Sir, Would You Like Fries With Those Links?

Recently in several SEO forums I noticed a number of threads discussing ways to find and build "economical" links. The forum participants wanted to know how they could initiate "safe" reciprocal linking as well as "fast" submissions to free article directories. They reasoned these tactics were worth doing because both linking methods were "economical" and "easy" to use.

I understand some linking techniques can be expensive, tedious to implement and extremely time consuming, but tying your online business success to linking tactics deemed "easy", "fast" and "cheap" seems counter-productive. If you limit your linking to low-cost tactics or look at the practice as "link building" instead of "marketing for links" you're almost guaranteed to fail.

Using Tip Jars For Links

I read a Sphinn today titled "Seth Godin Wants to Cheat Advertisers With Fake Clicks" and thought - yikes! Suggesting people click on adsense as a reward is stupid for lots of reasons but especially stupid on a link building level.

Clicking adsense might get the blogger a little money (or no money if he gets banned) but he/she will never know it's coming from YOU.

But hitting a tip jar ensures the blogger knows exactly who the donation is coming from. If you're interested in guest blogging or having the blogger review your products, donating to his/her tip jar is a great way to get attention to your cause.

Forget clicking the adsense, drop a tip. It might get you a link.

I'll Take Links And 11 Gold Medals Please

I read about Morgan Freeman being involved in an auto accident last week and his subsequent surgery so I was pretty surprised to hear him congratulate Michael Phelps on his record number of gold medals in the commercial below. Did the man do the voice over from his hospital bed? Highly unlikely which means VISA taped this spot when Mr. Freeman did his other commercials knowing there was a very good chance Michael Phelps was going to blow everyone out of the water and make Olympic Gold History.

This VISA spot will forever be branded as the commercial vehicle associated with Michael Phelp's Olympic accomplishment, it launched the congratulations heard around the world! There's no price tag for that. Smart smart Visa, thinking ahead pays off.

Do you do any link building planning?

Planning as in mapping out link locations you want to get into and opportunities you can prepare for knowing something specific is coming up?

I know most of us aren't VISA and don't have the resources to hire the likes of Morgan Freeman, but the concept behind the promotion can be adapted to almost any industry. Anticipate an event, look for a content angle, create it and pounce when the moment is right.

A lot of successful "linkbait" is launched on the heels of breaking news or changes. We can't anticipate the future but we can plan around upcoming events, holidays, elections etc and write for them NOW. That way when the time comes you're ready and there before the competition.

The commercial isn't genius, but it's definitely pure gold for VISA. :)

An SEO Kindness Is Link Remembered

A man named Joshua Spickler left a comment on my post Google Wants To Know About Incompetent SEO's (just below this one)

Here's what it said:

I really wish you posted more often. I find your blog to be one of the lesser known gems out there in the SEO blogging community. August 05, 2008

I'm not going to respond in comments, doing it here instead:

Joshua - that is probably the nicest thing anyone has EVER said to me in the 8 years I've been in this business. Your comment is way better than all the compliments I get on my wonderful, trend-setting, killer long hair or fabulous fashion style.

If there is one thing I could manufacture it wouldn't be money, bigger boobs or a smaller waistline, it would definitely be time.

Between kids, clients, my own sites, husband, my friends, two sets of aging parents, the yard, dog, two cats and all the volunteer activities I'm involved with at the kids school, kid's sports teams, and the nursing home there's just not enough hours in the day.

There's also another reason I don't post much. I really really really REALLY hate regurgitation for the sake of "me too-itis" or to read stuff that's obviously been written as a result of someone else's ideas and testing. There's no way in hell people can test and report on everything they write and I get that, but to write about issues and pass off as fact when they've never tested them is... well... stooooopid. (IMO)

There isn't much fact based information in this business because the engines don't let us see it. But there's even less original thought material shared. There's a lot of people who write about SEO and don't practice it. To me that's nuts, SEO is a technical and marketing discipline so you have to know and experience how it works to be able to share it with some voice of authority.

If you come back and say "well people don't want to share all their secrets" I'd get that and totally agree. But there's also a way to share without having to give away the farm. Sometimes it's better to weigh in on discussions with an observation or opinion than to write (or rewrite) a post on a topic that's been discussed to death. People need to get over themselves and join in on other people's conversations instead of boring us to death with yet ANOTHER link building post.

(insert sound of gagging here)

Sorry to over dramatize your comment with my responsive rant. But a simple thank didn't see appropriate AND I got another post of it so....

Thank you Joshua from Just Joshing You. From the bottom of my over-weight, badly dressed, sometimes abrasive but well intentioned heart. :) A kindness is link remembered.

Ok, the link building takeaway here in addition to all the feel-good stuff? When you get involved in other people's blogs, leave positive comments or just support another business in general by mentioning them, there's a very good chance they're going to return the favor and link to you. Like I did with Joshua. :)

I'm not going to tell you how to act, that's your business. The people who preach "be nice, treat everyone fairly" get on my nerves, not because I don't agree with being "nice", but because I dislike anyone telling me how to act. I'm almost 50 (next month people!!) so I understand I'm responsible for my actions.

Here's a linking fact learned from years of experience: people tend to link to positive, news worthy items where they're mentioned or highlighted. Drivel doesn't usually attract links. So link out, the karma will come back to you in links.

And have a nice day.