5 Ways To Get Other Bloggers To Link To Your Posts
37 Comments July 29, 2007 / Posted in Blog Development
Quality + Consistency + Linkbacks = Lots of Readers
As I mentioned recently in the article “Analyzing RSS Subscriber Growth,” getting linked by ProBlogger earlier this summer helped propel my blog to a record growth of new readers. Of course, quality and consistency also helped increase my blog’s readership, but there is no question, receiving linkbacks on particular articles turn into massive jumps in readerships for some blogs.
So, the question becomes, what can we do to inspire other bloggers to link to us? Obviously, the most important way is to encourage more linkbacks is to write original and highly useful content. If a blogger finds your post original and useful, there is a much greater chance they will syndicate or share it. That being said, there are a few other tips and tricks to encourage other bloggers to link to your posts. I would like to share five simple ways to encourage other bloggers to link to your posts.
1. Link To Other Blogs. Simply put, what goes around, comes around. If you link to other bloggers, they will most likely notice and possibly link back to you in the future. I give out my link love in a series of posts called “Powerful Posts.” Most of the bloggers who I link to usually have linked to me in the past or end up linking to me in the future. Now that I think about it, I have a difficult time recalling a blog that I have linked to that didn’t end up linking to me at some point before or after.
2. Use the “Link To Me Textbox Wordpress Plugin.” This plugin will set up a “link to me textbox” with HTML code in your blog posts and according to the author, will increase your search engine rankings. All someone has to do is copy and paste the HTML code to link to your article. I tested this plugin for a week, but I decided I had too many “widgets” listed beneath each post so I got rid of it. I did not notice a significant difference in terms of how many people linked to me, but that may have been because I only tested it for a short amount of time. It does look like an interesting tool to get people to link to you more.
3. Thank the bloggers who already link to you. Whenever I receive a trackback, I try to thank every blogger. This act of gratitude is important because it shows that you already appreciate those who do link to you. Showing gratitude is of course a great way to encourage future behavior.
4. Introduce yourself to other bloggers. If you are a new blogger, introducing yourself to other bloggers can be a quick way to “get on the radar.” Getting on other bloggers’ radars is the first step to getting them to link to you. Of course, if you email a particular blogger, it is a good idea to include a link to one of your better posts. Several bloggers have sent emails to me introducing themselves and provided a link to one of their posts. Often times it has resulted in my linking to one of their articles.
5. Feature the most recent trackback on the blog homepage. This is my next experiment. It is something that many established sites have been doing for a long time. Basically, these sites provide a link to the site that links to their site the most. Why? It encourage people to link to you. This is basically like an instant advertisement for any site that links to mine.
In case you have not already noticed, directly above the 468×60 advertising banner at the top of my page, there is a box that features the most recent trackback with a link back to the author’s site. Currently, Ed from the[ED]ition holds that position, but the next person to link to a specific article will be featured there. This was implemented using the Get Recent Comments Plugin.
I think it will be an interesting experiment to see if the “most recent trackback” encourages bloggers to link to my articles more often. Being that my blog is a Page Rank 5 and that the “Recent Trackback” spot is in a prime eyeball position (above the fold), I think it will have a positive effect. In essence, this rewards other bloggers for linking to my articles.
Conclusion
Receiving frequent linkbacks is vital to any new blogger’s success. If you think about it, a linkback is like a mini-testimonial to the content of your blog. The more testimonials to your site, the better it must be! As I mentioned before, the best way to encourage linkbacks is to consistently write original and highly useful content, but you might want to try some of the things I recommended above.
Matt Blancarte
Josh Mullineaux
very informative, your just dropping golden nuggets of knowledge!
Good ideas. I have often thought a top linker, is more useful than top commentator.
Awesome article Nate.
I think one of the most important things that will help links, is to build a relationship with your readers, just second to great linkable content. Emailing first time commentors or checking out the blogs of people that have just commented will be bound to increase bonds with your community - and they’ll be more likely to link to you.
But as mentioned, content is most important. That’s what got you your last link from Problogger with your Analyzing RSS Subscribers post!
Thanks for the info Nate, this is a very good post.
