of links but the quality of links to your blog matters. It's therefore better to have one link to your blog from a website or blog that has a page rank of 9 than having 10 links to your blog from blogs or websites with 0 page ranks. Search engines give higher premium to those blogs with higher Page Ranks. You should therefore work hard to get links from websites or weblogs that have higher PR.
Moreover, search engines crawl websites that are more popular because they are frequently updated. Try to experiment and see for yourself. Create a link to your website by participating in the discussions at Blogcatalog.com then leave a comment to a less popular website. 24 hours later, check your links using Google. Simply go to Google and type your URL then hit enter, you will see that the link to your blog you have created at Blogcatalog.com will appear in the search result while the link you have created to the less popular blogs will only appear after a few more days.
Conclusion
Links are no doubt valuable in search engine optimization but link in itself should be optimized in order to maximize benefits derived from it. Through this article, we have learned that you should invest building links to your blog from blogs or websites with the following characteristics:
1. Good Page Rank
2. Few external links
3. Has the same or related content with your blog or website
When linking to these blogs or websites, you should also bear in mind of the following:
1. Use descriptive anchor text.
2. Submit articles with contents related to your blog.
3. Submit your links to the proper category.
Did you find this article useful? Do you have another idea that you wish to add to this article? I'm sure it'll be a great help to other readers. Share it through the comments.
Addendum
Daniel is right. Links posted at Blogcatalog.com is a no-follow link. Meaning, search engines will now follow the links to your website or blog. As a result, you are not able to optimize your link. The concept however in # 7 Blogging Mistake stands only that when you build links to your blog from other websites, make sure that these sites follow links.
Powered by ScribeFire.
No comments:
Post a Comment