One of the lifelines that keeps a blog healthy and growing is the incoming link. When other blogs and websites link to you blog they inject your blog with ‘juice’ that brings it real life in three main ways:
- Google Juice – incoming links are gold when it comes to climbing the search engines rankings. Every link is like a vote in Google’s eyes – get enough votes from the right sites and your blog will see increases in search engine traffic over time.
- Reader Juice – incoming links from even small sites will generally mean that people click the link and visit your site. New potential readers!
- Branding Juice – sometimes the real benefit of an incoming link can be the general branding and reputation enhancing that it can do. A link can be like an endorsement for your blog and on larger sites it can have profound impact not only by what it does with traffic and SEO but the impression that the link creates in the reader’s mind.
There has been a lot written about how to get links to your blog of late – but one thing that can be just as important is how you cultivate the relationships with those linking to you.
One of the things that I’ve learned in the last year particularly is that when a blog or website links to you once there is every chance that they’ll do it again.
As a result it can be very worthwhile to get to know the person who does the writing on the site and to build a working relationship with them.
This generally starts with an email and/or a comment on the post where they link to you.
Today’s task is to send an email to a blogger or webmaster that linked up to you recently. For some of you there will be plenty to choose from, for others just starting out it could be difficult to find any.
Some places to look for who is linking to you:
- Technorati – type your URL in and hit search and you’ll find any blogs linking to you
- Google Blog Search – another good tool for real time link tracking
- Your Blog’s Metrics – any worthwhile stats package will give you a ‘referrals’ stat that shows incoming links. I use Google Analytics but you could also use Sitemeter, Mint, AW Stats or one of many other metrics tools.
- Search Engines – type in ‘link:http://www.yourblog.com’ at Yahoo or Google and you’ll find incoming links to your blog – note: this isn’t a quick or immediate method of finding recent links.
Once you’ve found another blog or site that’s linked to you – simply drop them an email of thanks. You can do a comment also – but I find an email is a little more personal and often leads into a conversation and perhaps relationship.
Keep the email brief and simple. Don’t pitch the blogger ideas – simply thank them and let them know that you appreciate both the link and their site (if you do). You may also want to make some sort of a comment or ask a simple question that relates to how they linked to you to show you’re engaging with them. If you intend to keep following their blog tell them (eg – let them know if you subscribe to their blog).
If the blogger responds in some way then let the conversation flow. You might find that it leads you to suggest another post that you’ve written, you might find that you can help them in some way or that you can work on something together – however don’t rush this. If nothing more happens than you saying thank you then you’ve lost nothing and made a little impression.
On the other hand you could well find yourself with a new friend and regular incoming links to your blog.
Great tip Darren, my only problem has been that I have been striking up relationships with other newbie bloggers in my topic and I’ve already had 2 fade away, letting their blogs sit idle. I’m going to try and find others to partner with, but it seems like in sports bloggers, there tends to be more competition among the blogs. Maybe due to the subject matter?
Nice tip. I try to leave a comment when someone links to me, if I can.
Almost every time I have done this, I have never gotten a response. I always try to email a thank you and never get a “you’re welcome” in return.
I have tried to get bloggers to link to me but it is difficult when you are a new kid on the block. I try my best to provide unique and useful content but blogger worry more about page ranking than useful content.
However, I will not give up and I will keep on trying. I started my blog to help people. Helping others is a life time goal.
I always try to thank whoever links to me if I know they linked to me…. it’s the ultimate thumbs up to get a link from someone you respect!
Much of my traffic comes from two sources: the first is from my leaving comments like this one. Commenting on other blogs does boast readership. The second source of my traffic is search engines. I know nothing about SEO yet I’m still getting a good amount of traffic from Google and the like. I credit good content with well-written headlines for that (I’m not trying to pat myself on the back here). But yeah, if someone links to your blog, it’s good to send an email and acknowledge them.
Great post!!!
Thank you for this post. I have never consider emailing them to thank them, but I now see why you would want to do that.
You could build a relationship off of that and hopefully link to each other again in the future.
This is very important. Having a good connection with your readers will always put you one step closer to achieving your goal in blogging.
This is a great way to build long-term relationships. I subscribe to the myriad of “ego searches” available to me not to boost my own ego …well a little :-) but more to see who’s linking to me.
I always, and I mean ALWAYS, follow through to see who has taken the time to link to me.
