Combining Link Love and Featured Articles
This post was guest blogged by Steve of IveTriedThat. They lose money so you don’t have to.
All startup blogs share the same two common goals: increase readership and promote valuable content. There are literally hundreds of ways to accomplish these two goals. Here’s one more that will help you accomplish both with just one post.
Most blogs normally don’t feature new material on Sundays. Personally, I like to take time off from blogging and just catch up with what’s been going on elsewhere throughout the week. You’ve probably seen a blog feature its popular posts from the past week, or sometimes they will share link love with others. Rarely will you find a blog that features both and this is where bloggers are blowing it.
Simply combining link love and featured articles in one post can work wonders to increase your blog’s popularity. If you use appropriate trackback URLs, a link back to your blog and a short snippet from your post will appear in the linked post’s comments section. Authors usually follow trackbacks and check out the referring blogs. It’s just human nature—we love to see who’s talking about us. Now here’s the evil of it all: when the author checks out your post, he or she will be greeted with your best work from the previous week. Toss in an RSS subscription link at the bottom of each post and you’re well on your way to gaining another regular reader…or a hundred!
If you link to similar blogs each week, at the very least, you’ll be sure to see an increase in traffic. Other perks can include shared link love, an increase in RSS readers, an exchange of guest posts, or even a developing friendship. I utilize these techniques each week on my blog and also watch others continually do it wrong by making poor use of their front page real estate. So combine the “Best of” and “Link love” posts into one; it’s a beautifully simple way for startup or struggling blogs to increase traffic.
- Posted in The Net
- 42 comments what's your take?
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It’d be interesting to see how many visitors and how much PR you get from writing a guest article to attract new visitors…
Reply to this commenti agree. i think it’s easy to create friendships with other blogs just by linking to them and maybe commenting on their blog to. excellent post!
Reply to this commentIt is indeed a good strategy to gain some PR juice and traffic, tho it depends on the blog and depends on how you write the article.
Tho this is a definitively nice article and a good free way to self promote your blog and to contribute to your “friends” blog too.
Reply to this commentI agree, someone should do a report on the results!
Reply to this commentExcellent suggestion. I never thought of that, but will definitely give it a try. I’ll watch my stats too to see if it does increase traffic at all.
Reply to this commentdefinately does, significantly is the question at hand.i vote 70% it increases traffic significantly.vs. 30% not neccessarily
Reply to this commentYeah, this sounds like a good idea.
Reply to this comment‘It’s just human nature—we love to see who’s talking about us’
Reply to this commentYeah, but isn’t it a bit frustrating to be barly mentioned in a single line with a link to one post among 20 others?
I think they basic idea is pretty good, but imagine you have 50 trackbacks as a owner and it’s so obvious that someone wants you to link back…
If you have game, don’t overdo it.
Yep I agree - I think the moral here is: a good idea but one to be used sparingly.
Reply to this commentThat applies to most things in life…:)
Reply to this commentIt is a good idea but maybe the best way to spotlight a blog. The best way still review and blogroll. Maybe I will try this..
Reply to this commentDo a review without being paid and they’ll love you for a long time…
Reply to this commentGood advice to generate some more traffic and a steady readership. What blogger doesn’t like receiving free links!?
Reply to this commentGood idea! Though as Jakob/Blacksky above said, the link love can be better if you don’t put too many outgoing links in that one post, and also do a more substantial writeup about what you are linking to.
Reply to this commentthe most important statistic i think i look at is RSS. i experimented with adding my rss link in my post-post and it’s been doing well. i recommend that as well for new bloggers like myself.
Reply to this commentThis one works great.
Reply to this commentThanks for the idea
Reply to this commentInteresting! I think I’ll do that.
Reply to this commentHey John, do you have a blog in Chinese ?
Reply to this commentThats a great tip! I have always tried to combine both (not explicitly) but in my description and related posts.
Reply to this commentIn the line of all your articles…good stuff. What else can I say?
Keep working John. Lot of people will thank you.
Kisses!
Reply to this commentVery nice post. It is in fact better to see the web as a big social network. If you help others, chances that you will get helped will certainly increase. All bloggers like their articles linked back. So, if you link to other blogs there is a great chance to be linked as well. If it doesn’t happen, at least you didn’t lose nothing.
Reply to this commentLink love’s important. I keep neglecting it too much, should do it more. It actually is a good thing to do on a day where you have nothing to post.
Reply to this commentJohn Chow, I do hope you are reading your comments.
Bryan at One Mans Goal has suggested that he is cooler than YOU!
http://onemansgoal.com/89/9-reasons-why-im-cooler-than-john-chow
Another thing he has suggested is that successful bloggers should have a shaved head.
So I have suggested that Bryan should shave his for charity!
http://onemansgoal.com/89/9-reasons-why-im-cooler-than-john-chow/#comment-972
http://misdoclub.blogspot.com/2007/08/one-man-should-shave-his-head.html
Mr Chow, I’d like you to challenge Bryan to shave his head for charity. After all, he thinks he is cooler than you.
Reply to this commentIf he shaved his head he’d be alot cooler than Chow
Reply to this commentAny person who has to explain why they is cooler is by default not cooler.
Reply to this commentHey guys. I wrote the article. We try to link back to at most 5 sites. Anything more than that looks like you are just trying to gather links. To really gather attention, it’s important to link to relevant blogs/articles.
Reply to this commentI never really thought about bloggers not posting much on a Sunday.
I would have thought Sunday would be an important post day because lots of people spend a portion of the day relaxing and catching up on blogs they maybe missed during the week - I know I certainly do.
Sunday’s are also good for sitting down to think about content for the upcoming week - it’s always important to plan ahead.
Reply to this commentVisitors drops a lot on Sunday. Maybe it’s because they don’t expect anyone to be writing any new, original content!
Reply to this commentI guest blogged on “Paid Blog Review Services” at http://jakeldaily.com/get-paid-with-blogging-review-services/ few days back. He thought he would be busy on his business trip and asked me to take over for a post. It was nice to write on some popular blog than ours and get a link love as well as little bit of popularity.
I liked to blog as guest and I would not mind to guest blog at someone else’ blog either.
Reply to this commentProvided the blog is worth spending time with.
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Reply to this commentGreat idea! It makes total sense when you think about it.
I think a lot of blogs get caught up in posting all the time, they forget that most people would just rather read the highlights, or best material, and get out.
As for guest blogging…
Reply to this commentNot a fan?
Reply to this commentIts useful, but you got to pick the right guest bloggers and proofread the post.
Reply to this commentAhh… i totally am not using featured articles. This will change once my new blog design is finished
Reply to this commentI always try to get a trackback somewhere in every post… can’t hurt, especially when you are starting out.
Reply to this commentsounds like a great idea..i will give it a try
Reply to this commentI like the idea, I am trying something similar as well.
Reply to this commentI like the idea, I am trying something similar as well.
Reply to this commentdefinitely give it a try.
Reply to this comment