It is day 7 in the 31 Day challenge and today’s task is to write a ‘link post‘ – a post that links up to at least one other blog.
Someone asked me recently to name a few ways that I built a readership on my first blog. One of the answers that I gave to their question was that I was generous with linking to other blogs.
I wasn’t alone – back then (we’re talking 7 years ago) blogging revolved around the link. One blogger would write something and it wasn’t unusual to have hundreds of others link to it with posts that built upon the ideas of the first post in some way.
The result was that
- ideas spread across the blogosphere quickly
- relationships between bloggers grew with each link
- and as a result everyone’s blog grew
While this still happens today on blogs to some degree much of the sharing of links has moved to other mediums (like Twitter and Social Bookmarking sites) and it’s commonplace for a blogger to rarely link to other blogs on their blog because they’re either doing it in other places or they feel they’d be building up a competitor.
Your Task Today is to Link Link Link
Today your task is to reclaim some of this practice of linking to other blogs and to write a post that highlights what another blogger (or bloggers) in your niche has written.
Reasons to link out on your blog
- Giving something of value to your readers – while your readers come to your blog to read what you have to say – I find that in almost every case that I link up to quality content that readers are appreciative.
- Builds Your Credibility – regularly highlighting what others are writing in your niche shows your readers that you’re abreast of developments in your field and that you’re ‘connected’ to the network.
- Builds Relationships with Other Bloggers – there’s nothing like sending another blogger traffic to make an impression and build connections. Not only that, when you link to others in a constructive way that actually builds upon their ideas and adds value to a conversation that they’ve started it can often lead to ongoing interactions.
- SEO – some SEOs argue that linking out to other relevant content in your niche with relevant keywords as anchor text can have an impact upon how the search engines see your own site. You don’t want to go over the top and link out too much – but a few links to quality content on your topic may well show a search engine that you’re worthy of authority. It’s certainly not the main factor in Google’s algorithm but many argue that it helps.
The key with this task is to link to something of value – something that your readers will find relevant and helpful to them.
Of course building this practice into your blogging means you need to be aware of what’s happening in your particular part of the web. To do this you’ll probably want to:
- Subscribe to other blogs and sites in your niche
- Watch social bookmarking sites that cover topics in your industry
- Subscribe to ‘news alerts’ with tools like Googles News alerts etc
6 Types of Link Posts to Consider
There are many ways to link up to another blog in a way that is valuable. Let me give you a few suggestions on ways to do it that go beyond just giving your readers and link and saying ‘go read it’:
1. Build Upon the Points of Others – take an article that someone has written and then add some points and perspectives that they might have missed or not considered. A classic way to do this is to take a list post that someone has written and add an extra couple of points. For example if someone writes a post ‘21 Ways to Write Posts that Are Guaranteed to Grow Your Blog‘ – write a post ‘3 more Ways to Write Posts that Are Guaranteed to Grow Your Blog’ that links to the first post – that might pick up a few of the points and then extends the article by suggesting 3 of your own points.
2. Take the Opposite Point of View – another way to bounce off someone else’s post is to explore the opposing point of view to their post. You might do this as ‘devils advocate’ or because you actually believe the opposite of what they’re saying is true. Keep in mind that this might not build a relationship with the other blogger if you do it in a way that offends!
3. Build a Resource on a Topic – pick a topic in your niche and then spend some time what other bloggers in your niche have written on that topic previously. What you’ll probably end up with is a list of posts from other blogs all on the one topic. You could present them simply as a list of links or could state the main points from each post or even use quotes from each one. These types of posts often do well in social media sites – particularly if you gather a large list of helpful resources on the topic.
Example: DIY Lighting Hacks for Digital Photographers – this post was simply a collection of tutorials that others had written on a similar topic. I included a picture and short description of each one as a list. The post was passed around the web in many social media sites. Yesterdays post here at Problogger 27 Must Read Tips and Tutorials for Bloggers would be another example of this.
