Some Wine While You Wait?

Use the DMOZ as a place to find link partners to buy/barter/beg or bait links from if you’re looking for sites that have been online for a couple years or more. Sites age naturally as they wait patiently to be added to the ODP so it stands to reason a lot of what you find there will have more than a few wrinkles.

Soapbox Out. Toolbox In.

The one constant in life is change. Without it, the world becomes stale, boring and worst of all – predictable. That said, I think it’s time to make some programming changes here at The Link Spiel.

Out go the longer posts and in come shorter ones. The Link Spiel format will become more a collection of “Link Tips” showcasing specific tactics, tools and linking resources than a running blog commentary. More focus will be placed on where and how to find links and less on talking about their relevance. Yes, relevance is important but with so many types of link promotions available I’d rather focus on talking about that than rehashing a concept already discussed to death.

(Disclaimer: The occasional long-winded rant on link buying, defending the Directories and stupid Christmas jingles may still happen).

I’ll also share link news from the engines and link to various SEO forums as I think both are important information sources. The Friends will still be stopping by with articles but other than that, the old format will cease and the new “Link Tip” format will begin.

I’m not very good with change but I dislike "predictable" even more so we’re shifting gears. Start with the blog….. Next the website and then maybe even a new hairstyle. ;)

Where No Link Has Gone Before

Read this story today and in an eggshell - I think the concept is brilliant!!!:

From the NY Times - In September, CBS plans to start using a new place to advertise its fall television lineup: your breakfast.

The network plans to announce today that it will place laser imprints of its trademark eye insignia, as well as logos for some of its shows, on eggs — 35 million of them in September and October. CBS’s copywriters are referring to the medium as “egg-vertising,” hinting at the wordplay they have in store. Some of their planned slogans: “CSI” (“Crack the Case on CBS”); “The Amazing Race” (“Scramble to Win on CBS”); and Shark” (“Hard-Boiled Drama.”). Variations on the ad for its Monday night lineup of comedy shows include “Shelling Out Laughs,” “Funny Side Up” and “Leave the Yolks to Us.”

George Schweitzer, president of the CBS marketing group, said he was hoping to generate some laughter in American kitchens. “We’ve gone through every possible sad takeoff on shelling and scrambling and frying,” he said, adding, “It’s a great way to reach people in an unexpected form.”

Newspapers, magazines and Web sites are so crowded with ads for entertainment programming that CBS was ready to try something different, Mr. Schweitzer said. The best thing about the egg concept was its intrusiveness.

The bold is mine as it touches on what a lot of us in the link marketing business are saying and finding as we work - most traditional linking tactics are a thing of the past. Now you either have to create content and flaunt it or concentrate on looking in off-beat but targeted places to find effective link partners. Both tactics net uncluttered air space and the opportunity to set yourself as a trendsetter.

Here's an example of an "off beat but targeted" area to look in:

Consider buying space in online publications such as newsletters, ezines, reports etc. I look for publications that will insert ad copy throughout the content areas and archive past editions. A great place to buy targeted ad space is in an online conference handbook. They offer content areas, actively look for sponsors, are archived on busy and usually well ranked sites.

Just about every business niche has an association or professional organization offering conferences and seminars. Think about how people in your industry get information, receive education and aquire training and look for sponsorship opportunities in those venues. When people are in the "learning" mindset they're more apt to be responsive to what they read and SEE (don't discount using tagged images). Take advantage of that focus!

Crack! Wish I had thought of the egg thing, have the perfect client to use it on....;)

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Cut Link Bait And Run

Remember the pixel link craze last year where some genius raked in over a million bucks selling image links all on one page? Well today, after following a link from a link from a backlink from a press release, I came upon this site:

www.500women.com Top 500 Women Links is the new (and easy) way to promote your web site! It is geared towards the ever increasing market of women on the web. Get in the click by purchasing a word below. A word link on Top500WomenLinks.com provides you with a direct hyperlink from that word to your web site for at least the next 2 years. Your word is yours! This online What Women Want Expo is a great way to increase your traffic.

Interesting, so I scroll past the first fold and find the rest of the page filled with single "chick friendly" keywords. Here's what part of the page looks like:

Mate Mediation Politics Removal Stocks Ideas Stress Reception Stamping Jobs Grandparenting Treasures MARRIAGE Share Bliss Hair-Care Cookbook Happy Business-opportunities photographs Intimacy Chocolate

Other than the Business.com no follow issue, this has to be the silliest thing I've seen in a while. Following a footer link I find the Top 500 Women Links site powered by something called LinkSizzler.com, a 'powererd by' software selling for $900 and listing the following reasons why buying the product will make you rich:

You see, there are THOUSANDS of niche sites that could be created with this software. And why would people within your niche buy words on your site? The same reason they bought words on my site! First, there is the novelty of having a word or phrase that belongs to you and you alone, linking directly to your website. Second, sites like this create a BUZZ in your particular niche. Others may have been the first to create a directory in your niche, but you can create much more excitement with a custom word site! Finally, you can put out press releases to get incoming links to the site and increase the buzz even more .

