81 replies to this topic

[Jill]

Is it so evil if a consultant goes out of his way to write a kick-ass whitepaper on a very popular subject with the belief that this would help him get natural links?

That's not what my point was.

My point was everyone trying to fake the natural instead of just doing the natural.

And Robert, I know what you're saying and I agree. I am just still too naive to wish that all those looking for their quick fixes would wake up and realize that their time could be so much more productive if they stopped looking for them and started actually doing some hard work.

And no, I don't buy lottery tickets. I'm happy to let the big dreamers pay my share of the tax!

[qwerty]

Will all due respect Jill, would people consider it faking if an SEO recommends that the client invest in a powerful viral campaign versus recommending a directory submission-based strategy? Is it so evil if a consultant goes out of his way to write a kick-ass whitepaper on a very popular subject with the belief that this would help him get natural links?

I think helping people make their realities reality should not always be misconstrued as something negative.

A viral campaign isn't fake at all. When you set up something like that, you're counting on people finding something of interest in it and telling people about it. Of course, if you're the one telling everyone -- sending spam emails to complete strangers telling them to check out some cool site -- that's not natural. Neither is setting up something like the Abe Lincoln French Fry blog and then paying bloggers to link to it. Otherwise, viral is a great example of natural link building. That's why they call it viral marketing: if it's done right, it grows exponentially without any further work on your part of making suggestions and requests.

The same is true of the white paper example. Your job is to get them to write it, make sure it fits the bill, and get it posted either on their site or in a few other places. From there on, its growth in popularity either happens naturally or it doesn't happen at all.

Neither of those strategies are something I'd view as creating the illusion of natural link building. They're really the creation of content that's intended to foster natural link building.

[snipermilk]

Viral is a great example of natural link building.

Thanks Qwerty. What other natural link building options are available for non-celebrities? Assuming that a publisher has "good, link bait" (and I mean that in the most positive way), where else can a non-celebrity push that content? I can only think of a few, namely newsletters, articles, RSS, forums and blogs. In the Philippines, SMS (text messaging) is one medium with the highest penetration rate, but it's so hard to tie that up with an online component.

[Scottie]

Check the link building forum for lots of ideas on linking campaigns.

A better understanding of this by SEOs would help improve our ability to deliver real value for our clients.

You already understand what you need to know. Getting links from sites that genuinely recommend your site is the best way to get high rankings from the engines.

People didn't link to Matt's blog because he promised them a link in return, or because he paid them. They linked to it because they wanted to illustrate a point, give more resources, align themselves somehow with him, or recommend or refute something he wrote.

That's called natural linking. The way to duplicate "the pattern" is to have something so unique and wonderful that everyone's talking about it and recommending their visitors look at it. But there is no formula for that.

A year or two ago, a condom site put up a funny interactive flash application that helped you "pick the correct size". Do you think they got a lot of links? Heck, yeah. Everyone who saw it sent it to someone else, posted it on forums or in blogs and told everyone they knew to try it. Humor is one way to do it! Controversy is another.

Marketleap was an SEO firm just like any other SEO firm. Ever heard of them? They have a few unreciprocated links out there...

When was the last time someone from Wikipedia emailed you to ask for a link trade? Does Amazon ask you to link to them?

Did Google start a massive link campaign when they started out? Ever see them advertise on TV like the other search engines?

All these have something in common- they were different, they were better, they attracted interest in some way that made them stand apart from the rest.

I know no one wants to hear that their site needs improvement- they just want the formula to the top of the engines. And sooooo many sites decide to "be different" by adding a "resource section" with a few (sorry) lame articles or regurgitated news feeds. That's not different. It's not helpful. It doesn't make anyone want to link to you.

We all are looking for something new, not another OSCommerce site or Yahoo store with the same affiliate catalog as 100 other sites. Even if you think your design is better or your layout more friendly than the other 99 sites... it's just another store. Fight your way to the top of the serps then cry when the algo changes...

But sites that truly are unique get traffic no matter what happens with the search engines. I visit Woot every single day. Their forum just welcomed it's 200,000th member. I have never searched for it in an engine. Someone recommended it to me. They not only have a unique selling angle (1 and only 1 product a day) and awesome prices (low cost electronics) but their copywriting totally has me hooked. Yes, their copy.

Can you make an iron funny? Can you make an outdated technology like minidiscs sound like a collector's item? Can you get people spitting coke at their monitors over your description of a joystick?

I've bought half a dozen things from them that I never knew I needed... It's beyond links- it's marketing, something our own Debra Mastaler has been preaching for years. (It's why her service is worth so much more than the average link builder.) But it takes ingenuity, originality and creativity. Not step 1, step 2, step 3...