4. Speed Linking – I used to do this regularly on ProBlogger (example) (note: I’ve moved most of it over to my Twitter account). The idea was that on a given day I’d link to 5-6 posts that I came across in my daily reading for that day. The links generally didn’t relate strongly to one another but covered a broad range of topics that I felt were relevant to my readers.
Example: a while ago I wrote a post 25 Great Photography Tutorials and Links from Around the Web. It was simply a collection of a few great tutorials that others had written from the month or two before when I published the post (plus a few of my own links from our archives). This post made it to the front page of Digg and other social media sites simply because it contained some great tutorials.
5. One Question Interviews – this one takes a little co-ordination and advanced planning but is when you shoot a question out to another blogger (or bloggers) to get their perspective on a topic relevant to your readers. I find these most effective when you email the same question to 5 or so other bloggers in your niche and then compile all the answers into one post side by side so your readers can see different perspectives.
6. Suggest Further Reading and Give Examples – another common way to linking to others as well as creating value for readers and extra depth in your posts is to to add links to what others are saying on your topic in the day to day writing of posts. Your post might not be a ‘link post’ in and of itself as you cover a topic comprehensively from your own perspective – but this doesn’t stop you giving your readers some suggested reading at the end of your post on the topic at hand.
There are 6 suggestions for you but there are so many others that you could try. For more ideas check out a post I wrote called How to Add to Blogging Conversations… and Eliminate the Echo Chamber.
What others have said on this topic:
Your Task – Write a Link Post
OK – we’ve talked about why and how to do it – now it is time to go and write a link post. Once you’ve done it come back and tell us how you did it, what you learned, where the post is and what impact it has with readers and other bloggers.
PS: if you can find something relevant on another 31 Days participants blog it’d be great to share some link love to other bloggers in the community. I’ve seen quite a few 31DBBB participants starting to team up and support one another – why not reach out to someone today and see where it leads! There are loads of people over at the forum talking about this now: Day 7 – Write a Link Post
Want More?This task is a sample of one of the tasks in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook – a downloadable resource designed to reinvigorate and revitalize blogs. Join over 14,000 other bloggers and Get your Copy Today. |
It takes time but the results are gorgeus :)
Yay!
I link to sites during my conversations regularly, but rarely make a post for this particular purpose.
The blog I’m working on for this challenge is niche-confused (a talking mutant ant who tries to keep to sidewalks, sweets and species- but rarely stays on topic) so this lesson will really help me find similar blogs.
Reading the comments here every day and checking out the sites has helped a lot. Now, I have homework to do at work!
Thank you for todays challenge. I often link to other bloggers but have never actually used it as a strategy to build my blog. I will now plan better how to use it.
Todays post is at http://cherrymag.com.au/wordpress/?p=1115 and I have linked to a couple of bloggers here.
If anyone blogs about things related to women and lifestyle (not parenting!!) please let me know and we could work together.
Here is a link to my post for today’s assignment.
http://lotusessence.com/2009/04/12/good-vibrations-live-laugh-love/
I really enjoyed today’s assignment. It felt good to give a little love to others in my nice. Cool. :)
Well cool! I had just published The Collaboration Code, where I wrote about Brian Clark and Jon Morrow’s blog and their new report, The Outsourcing Conspiracy. So this is a perfect example of what you’re talking about.
I love the synchronicity going on here!
Note – I got nice comments back from both Brian and Jon on the post. That’s such a great feeling, and a reminder to leave good comments for others whenever appropriate. (No faking, though!)
Here’s the post:
http://.GreatAdaptations.org/the-collaboration-code/
I ventured out of my enclave to find out if there really were blogs that related to my niche: Recovery and Restoration. Lo and behold, within a few minuets of exploring http://www.blogcatalog.com I found a great little blog with a post on “second chances” that I basically could say “hey, read this” about on my post. Tis a small start, but I was encouraged. :-)
Always good to share the love – I make an effort to do this within posts as much as possible, and on Fridays (usually) during my AWESOME FRIDAY posts.
Loving the Challenge going on here. Swing by my neck of the woods sometime.
http://www.lifewithoutpants.com
Just this weekend, I was thinking of doing a wrap up of all the stories I have read over the week and loved. I was going to start it next weekend, but along comes this challenge.