Well, I guess I did find out about the Top 500 Women Links site after clicking a link from a link from a backlink to a press release so that last sentence/quote may be ok but the rest of it sounds like bunk to me. IMO, this guy just wants to sell software and thinks he found an easy way to capitalize off last years pixel craze and this year's 'link bait' buzz. This software is no more a link promotional tool than I'm skinny.

Real link promotion (or link baiting if you prefer) is a fine art and this scheme ain't no fine art. Single words crammed on a webpage don't generate excitement, spark curiosity or entice a person to learn more. You need to develop promotional content that has gravitational pull toward your website and works toward building trust and loyalty. That's the real power behind a link promotion and what drives people to click -- lines of colored words just don't cut it.

Besides, I'm not sure how anyone would even find this site and if they did, why would they pass it on? Part of implementing a successful link promotion is in the visibility it nets and the ease in which the program perpetuates through an established network of targeted people. Woman, while a demographic, is just too broad a market segment to try and conquer without a targeted message.

When you see sites like Top 500 Women Links, don't be tempted to buy a link or think it's going to build brand loyalty or generate a quality click stream to your website. It's highly unlikely it would do any of that. Take no prisoners...just cut bait and paddle away!

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Tom Sawyer Would Not Link.

The goal of any link building campaign is to find, cultivate and keep a loyal base of quality customers linked to you. Tactics vary but the prep and research needed before implementing a link campaign are the same, even for simple programs like Directory submissions and article writing.

The rest of this article can be found on the new Link Spiel here: http://www.linkspiel.com/2009/07/encore-post-tom-sawyer-would-not-link/

No Follow

Jill brings up that Business.com is using nofollow on their links. Sure enough, a quick check using the cool little searchstatus tool proves she's right! Interesting what $199 a year will buy these days...

Crack That Thief Boy

What do you do when you stumble across someone hotlinking one of your images and sucking up your bandwidth?


Why...you replace the image with something more appropriate of course!

Link Impressions

I've been the link building moderator on the High Rankings® Forum since it started in 2003 and enjoy posting, learning and sharing stories about linking. I don't typically venture outside the link threads (mostly due to lack of time) but lately, I've been watching the online copywriting thread since there's been a lot of discussion on article writing.

Earlier today this thread started on copyright issues as they pertain to articles written by a third party. Along the way the thread morphed and someone posted this comment on how to jumpstart article writing:

Just do it. Don't worry about being profound, or grammatically correct. You can always rewrite your articles later when your skills have improved.

And then this comment was made by a poster:

Thank goodness for outsourcing, original articles are now only $5 or less for 250 word articles. You own all the rights so there's no copyright/IP issues

I entered into the fray and responded by saying:

Let me offer a different point of view on this since the whole article writing thing has become so popular...

First impressions count - no matter who, what, when or where you make them. I think that's doubly true when it comes to an online business where all you have is one impression to make.

Turn a person off because you're learning to write and you may have to work extra hard at getting them back or you've turned them away for good.

...Remember what you say and how you say it establishes your reputation on the Web which is the cornerstone for both algorithmic and professional online success.

Article writing as a link building tactic was created as a way to use content to attract links. If your articles are anything less than quality, they'll be worthless in this regard, no one will link to junk. Write (or have written) quality pieces that are factual, entertaining and contain the information your customer base is searching for.

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Smackdown Matt

If I couldn't tell it was summer by the 90+ degree heat and humidity we've been having, I would know by all the camps, swim meets, and playdates I've been schelping the kids to. Add a super busy work load, my new garden, on-going work to the house and this poor little blog gets neglected!

Thankfully Matt has come off the ropes and to the rescue by sending us a new article he's written in between the camps, vacations and playdates he's been driving to -- so wrestle up a cool drink, crank up the AC and enjoy!


Search Marketing Smackdown
by Matt Williams, Prominent Placement

Prior to jumping into the relatively young world of search, my career was similar to many of those now in the industry – something else. For me, it was 15 years of media and marketing research, mostly with various Time Warner business units.

One of those assignments landed me with a job my wife used to say made me the “most popular guy at the party.” What possible job in research could turn a discussion of regression analysis into stimulating cocktail banter? Director of Research for WCW – World Championship Wrestling.

And just to get it out of the way, here’s the answer to “the” question – professional wrestling is as real as you want it to be. Okay, done.

