Links are a very important element to a blog site.
There are three main applications for links on the blog:
1. Links from the site
2. Links within the site
3. Links to the site
The links that are going out from the blog site can be for general education/information purposes, such as linking to an “authority site” to give your reader relevant, additional, more detailed information.
For many blogs, links going out from their sites are going to the affiliate products that the blog site is recommending to readers, and therefore these links can be providing income to the blogger.
The links should be relevant and the information or products being linked to should have been reviewed thoroughly before being used. It is best to not overdo the affiliate promotions or your site may be seen as too “spammy” with the overload of advertising which could turn away some of your readers and also not be received well by search engines. Select the best of the relevant affiliate products, that you truly feel your readers will benefit by. Search engines prefer links that are within the text, as these are more likely to be relevant, but it is also good for your marketing to have a couple of strong banners positioned well for your affiliate marketing.
The internal links are important for your readers’ convenience and also for the search engines. When referring back to previous posts and other information that is on the blog site, include the link for easy navigation. This creates a “relevancy” web across the site.
Inbound links - “power links” - help impove search engine rankings and increase traffic.
If the link to your blog site is provided at a location where your market hangs out, then it will help to bring the right traffic to your site.
If the link to your site is positioned on a high ranking site or an “authority site” then it will be helping to build the search engine ranking and improve search engine optimization for your blog.
The more inbound links you have and the more powerful their source, the more the ranking of the blog improves. However, it is not helpful to have inbound links from poor quality sites. A prestigious link would be one from a .edu site.
Set a strategy for building incoming links for traffic and search engine ranking.
For further information, refer to the posts on “Video Marketing”, “Article Marketing”, “Directories”, “Social Marketing”, ”Forums and Chat Groups” and “Press Releases”.
To Your Blogging Success,
Julie