Therefore, I have written the first of my weekly wrap ups called Pick of The Crop.
This week it is Obese Preschoolers & The Dangers of Too Much Sitting – http://spudontherun.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/pick-of-the-crop-obese-preschoolers-the-dangers-of-too-much-sitting/
My link post was actually an article that was spawned from the list task (It was growing too large..lol). I was thinking of adding links, then todays assignment, made the decision for me.
http://howtomakemoneyontheinternet.info/free-basic-seo-tips-with-links/
This is a single link post to a great article by a fellow blogger who did two long multi day hikes and totally re-evaluated his gear.
It is titled: Hiking gear – learning from your mistakes and fixing them.
http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/2009/04/hiking-gear-learning-from-your-mistakes.html
Would appreciate knowing your link to you blog if you write about finance or investing.
Darren, are we still going to have a forum, or did I forget something?
TheDutchSchoolKid: It’s been really exciting to work with that one post. I wrote it last Sunday right before the challenge began and have been working some on marketing it and linking to it.
I added the social bookmark links to the blog yesterday and one person submitted it to StumbleUpon. That sent me nearly 90 visits in a matter of a couple of hours. And I sent out emails to the linked blogs yesterday, and am starting to get some of them linking to the post.
This has been a really interesting week for me. With only two posts (added a third one today), I have seen more traffic on my blog than in any week since I started blogging over two years ago.
Thanks ProBlogger! ;)
If anyone of you wants me to link to your blog let me know. I”ll gladly link to posts about Java, Web development or blogging in general. Email me at contact at zparacha dot com.
This is very true Darren! I am proud actually to do that in each of my post, where I recommend 5 other posts that I have read from other blogger and feel that they can offer different views or more resources to my readers.
The response has been great, because beyond any trackback I got from those sites, the blog owners often come to my own blog to see what’s all about, and many of them do drop some comments or send me personal email to thanks me for linking to them!
Here’s my latest post:
To “DoFollow” or to “NoFollow” That is the Question…
http://www.nicolasprudhon.com/seo-help/dofollow-or-nofollow
Just did my “Top Sales Blogs and Podcasts for the Week” linking to some of my favorite bloggers and linkerati (connectors and influencers): http://www.closingbigger.net/2009/04/top-sales-blogs-and-podcasts-this-week/
Great post, I just expanded my site to show live tv episodes and classic tv streams, as well as the movies, and live Pay Paer views for free,.. I looked at other sites and think about what would make the better, I think if we do that people will want to link to our post’s, It takes work but your right again darren http://movies09.com/
I linked to Razlan’s post (http://www.razlan.name/blog/2009/04/10-things-i-wish-youll-say-at-my-funeral/) and then wrote about the topics teachers avoid in class. I am rather pleased with myself because I think the topic is provocative and there might be some discussion. Anyway, here is my link:
http://lunas994.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-imperfections-and-what-not-to.html
We’ve been learning List Post last week, and we’re going to learn Link Post today, I’ll be writing up a link post by today. Linking out to other relevant blog post is a very good practice where our readers not only could learn in our blog but they know what other blogs they could learn too. :)
Regards,
Lee
I gave it a whirl. I made a short post about the upcoming Palm Pre for Sprint. I took a number of articles from my competitors websites that dealt with the Pre and made a list.
So if you want to know anything about the Palm Pre you can probably find it in my post (or at least the links to the other sites).
http://trendycellular.com/blog/the-palm-pre-is-coming/
Does anyone else here write a blog that is directly related to technology, gadgets or even better cell phones? If so send me a note via the contact page and we can “link up”.
Love this ! Okay, I went into my favorites and shared some cool links – http://www.debworks.com
I like the idea of teaming up w/some of the 10,000 particpants of this project. Gonna go read some more blogs!
@debworks
I have done all of your suggestions as week one comes to a close, I have just not finished reading all of those ways to improve my blog – there are a lot. The first ones had the opposite suggestions in one post – I didn’t quite understand that. I have talked about my links to other photo weblogs I enjoy and today I put one right in my post. The one today is not going to be a permanent link, just something to look at. I do seem to be getting more views on my weblog but I think I have been putting up some real good photos!
