Link Building Tactics for 2012?
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Keeping in line with EGOL's linking building apologetics, we are trying to beef up our content to add relevant benefit to our ecommerce products. Specifically, we are adding new textual content where we can and videos to categories and product pages. How many Rand videos, white board videos and Matt Cutts videos have you watched? In the preceding Matt Cutts article, Joe Brockmeier writes: "So if you're planning that 2012 site budget, you might want to think twice about hiring that SEO expert and find a content expert instead." Videos can be a valuable content tool.
Ecommerce lends itself to selling a lot of the the same products as other folks on the web with the same product information from the manufacturers. So, where do you come up with fresh and unique content?
Informative videos may help with that, so we are going to give it a try and see how it goes with attracting beneficial links.
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My list of content to create is really really looong.
Starting to add videos and calculators to some of it. Juicy photos as always.
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Need link building advice... Not content advice
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ha ha... content is the only linkbuilding method that I use.
How much linkbuilding does wikipedia do? How many links to they have?
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Case in point...the owner of the store literally walked in about 8 minutes ago and told me we are going to be the distributor for a unique and profitable product. We're going to shoot video of it in use and build some great pages for it and hopefully, generate some great links to AMAZING CONTENT!
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I get it, I get it... but how much AMAZING content could an air conditioning repair company create?
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Perhaps you have never searched for that content?
Efficiency information, calculators, all types of "how to", all types of buying guides, product reviews...
... even if you were in the manure business there is an awful lot of content that can be written.
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Coming up with kick-ass content isn't the issue. We're really good at that. Its getting people to LINK to the kick ass content that is the problem.
For instance, my team came up with this idea and took this photo:
http://tampaseo.com/2011/05/seo-for-food/
But we can't get people to link to it for the life of us. We know its funny, great content, but no links in 12 months. What the heck?
The idea of "if you create great content, people will link to you" is bogus. We're creating great content, no one is linking.
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Alas, greatness is in the eye of the beholder not the reflection in the mirror.
At first glance of your page, a visitor might think it wreaks of negativity. A picture of an SEO guy laying in the gutter may not elicit the response you'd like from the visitor. Do you want laughs or links?
Also, the titles of your points are all in the negative. Write in the positive about what you do that is great instead of what others do that sucks.
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LOL, again, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how great the content is - people will not just flock to it.
Let's say I write the most magnificent article, take the most magnificent picture, or whatever, and post it to my website.
People are not going to magically just start linking to it - they have to first SEE it in order to link to it.
How do I get my websites in front of them?
"Creating amazing content" is not the answer. I want down and dirty, nitty gritty answers on how to get it done.
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I just watched a TV show yesterday about buildings being built in Saudi Arabia and the double-paned windows that are actually eight inches apart and have outside air blown up through them to help keep the building heat down. It reduced air conditioning needs by 2/3. That's some pretty amazing content there!
My husband and I watched this while we sat in our rental house with no air conditioning of any type. What about some content for the millions of renters who want air conditioning but can't make permanent changes to their house or apartment? Such as how to safely install an a room air conditioner when the windows only go side to side vs up and down, how to keep your house secure, what size air conditioner do you need, what's the budget option vs the high-end option.
Give me all kinds of info about how to choose the right air conditioner so that I feel comfortable that I'm getting the right thing from your online store and I won't just head on down to Fry's or Sears and buy something there. Give me calculators about how big I need for a particular room size, give me worksheets for properly measuring my windows I buy the right sized kit for sealing the rest of my windows, etc.
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Good answer, Keri - but after I create that content, then what? Just because its great content doesn't mean it will get in front of website owners who can link to it. Do you agree? Its not "if you build it, they will come." How do I get people to see it after I write it?
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Here are some SEOmoz blog posts that can help provide some inspiration.
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/outreach-for-linkbuilding-whiteboard-friday
http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/how-to-create-and-promote-a-link-worthy-resource-list
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I wouldn't link to it.
I don't think it is very good.
It is chest-thumping and marketing.
That does not attract links very well.
Just being honest.
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EGOL, no one asked if you liked the content, nor did anyone ask you if you would link to it.
The content was merely an example - the question remains: After you create a killer piece of content, then what? How do you get it in front of people who might link back to it?
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Today's YouMoz looks at ten examples of good linkbait pieces and dissects why they were successful. It might help you get a couple of ideas for your pieces too.
http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/10-extraordinary-examples-of-effective-link-bait
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Alhallinan, in all fairness, you said in your comment "Coming up with kick-ass content isn't the issue. We're really good at that. Its getting people to LINK to the kick ass content that is the problem. " and "But we can't get people to link to it for the life of us. We know its funny, great content, but no links in 12 months. What the heck?"
I believe EGOL was trying to address a couple of your comments in his response.
In looking at that link that you shared, my first thought was "this was written for keywords, not for the user". Specifically, "Hire SEO Expert Tip" doesn't read very naturally. Second, you'll likely have a hard time having other people in the industry link to a post that has four "tampa SEO" links for your five tips. It's obviously optimized for your terms and that talks about your company specifically. It's just not a stand-alone resource that other people would link to.
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Thanks.... most of the ten content items listed there required a LOT of work, usually from multiple people.
Also, I really like that you reported on Noah's Dad. A really good success story about someone we know.
I believe that most content people will tell you that most of the content that they produce fails to get viral distribution. But when it happens they get a lot of traffic and the stature of their site gets kicked up a notch.
Sharing your content via Digg, Slashdot, StumbleUpon, Reddit is a good way to begin. Very few of the items submitted get a lot of attention, but when that happens it is like throwing gasoline on a fire. If that doesn't happen with your content it is a sign that you need to be throwing bigger, or better or badder balls of mud at the wall.
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I'm pretty disappointed that I've had about 7 emails and comments on my blog about how terrible my picture was. All I wanted was some advice on how to get content in front of other bloggers, but instead, people from SEOmoz have just been emailing me and leaving comments on my website about how horrible my content is.
Bummer.
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Maybe your assessment of what constitutes great content is a little off?
People are more likely to link to you if you engage with them - if you have great content (genuinely great) - then why not search on twitter for people talking about the subject matter, engage with them and point them to the content if it is going to be useful for them. If they like it there's a chance that links will follow.
Just one idea.
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