As blogs continue to mature as marketing tools, there are an increasing number of “blog optimization” articles and posts appearing. Stephan has written some excellent posts here at BBC on optimizing blogs that have made a world of difference for this blog. It is however, surprising how many of the other blog marketing and optimization resources neglect the importance of inbound links.
To think that researching and placing keywords in the “right places” alone with improve a blog’s traffic is only part of the story. Blogs are simply web sites with special features. Getting web sites to rank well and to engage more traffic involves a large number of variables. The same rules apply to blogs. The difference is that there are unique linking opportunities with blogs that are not common with web sites. These include:
- Trackbacks
- Social book marks
- Guest blogging
- Comments
- Tagging
- Blogroll links
There are also methods to gain links with blogs just as you would a web site:
- Backlink analysis on competing web sites or blogs
- Directories
- Article syndication
- Profiles and bios
- Non-profit contributions
- Press releases
- Testimonials
- Job listings
- Interviews
- Social book marks
- Media coverage
- Buying web sites
- Buying links
- Forums
- Viral marketing – linkbait
- And many more
Not all of these are applicable to blogs, job listings for example, but many are.
As an example, check out the #1 rankings on Google and Yahoo for Online Marketing Blog on the phrase, “marketing blog”.
Another example is Business Blog Consulting with a #1 position on Google and #4 on Yahoo for “business blogging”.
These rankings involve more than just good on-page optimization – they include attention to inbound links. So as you work on getting all of your keyword phrases in all the right places of your blog, understand that on-page optimization is only part of the job. Links can make a night and day difference for your search engine positioning as well as traffic.
For several useful blog marketing tools check out: RSS Buttons, Social Bookmark Tool, Blog Directory List, Article on Blog Optimization.
Thanks, Lee – more great ideas to throw on Know More Media’s log pile!
Comment by Easton Ellsworth — May 2, 2006 @ 11:55 am
Your reminder that blogs essentially are still web sites, is important to me and to others to remember.
Sometimes in the hype of new things, many marketers can forget that some of the rules that applied before, still apply now. To forget this is to endlessly reinvent the wheel.
Comment by Gary Bourgeault (thealphamarketer.com) — May 2, 2006 @ 11:12 pm
Thanks Easton and Gary.
Things move and change so quickly in Internet time that people get too caught up in “what’s new”.
There’s a certain “Emporer has no clothes” aspect to the whole blogging thing that serves as an interesting distraction and competitive advantage for those who see blogs for what they are and for both the potential and practical applications.
Comment by Lee Odden — May 4, 2006 @ 9:13 am
Thanks for this article. It’s good to hear from someone who understand the importance of weblog optimization services. It’s one of the biggest “undervalued services” on the market today.
Comment by David Taylor — October 16, 2007 @ 9:10 am