Mobile Friendly Directories & Links
Creating a mobile stylesheet has more than just usability benefits. There are now hundreds of directories on the web, of varying quality (though many are good), that list mobile/PDA-friendly websites. Some require a payment, many are free, and some have other hoops to jump through, but it’s definitely a worthwhile opportunity depending on your niche.
Check out:
- PDA Friendly Directory
- Mobile Accessible Directory
- Windows Mobile Website Directory
- Directory of Mobile Friendly Websites
Once again, this is an excellent place to use the juicy link finder tool.
Write Intelligently About Blogs You Want to Link to You
One of the best ways to compel bloggers, even very popular blogs, to write about or mention your site is to write about their sites critically and intelligently. The topic can be positive or negative, but the tone and approach should be professional. When you write about another blogger, it pays to choose an issue that’s both timely and begs a response – talk about their tactics, opinions, subtle beliefs that might be swaying their writing or focus.
When you do write about other bloggers, make sure to have the facts straight and come across as compelling and trustworthy – it’s easy to ignore the uninformed ramblings of an outsider, but tougher to dismiss honest, calculated, well-researched posts.
You’ll have an easier time getting that link if you also email the blogger after posting and let them know that you’d like to check the accuracy of the piece with them – that often will earn a read and a response.
Using the Juicy Links Tool to Great Effect
The new Juicy Links Tool for premium members is a paradise for link builders, so long as you know how to search. My recommendation – use terms like:
- directory
- add url
- submit site
- resource links
- recommended sites
- add profile
in conjunction with your primary keyword phrases and you can really put together a fantastic list of potential targets for link acquisition. We tried these searches a couple times and were blown away with the value we could get from it.
Disclosing Affiliate Links Effectively in Blogs
My friend Carsten Cumbrowski just sent this over:
I have a tip for you. It came to my mind when there was the discussion about the KeyCompete post at SEOMoz. KeyCompete have an affiliate program via Commission Junction, paying 30% commission.You might want to try something like the following.Have your designer create a link CSS “class” for affiliate links. A style that makes them stick out (e.g. a little “A” icon next to it or something like that), maybe also a formatted tooltip that has a disclosure text, e.g.:“This is an affiliate link. SEOMoz receives a commission for referrals generated by this link. The fact that the link is an affiliate link does not change our opinion about the referred to product or service, but you can support the SEOMoz team by using this link, if you consider the purchase of the product or services because of our post. Thank you.”You can also add that disclosure on a special page and only refer to it from the tool tip. This would allow you to make additional revenue with the blog.You don’t have to use it for the company, but the blog, such as to pay for drinks at a tradeshow to SEOMoz readers or do something like http://www.affiliatedinner.com e.g. “SEOMoz Dinner”.I just came back from Affiliate Summit and in especially good “free tips mood“, so you are welcome
This is great advice from Mr. Cumbrowski – probably not something we’d use on SEOmoz, but a fantastic idea for those seeking to effectively utilize affiliate links while keeping their visitors in the know.
Profile Pages vs. Comment Links
August 19, 2008 at 2:51 pm (Tips & Tricks) (comment, links, page, profile, seo)
On SEOmoz, the blog features profile pages for members, rather than comment links. Why? Two reasons – because profiles actually let you learn more about the people leaving comments (rather than simply getting to a website they might control or work for) AND those profiles get some serious search engine traffic. Yep. People search for others by name or handle and our profile pages typically rank very highly for frequent commenters – it’s another way to get exposure to SEOmoz and build up search traffic.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy plugin I’m aware of for WordPress or Typepad or Blogger than enables these – you’ll have to custom build. But, the value is pretty terrific if you do.
p.s. Of course, another advantage of a custom blogging system is that we receive almost no spam comments – seriously, less than 1 a week and they’re manual, not automated.
Permalink Leave a Comment