But what on earth can search marketing, an industry with sooooooo many smart and talented people, ever learn from another industry? Much less from WRESTLING?!?!? Here are my thoughts on how search can benefit from a few wrestling pointers:

· Access: Your brand needs to be visible anywhere your audience is to be found. Just look around and you’ll see wrestling everywhere – broadcast TV, cable TV, pay-per-view, magazines, Internet, arena shows, video games, 900#s, toys and too many licensed product categories to list here. Is your site visible where your audience may be searching – the main search engine index, news engines, directories, local search sites, IYPs and/or verticals?

· Content: Engaging, relevant, but most importantly, unique content. As with everything, the majority of any population is average. Only a few within a population are above average, and fewer still are exceptional. Is your content really unique?

· Conversion: Wrestling is not out to make the world a better place. Its sole purpose is to make money. If you’ve “stumbled” across a wrestling program, here’s why they beat you over the head with pay-per-view promotions – the product is high volume AND high margin. If you don’t buy a PPV event, it won’t be because they were unclear about what they’re selling or that they made it hard for you to purchase. How clear and easy to understand is your value proposition, call to action and conversion process?

· Ethics: Good always beats Evil in the long-term. A wrestler’s D-cup companion may be able to gain the attention of the referee (i.e., the search engines), enabling a win by the Heel (i.e., a Black Hat), but even the lamest ref begins to learn after being duped a few times. Once the ref recognizes the “introduction of a foreign object” into the ring, the match is going to end in a DQ (that’s disqualification for those of you who have “never” watched wrestling). If you have followed this genre at all, you’ll know the classic DQs occurred during the “money” matches where the title belt is at stake. Are you doing anything that will get you banned, and if so, is it worth the price?

· Branding: Be what you say you are and deliver what you say you’re going to deliver. If not, you’re irrelevant to what your audience is seeking. For years, the tagline for Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was “Attitude,” highlighted within a logo that looked like it had been hastily drawn by some disenfranchised teenage boy. What did the creative and art direction within their marketing promote? Attitude. What was delivered within every brand touch point (on-air shows, website, magazines, etc.)? Attitude. Say what you will, but WWE continues this excellence in knowing their target audience and then delivering brand experiences in a highly relevant and engaging manner. Do your SERP listings and PPC ads reflect your brand message and promise? More importantly, does your site deliver on your brand attributes?

· Becoming “The Man”: For all the search engines striving to knock Google off its perch as #1, I recommend they heed the immortal words of “The Living Legend” Ric Flair: “To be ‘The Man,’ you gotta beat ‘The Man – WHOOOOOOO!’” So who’s Ric Flair? This guy is incredible – he’s been a wrestler for decades, probably nearing sixty years of age now. But he’s still performing, still packing the house as a crowd favorite. He’s been World Champ so many times I think everyone’s lost count. And during the times we’d do research within the arenas, this guy would have as many, if not more, groupies waiting for him at the hotel after the show as any of the younger stars. Why? Because he continues to adapt to his environment, effectively countering his competition, delivering what the crowd wants. Yahoo, MSN, et al…, until you deliver (or are perceived of delivering) a better experience, you still haven’t beaten “The Man.”

Take the tips for what they’re worth. If you see some benefit, remember, you don’t have to let anyone know they’re from wrestling. We can agree to keep these between us and in the closet. After all, search is different. Search is special.

And just to bring this full circle, sometimes I can still gain the attention of folks at parties, but it’s different now. Saying I had a conversation with a “search rock star” at Search Engine Strategies only seems to impress other search marketers. Not that that’s a bad thing. But I long for the day when someone not in the industry will know I’m a search marketer and say to me, “I don’t ever really go on the Internet and search, but I happened across Matt Cutts’ blog the other day, and it was unreal – he says Google is tweaking its algorithm to devalue purchased links – wow, that was a callout to link brokers if I ever saw one! Boy, that’s going to be grudge match!”

Matt Williams, Managing Partner, oversees Data Analysis & Reporting, New Services, Operations, and Marketing for Atlanta Search Engine Marketing firm Prominent Placement.

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Relay For Life

Joe and I took took the kids to the Relay for Life event last night, Joe's company is one of the sponsors so a bunch of people from his office pitched a tent, decorated it in wild island motiff (everyone has a theme) and moved in for the night.

This event, for anyone not familiar with it:

Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of your American Cancer Society. During the event, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.

And walk we did. For my Grandmother and Joe's father, for my dear neighbor Ellie and my friend Nan, for Chris's brother Bill and everyone else I've known or known about who's passed away from cancer. If you ever have an opportunity to participate in this event, I'd urge you to do so. There is a wonderful sense of community spirit and a real joyfulness that's shared with the people involved.

And while I'm sad to remember why I'm there, I'm also very happy to know I'm part of an effort trying to make a difference. Have a nice weekend.