Where can I go learn about social bookmarks? I have a twitter account with a few followers (3) and a few followees (8). But I am not sure what del.ici.ous is or how it works. I Googled it, but that assumes you know what it is!
I look forward to what else you have in store for us! Thank you, Darren!
Bridget
I’ve just recently started going back to a personal finance resource list of personal finance articles I’ve come across.
Here is this week’s:
http://freefrombroke.com/2009/04/personal-finance-resource-links-041209.html
This allows me to: link out to great articles, get the attention of some great sites, and give some exposure to some sites who’ve given me link love.
Today I published something else, but finally I decided to write one (scheduled it for tuesday) about a post that intrigued me on stumble-upon.
The nice thing is: it’s a list post, so I have this thing done also in the end. That means of course that I’m back on track.
Does by the way anybody feel that he is on the next level with his blog already? In terms of spam comments I am, lol. I have much more than ever.
I also have more subscribers. Not to write home about, but there are more of them.
What I enjoy the most so far is that the community is very nice.
Keep on going!
Well Darren, my link post was so good that someone already skimmed it and republished it on their blog without permission.
I don’t know whether I should be flattered or enraged.
I got to highlight my boys tonight! http://budurl.com/7slv
I did this on Friday – speed linking. I was sick and so I linked to four articles from around the blogosphere that I thought my readers would enjoy. I really like some of the other linking ideas you have and will implement them this week.
i do a “what i’m reading” post every other friday with recent articles on my favorite blogs that relate to me (and especially ones that relate to my recent blog posts). here’s my post from last friday. what i’m reading 4/10
but in effort to do the best i can on this 31 day blog building project i also prepared a new link post to go live this thursday about how i find food blogs and links to some recent favorite recipes i found that way.
Day 7 and a link post. Well I use links most of the time in my posts, but there’s one built-in link plugin that I use on my blog – and it’s called appropriately ‘CommentLuv.’ The last blog post of any commenter is named and a link back to that post is provided. It’s a nice way to say ‘thanks’ for your comment, and there’s nothing to do apart from adding the plug-in to your blog. You can get CommentLuv here http://www.commentluv.com/download
Enjoy!
Some really solid ideas, Darren. I’m a big proponent of link posts. I also enjoy throwing shout-outs to bloggers as a way of attracting attention to someone, or several, who are wonderful writers with great content but for whatever reason don’t necessarily get the traffic they deserve.
My favorite point here, one that absolutely never occurred to me, is the one-question interview sent to multiple bloggers. Fantastic! I’m going to jump on that one.
I write for baby boomer consumers at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide and often use links at the end of my posts to offer my readers more information.
Last night I wanted to post on what baby boomers were doing to celebrate Easter but I wasn’t able to find the kind of statistics I wanted to make the points that I thought would be interesting.
So I read dozens of blogs and linked to some indicating here’s what boomers are doing and writing about on their blogs for Easter.
Here’s my post:
http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com/the_survive_and_thrive_bo/2009/04/what-are-baby-boomers-doing-on-easter-sunday.html
Rita, the Boomer Consumer Blogger
Thanks for your advice, Darren. I too agree that it will yield good result in long time. I will start working this out.
– Jarlin Paul
http://www.jarlinpaul.com/
Hey everyone! If there is another bluegrass music fan or player in the mix, please let me know. For this assignment, I reviewed 3 bluegrass music sites/blogs. Any comments and suggestions are welcome http://fromthedeskofallendresser.com/my-picks-on-bluegrass-blogs-and-sites/
I am really enjoying the 31DBBB challenge and this is really getting my brain in gear. Thanks Darren !!!!
Well, I think I was pretty successful with my link post.
http://eatingconsciously.blogspot.com/2009/04/lentil-tomato-soup.html
I was able to tie in a major post from a fellow blogger, throw in one of my own new recipes, link to one of my older recipes, and link to five other bloggers’ recipes that were similar. The theme was soups! We will see what the reaction is amongst readers and bloggers. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for the tip Darren. I am just starting out with the blog, so everything has been helpful. Without having many readers, this seems a little counter-intuitive that I would want to send someone landing on my blog to another blogger.
