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Link Building

Where To Buy Clean Links

Buying links has long been debated, especially when Google slapped so many blogs in the last year. Personally I haven’t had many issues with Google, but many people had. With that disclaimer, be careful where you buy your links. Most places that sell links have a “footprint”, or an easy way to track which websites are selling links. For example of a footprint, search for “powered by WordPress” in Google. It’s an easy way to find a lot of blogs that are running WordPress. That’s just a simple footprint, but there is a footprint to just about everything.

One place that I’ve found that sells quality links and doesn’t leave a trail is LinkWorth. If you haven’t bought many links then this won’t matter to you, but if you’re in the game to make money, links are vitally important. LinkWorth has some really big blogs on their network for driving traffic, then they have a lot of 2nd and 3rd tier blogs that are great for just snagging a link.

Personally, I like to get one link and go. I think a single link on one domain is just as beneficial as a site-wide link, and possibly even better. Depending on the quality of where the link is posted, you can see beneficial traffic from links that you’ve earned naturally or purchased.

Either way, LinkWorth doesn’t seem to leave any footprints which means it is nearly impossible to find out if the links are natural or paid.

By |May 4th, 2008|Link Building, Reviews|12 Comments
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Top 5 Places to Submit Articles for Links and Traffic

Recently, Brandon explained why he uses articles for gaining links and traffic. However, some people were wondering exactly where they should be submitting their articles. Yes, there is article submission software available, but it best to do this discriminately and by hand. Don’t get discouraged when wading through the increasing number of article submission sites. Just like site directories, you have to separate the good from the useless.

Below are the top five places to submit articles for links and traffic. If you are wondering how I determined this list, I merely narrowed down the most popular sites that allow bylines and backlinks by checking each article directory’s Google PageRank and Alexa rating.

1. EzineArticles (PR: 6, Alexa: 426)

EzineArticles is widely regarded as the best free article submission site. Content on this site is ranked well in Google, as you’ve probably already discovered just through casual use of the search engine. EzineArticles currently has over 50,000 RSS feeds, as well, which means you can get some massive exposure through the site.

2. SelfGrowth.com (PR: 6, Alexa: 7,699)

    This is a unique place to make yourself known. Touting itself as a “self improvement encyclopedia,” SelfGrowth.com currently receives over 1 million visitors a month and accepts articles from the public. If you have an article that encourages any kind of self-improvement, then this is a great place to submit it.

    3. Buzzle (PR: 5, Alexa: 4,914)

    Buzzle once had a higher PageRank, but its traffic is still steadily growing. Articles on Buzzle are fast competing with the search engine ranking of EzineArticles, so keep this site high on your list. Buzzle authors also receive added exposure when they are randomly featured throughout the directory.

    4. ArticleCity (PR: 6, Alexa: 34, 723)

    Offering free articles for reprint, this a great place to both submit your work and acquire free content for your site or newsletter. There are many niche categories on this site to fit your various needs.

    5. ArticleBiz (PR: 6, Alexa: 61, 404)

    This growing site also offers both exposure for writers and reprintable content for Web developers. If you are smart, you will take advantage of both opportunities. While ArticleBiz may not have the clout of other sites on this list, it is steadily growing in popularity and is definitely worth your time.

    There are many more article directories across the Web, but you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin by tracking down every last one. Instead, focus on making yourself known on the most highly ranked article sites. Not all directories were created equal and article submission is only one of many ways to market your site and obtain backlinks.

    This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, a freelance writer as well as a regular commentator on the topic of airline miles card. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.

    By |April 29th, 2008|Link Building|11 Comments
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    Why I Use Articles To Build Links and Traffic

    Jason McGovern wrote:
    Hi Brandon -First off, I love your blog. Second, I was reading your link building in 2007 post, and wanted to request an expanded post on article submission. I would love to get your thoughts and ideas on this when you get a chance!

    Thanks for the email Jason! Articles. One thing I always wish I had more time for. However, also something I can’t ever justify outsourcing.

    For me, article marketing plays a crucial role in two ways. Whenever I decide to try out something new like Build a Niche Store or ClickBank ideas I always start with articles to test the waters.

    When starting a new site in a niche, articles are one of the first parts of my marketing plan. The reason behind this is that you can get a few easy links and some easy traffic. Once those articles are spread to the thousands of crappy article sites, the value of the link degrades, but you’ll still see some traffic every month in my experience.

    When I write articles, I try not to target a flooded market, or the main keyword.  I like to write my articles with a focus on a long tail keyword.  Once you can lock in a good position with a long tail keyword, it’s easier to build traffic and a following.  Think of it like a snowball rolling down a hill, all you need is a little push (article) and you collect more snow (rankings) on the way down!

    In addition to building links and testing the waters, articles can actually convert to sales. I used to have a Squidoo lens and 99% of my marketing for that lens was with articles. Consistently I sold about one ClickBank ebook per month. The net revenue was not much, but neither was the time commitment.

    All in all I still like articles as much today as I did 2 years ago. I do however avoid owning article directories. Too much work without enough reward.

    Thanks again for the question!

    By |February 27th, 2008|Link Building|13 Comments
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    Using Google Alerts to Build Links and Traffic

    For a long time I have been using this method and I think it’s about time to divulge one of my favorite little secrets.  Keep in mind, this is one facet of a successful marketing plan, not an entire marketing plan.  Use this in conjunction with link building, using trackbacks for traffic, and even linkbait.

    The goal of using Google Alerts to build links and increase traffic is to know where the Google bot has been, and follow behind it tracking your keywords.

    I assume you have a Google account.  If you use Adsense, AdWords, Gmail or any other Google service, you have a Google account.  So head to the Google Alerts page.Google Alerts

    Set up an alert for each of your keywords, but set the “type” to blogs.  Once a day is plenty.  Now, set up keyword alerts for other keywords you use.  If you’re selling widgets, you could use “buy widgets”, “widgets for sale”, etc.

    You can use parenthesis for keywords like you do with Google search.

    Every day you will get an email from every site that Google has spidered that has your keywords.  Click the links, post a comment and move on.  Works in conjunction with Drive By Linking.

    I have about 15 alerts set up for various niche’s that I participate in.  Every morning I will post about 10-30 comments on blogs that I’ve never seen before.  Depending on the size of the niche I usually see about 25 uniques for each niche.  This compounds each day.  For example, day one you get 25 uniques, day two you’ll see 30, day 3 you get 40, etc.

    While it may not revolutionize the way you build links, it certainly helps to know where the blog action is!

    By |February 25th, 2008|Link Building|13 Comments
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