I then try to engage with them, either at their blogs (commenting), a private email or writing my own post. 90% of the relationships I’ve developed over the years has come about this way.
wow, i like it :) maybe can increase my pagerank on google. thanks DR :)
I’ve commented on other blogs to say thanks when they’ve linked to me, but I don’t think I’ve ever emailed. Something always makes me think the email is interrupting their day and would come across as unwelcome. I know how much email I get in a day and I didn’t want to add to that noise for someone else.
Now that I think about it since they’ve already linked to you they’d likely recognize your email address and your email probably wouldn’t be seen as noise.
I have developed relationships with others by first emailing them so why not for linking to me.
I always try to – I comment at the least.
Yes, I still get very excited everytime a fellow blogger link to me. Mostly I thank them in their comments section. Of course, email is more personal. Thanks for the tip.
I have always tried to follow up a link with at least a comment and on occasions an email. What about feedburner email subscribers? Have you ever personally emailed a new subscriber or one who has not confirmed their subscription?
Thanks you , I feel like this post is in response to my comment to yesterdays post regarding linking up to your “competitor”. I have found that I link up (perhaps more than I should) and barely get as much as a how do you do.
After linking up to five blogs yesterday after reading you, I didn’t have any expectations and turns out I recieved at least two responses. I just needed to relax and not look for the thank you in return and eventually it came, along with two new links.
Now only if I could get Technorati to count them in my Authority in a timely manner.
What I’ve done is create a page, which I named my “Blogging Buddies”. If anyone leaves a comment, or links to either of my blogs, I add their name to my “Blogging Buddies” list.
It’s my way of saying “thank you”, plus it provides an easy way for others to check out their blogs.
When I’m spending time visiting other blogs, I, too, go to my “Blogging Buddies” page, and “make the rounds”, checking on the progress of their blogs, and then I take time, to leave a them a comment.
We’re all in this together, and I think we all like to hear that “Atta boy/girl”
I’ve gotten some nice responses back when thanking people for links or comments. Some don’t respond, of course — a thanks email from me seems like a fine dead end unless there’s something to be discussed.
I did have a good relevant sidebar link come in the other day, but I worried that if I responded I would get back a (reasonable) request for a reciprocal blogroll link, which could lead to loss of a quality one-way link (for authority).
The same situation could apply to good sites with low PRs.
My sites are new enough that this matters.
Would be eager to read anyone’s take on this. I’m kind of torn.
Hi,
Does sending an e-mail to a blogger that linked to you recently force me to do a link to his blog ?
I have the feeling that if I don’t link to the blogger, it can break the flow and perhaps he will remove me from his links section.
Regards,
Darren, Sitemeter – wrong link.
thanks Sergey – fixed it.
doesn’t force you to fropert – I guess some might assume or hope that you would link back – but i wouldn’t link up just because someone linked to me – I link to those sites that I think my readers would benefit from.
I echo your sentiment, Darren. The best advice is to be persistent, but not pushy. Bloggers as we all know are extremely busy. Emails do get pushed down in the inbox and forgotten. It’s worthwhile to send a reminder or two and try to get a conversation or perhaps even a friendship going.
Barbara’s idea about “Blogging Buddies” is interesting.
I thank bloggers by leaving comments on their blogs when appropriate and by visiting their sites from time to time. Using a “Blogging Buddies” list would help with this too.
I prefer to thank commenters publicly through a comment. That won’t work on a site like this where there are soooo many comments. I will send email on occasion if I have something worth saying that would not be appropriate as a comment.
this is a great tip. sometimes as bloggers we get so involved in the writing and getting more traffic, we forget about the people who are already there!
Beautiful tip.Probably most of them look at page rank than useful content to link any site or there is a huge competion in my games downloading links blogs…..
excellent tip darren…i always reply to ppl who link me and visit there blog
Thanks for the tips. I do not email my bloggers, although I do offer tips to help them become better bloggers. What I blog about is a unique niche, so the bloggers (mostly women) are usually not that techno savvy and need encouragement and help getting started. Most who link to my blog are “new” to blogging and they indeed email me and thank me for being so open and helpful about blogging. Then they link me.
I also leave comments after a google search for folks who’ve found me and link to me without knowing me. They are always excited and honored because they know how busy I am and that always motivates them to blog on. I think the more educated and informed we are, the more we’ll enjoy whatever it is we are blogging about.
hi This is very important. Having a good connection thanks for the tips.
i always reply to ppl who link me and visit there blog. thanks for your blog.
This is very important. Having a good connection with your readers will always put you one step closer to achieving your goal in blogging.