But I do believe in karma.
Thanks,
MJ @ Cubicle Bailout
Great assignment! I realized I’m quite the narcissistic blogger — I rarely do this. Given that my blog is about personal finance, I had to write about my new idol — JD Roth of getrichslowly.org. Here’s my post: Get to Know GetRichSlowly.org
I linked back to this post in my newest article, Twitter Lingo & Tips for New Twitter & Facebook Users. I also do link love every Friday in my Fetching Friday posts with a mashup of resources on blogging, social media, personal growth, health, and more.
Good exercise!
Early on in my blogging career I learned the importance of link love and connecting with other bloggers. I read other blogs in my niche and have made quite a few friends from linking to them ;)
Here’s what I wrote for this task: The Art of Listening to Customers.
I just finished my link post to another blog in my niche. It will be posted tomorrow, Monday, April 13th on our blog.
This was an interesting exercise for me. I have done a link post before without actually realizing that was what I was doing. Problogger is definitely in my psyche.
I participated in Video Blogging Week 2009 last week.
Here are my impressions which include links to other vlogging participants:
Impressions After Participating in Video Blogging Week 2009
Great idea. Comments are a great way to meet other bloggers and link to each other’s posts.
If you are a parent blogger, please let me know.
I create regular link posts on my blog to connect my readers with what I feel are great posts in the rest of the personal finance world for that week. I try to theme my posts around a specific topic. My most recent post is at Sunday’s Sites – Easter Egg Investors
Here’s the link to my link post: http://www.quixoticjedi.com/2009/04/12/day-7-31dbbb
I linked to Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist blog (http://www.nerdist.com).
For today’s challenge I decided to do my linking in a sort of “drive by” fashion: A mention of going to lunch with one of my friends who is also a blogger while using her name to link to her site.
There are plenty of other things to link to, but as my post was a sort of “quick Weekend Wrap up” post, anything else would have looked *really* out of place.
Terrific idea and one I did use to advantage in the post below…. Interestingly, my teens were the first to encourage me to do so… kids today are so smart!
http://eof737.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/follow-up-i-twitter-therefore-i-am-not-a-twit-but-a-savvy-chick/
Thanks Darren for the reminder… I must write more and link more!
Since I write mostly book reviews, most of my posts have a link to either an author’s blog or another book review blog. I’ve always done this as a service to my readers, but it honestly never occurred to me that this would impact search engine placement. Thanks for another great article!
Terrific idea and one I did use to advantage in the post below…. Interestingly, my teens were the first to encourage me to do so… kids today are so smart!
http://eof737.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/follow-up-i-twitter-therefore-i-am-not-a-twit-but-a-savvy-chick/
Thanks Darren for the reminder… I must write more and link more!
PS. Sorry, I forgot to add my website in the requisite box and had to repost this. Pls delete the first submission. Thanks!
Link posts are one of my favorite ways to share useful and encouraging resources with my Sandwich Generation readers. I do Twitter link posts weekly, along with other link posts on a variety of subjects. Here’s today’s: http://www.sandwichink.com/sandwichink-twitter-41309
It seems like the more you link to relevant things in your posts, the more valuable they become. A lot of bloggers have taken to writing weekly link posts to highlight important/popular articles from the previous week.
Here’s mine:
http://www.therogueinvestor.com/wells-fargo/
I just finish my task today and this is my first post since I started on Tuesday, I’m a little bit late so I put all the exercises in one post.
Here’s mine:
http://kwesifriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-harry-potter-and-half-blood.html
I write link posts frequently because I do a TON of reading, so I always come across awesome things to share with my readers.
I wanted to try one of the suggestions from this blog post that I’ve never tried before, so I picked a topic that my readers have asked me for (how to be a better writer) and I put together a bunch of information about it.
You can read the post here:
How to be a Better Writer
http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/04/13/how-to-be-a-better-writer/