Need a new link building technique or resource?  Here’s a handful of old link building ideas tweaked and twisted to help you find new links.

1.  If you use directories in your linking efforts, replace the word “directory” with “document sharing site” and search on your keywords to find new submission sources.  Consider submitting your content in various formats in addition to print.

2.  Many of the document sharing sites (such as Scribd and Issuu) allow PDF’s to be submitted.  Be sure to add a “Retweet this” image/link in your PDF’s so this content can be promoted.  (The bigger the image, the better.  I like putting the image at the end of the document)

3.  Promote the PDF’s you drop in the document sharing sites with a Twitter programming tool such as FutureTweets.  I wouldn’t submit the same PDF over and over, keep in mind what the engines say about duplicate content when you’re implementing this tactic.

3.  Use a tool like Tweriod and TweetStat to monitor when your tweeting community is most active.  Plan your retweets during these peak time periods and push out your best content.  (don’t over do it though, too much is too much)

4.  Looking for new content ideas?  Use Twitter Search to find questions being asked.  Write content to answer and then implement step 3 to promote it.

Develop content from questions asked on Twitter and other social sites.

5.  Grow your twitter base by using tools like Followerwonk and WeFollow.  Both search people’s twitter bio’s for keywords.  Since keyword real estate on Twitter is at a minimum, people tend to fill their bio’s with terms they’re most interested in so it’s pretty easy to find evangelists.    BTW, this is a great job for a summer intern or one of your teenagers, my two are doing it in exchange for new iPhones  ;)

In an interview I did on SEOBook in 2007 I made this comment:

It’s probably easier to hit the Powerball than to figure out what ideas will spread and net links for a website.    I’ve been wrong my fair share of times, sometimes it’s more about being first than being creative.

 

I still believe that, as-a-matter-of-fact, I believe it more now than ever.  Getting content out quickly is one thing, there’s a myriad of tools to help you push tweets, send press releases etc.  But what can you use to find out what that “something new” is?   How do you know when to jump and create new content or know your competitor might be up to something and trying to get the jump on you?   There’s a couple of tools/ideas you can use:

6.  If you’re into blasting new  or “hot” content  as a way to attract links, (think price changes, political comments, search engine updates etc) being first to report the news makes all the difference.  There’s a web page tracking tool called Versionista.com that emails when   “target sites change their content” and provides a “side-by-side comparisons of before and after”. That is very cool if you’re looking to do controversial linkbait, report on price changes or hold a politician/blogger to what was said.   Break a story or piece of link bait and you’re the one they credit with a link.

7.  And for all those toads who use your content and forget to link to you?  Run your pages through a plagiarism checking tool like CopyScape or Plagiarisma after you launch your linkbait.   If they’re not linking to you – ask them to.

It’s never been about what you do, it’s always been about where.  Find fresh sources to use standard tactics and you’ll keep the links coming.   Remember, it’s not link building, it’s link marketing.

(Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with any site mentioned here except SEOBook.  Image thanks to Rob MacDougall)

-

from: Link Spiel

For more link building information, ideas and the occasional rant, visit LinkSpiel .

-

When it comes to talking about links and link marketing, I like to think I know a thing or three but when it comes to pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns well, not so much. As a matter-of-fact, I have a hard time spelling PPC never mind understanding all the various components involved so when my dear friend Aaron Wall showed me the new PPC Training and Community Forum he was developing, I was thrilled! Finally I had a place to learn PPC from top to bottom at my own pace from people I knew and trusted.

Aaron teamed with noted PPC expert Geordie Carswell who was the founding CEO of the RevenueWire software affiliate network & Safecart payment processing platform, a start-up that went from zero to $51 million in PPC-driven sales in less than 18 months. Geordie has hands-on experience managing PPC accounts at high volume levels across multiple platforms, he wrote the killer 50 (that’s right 50!!) training modules and moderates the PPC Community forum.

In addition to the 50 training modules, the training program gives you access to 11 PPC tools:

• Google Adwords Mass Campaign Builder New!
• Keyword List Comparison Tool New!
• Competitive Research Tool New!
• Keyword List Generator.
• Keyword List Cleaner & Number Stripper
• Typo Generator
• Keyword Match Type Wrapper
• PPC Mass Ad Generator
• A/B Split Test Validation Calculator
• PPC ROI Calculator
• RoAS Calulator (Return on Impressions)

If you’re like me, you learn best by doing and being able to ask questions as you go.  The PPC Training program allows you to do just that, you can read and implement the modules at your pace and ask questions (ask Geordie directly!) in the Community forum.  I moderate the linking forum on the SEO Book Community Forum and share what I learn/experience/implement daily, we don’t hold anything back and neither will Geordie or Aaron.

Bottom line?  If you want to learn PPC from the ground up from knowledgable and respected PPC masters, head over to the PPC Training center and sign up today.

(Obligatory Debra disclaimer:  I was not paid to do this. I do not have a financial stake in the PPC or SEOBook Training programs.  I do it because the programs are good.)

from: Link Spiel

For more link building information, ideas and the occasional rant, visit LinkSpiel .

Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal ran an article on how businesses were using Live Chat to make incremental sales. 

This bit caught my eye:

 In late April, home improvement e-tailer Improvement Direct Inc., of Chico, Calif., used a chat feature on its site to converse directly with customers about its products and services. The response was overwhelming. “We got flooded,” says Brandon Proctor, vice president of marketing. “We couldn’t believe how many chats we were getting.” In July alone, the company had more than 300 chats daily and converted them into sales at a rate of 9%

Way to go Improvement Direct!    Since I suffer from link tunnel vision I immediately started to wonder how I could use the live chat application to get people to link.  Here’s what I came up with:

1.  At the end of every chat have the operator ask the customer if they’d like to have a permanent discount code for the product you’re selling.  All they have to do is link to your site and you’ll send the code.

2.  If you have a product requiring assembly instructions or a “how to use guide”  provide these links in the chat.  On the pages hosting these “how to” guides, make a push to link to your site.

3.  Do an email blast to current customers annoucing the new chat feature on your site.  In the correspondence drop the “link to us” offer and include a giveaway as a thank you.

4.  Issue a press release annoucing the new feature and your company’s committment to customer service and using advanced technology.  

While it’s a good idea to look at everything as an opportunity to promote your website,  it’s not a good idea to go overboard and become a pest asking for links.    Keep the number of times you ask to a minimum and use  the elements with the highest visibililty for a better chance of link building success.

P.S.  If you’re interested in the technology, the article mentioned Meebo as a free live chat software and search on the phrase “live chat software” for the paid companies.

from: Link Spiel

For more link building information, ideas and the occasional rant, visit LinkSpiel .