[projectphp]

But how do I rank number one for viagra??

[Scottie]

Blog, guestbook and comment spamming.

[snipermilk]

The way to duplicate "the pattern" is to have something so unique and wonderful that everyone's talking about it and recommending their visitors look at it. 

Thanks Scottie creating linkable content - that's probably the hardest task for any marketer. How about the alternative: become a celebrity, that way anything you write will be instant link bait. Even "I-scratched-my-@ss-today" posts are block quote magnets celebrity is the content..

Sigh

[Jill]

But how do you think you get to BE a celebrity? You are unique and original.

[JohneeMac]

Not in Abi Titmus's case Jill

You yankees might need to Google her

[Scottie]

Yep, you got that right. Jennifer Anniston sneezes and they stop the presses. Tom and Katie kiss (again) and its front page news. eeewww

Honestly, in the SEO world to be a celebrity you can be original and better than the others in some new way OR you can just publish consistently and eventually people will think you know what you are talking about just because you've been doing it so long and you are out there and visible every week. You don't even have to be particularly good or insightful if you are consistent.

On the Internet, it is amazingly easy to be branded an expert. I am a "celebrity" in a couple of niche industries because I was the first to create resources for them and regularly publish new information. No one else has the time or interest in keeping up with the details. I don't work in either of them anymore, but people still are interested in what I have to say... just because I've been involved for years.

The bottom line is that there is no "instant" celebrity- even movie stars have to work for years before they get splattered all over every gossip magazine. If you want it bad enough, you get in there and you do it and keep doing it.

Or you can commit a crime or do something really controversial...

[sonnyyu]

But how do I rank number one for viagra??

hire the person working at Yahoo/MSN R/D department to make site number one for viagra in Google.

[Karri]

... You don't even have to be particularly good or insightful if you are consistent.

On the Internet, it is amazingly easy to be branded an expert.

I respect what you are saying Scottie, but at the risk of getting all semantic-y about this ...

While I agree that one can definitely use a few quick and dirty methods for branding him/herself as an expert on the Internet, it is not necessarily true that everyone else (ie. the so-called "expert's" target audience) will lap up the hype. Indeed there is a sucker born every minute--there are a ton of sheisters out there making a mint off people who are more interested in a quick fix than building any real, lasting value for their clients or their website.

For the most part, though, serious-minded professionals and entrepreneurs will learn their lessons, move on, do their homework, and seek out the real experts who can help their venture long term. If you pay attention, it is pretty easy to tell the sheisters from the consultants with integrity, even on the Internet. It's that whole "careful what you wish for" thing in my mind.

I work in a completely virtual environment with my clients. Because of my chosen markets, I choose to publish content on a semi-regular basis and constantly work to demonstrate my capabilities and credibility to my Internet audience "at large." It's actually quite a bit of work because I refuse to publish garbage. And yes, I absolutely utilize article / content sites to get my name in front of my market.

(There is a lot of bashing on this forum about the use of article groups and PR sites to acquire exposure on the web. This peeves me to no end because the fact that they are free or inexpensive has nothing to do with their utility as a marketing tool, a very effective one when used correctly. I can personally attest to this.)

Being "labelled" an expert might be easy. Being "branded" an expert is something else entirely. Jill, for example, has created the "High Rankings" brand through article writing, a ton of hard work for clients over the years, and by staying real. Labels can be bought or created in a heartbeat. Brands have to be crafted, honed, nurtured, and allowed to grow over time. And for sure, they can go sour overnight if greed gets in the way of blossoming success.

I dont' think we disagree, Scottie. I just wanted to perhaps illuminate the truth about marketing oneself on the Internet as an expert. Credibility AND orginality are a killer combination that is indeed a rare thing.

Karri

[Ron Carnell]

An expert on the Internet, I think, is simply someone who knows a little bit more about a subject than their audience does, and can convey that knowledge with some measure of confidence.

What I've noticed over the years is that people rarely set out to purposely fool others into believing they know more than they really do. On the contrary, most experts who don't deserve the title never realize how little they actually know. The first person they fooled, I think, was themselves.

After that, everyone else was easy.

[Jill]

Love it, Ron! Couldn't agree more!

Unfortunately, there are tons of people who many think are experts at stuff, that just make things sound tricky or so complicated that others figure they must be smart, and they worship them accordingly.

We have a lot of them in the SEO world!

[misohoni]

Yep I'm surprised some of the bosses haven't yet "had a word" with him ...