Simon
about #2: I don’t find that plug-in very usefull. Bloggers usually knowss how to make that code (or to make a link in some other way they prefer better). And it does increase all the clutter between the post and the comments (social bookmark icons, tags, related posts and advertisement in my case). But, it is nice that such a plug-in exists.
about #5: I like that. Thanks for sharing the plug-in.
Like the idea for the “Recent Trackback” on the header. I may implement it myself.
Good point with the Link To Me-plugin. Its so easy to put all kinds of stuff and widgets on your blog. Its an interesting plugin though.
I like the trackback idea in the header. Nice and discreet. I didn’t notice it though before you mentioned it.
(I found you through a ProBlogger speedlink post)
Quick question: with that “get recent plugins” what happens when you link to one of your posts, causing a trackback? Is there a way to stop it or do you just not bother?
Nice work you’ve done below the header Nate. This must be the time of year for remodelling!
What’s up Nate? This is my first visit to your blog.
I think you’re right, especially about thanking other bloggers who link to you.
Wow, great ideas there Nate! The most recent trackback on the homepage is wonderful idea and no doubt will bring you a lot more people linking to your posts. **Deron runs off to create an article and trackback this article to get on Nate’s homepage**
This is solid post!
I already use the Get Recent Comments, but didn’t think of using the Trackbacks feature. Looks like a good idea. I think I’ll add it to the sidebar and show the last 5.
nice post i’ll keep that in mind for my magic blog
i already have the content (good videos and tutorials)
thanks!
I agree that visiting the blogs of visitors who’ve commented on your blog - and leaving comments there - can be a real community-booster. Nobody moreso than a fellow blogger knows how gratifying a little comment love can be.
I’d add to that list: get a Romlet widget. It encourages people to link to you in order to be displayed as a top referer, and temporarily (so long as they are sending you traffic!) links back to them as well. Check it out at Romlet.com
Nate, I hate to be a party pooper, but a trackback and a pingback aren’t the same thing and you’re treating them as such. The comment above mine is a pingback. If strangled duck had used a trackback, your blog link would not have shown at all in his post.
You have the right idea and I’m considering trying it myself, but to use the wrong term is just going to confuse readers.
Hmm I forgot to mention: check out sites like Allsux.com, Disassociated.com and WallStreetFighter.com to see examples of Romlet in action - right now only selected ‘pre-beta’ users are able to have the widgets, though they will soon be available to a wider audience.
We all like getting linked. It means more good ranking and more revenue. However, even If you link to other people, they won’t link to you unless you have something unique. It’s been said, content is the king. If your blog lacks good content, you won’t be linked.
Great post Nate, I’ve enjoyed it
Phil
#3. I have linked to several other blogs because I found the information they provided to be very useful. I have yet to recieve a mere thank you or linkback, even the great bloggers you mentioned have failed to follow some of their blogging tips. It however has only made me more aware of sticking to my word and to ensure I follow through on all promises made on my blog.
You are really providing great information on this blog. Particularly the Podcasts.
Hey Nate, its been a while since I’ve posted here. ^_^
Great post, I agree with some of the comments about building up friendly relationships with other bloggers. The better friends they are, the more you will link back and forth. Like you and Josh actually.
i agree that visiting the blogs of visitors who’ve commented on your blog and Great post Nate;)
Hi I found your blog via Untwisted Vortex. In my experience, which is about 6 years in doggy terms, there is more luck than judgement where the “content is king /link building” aspect of blogging is concerned.
Your tactics are well conceived and may work, but in a “throw mud against the wall and see what sticks” kind of way, not a scientific “fair return on clever ideas” kind of way. If 100 million blogs operated and cooperated scientifically, we would all follow basic steps and have millions of viewers. There is no blogger alive with even a couple of million readers, is there?
Some people plain dont communicate whatever bells and whistles and good content you put under their nose. It simply doesnt occur to them to share the love. Others respond in a heart beat, link, promote and love you to death without any prompting.
Just keep trying stuff and see where it lands us.
yup i agree that what goes around comes around… i wonder what that plugin can do for us
Nice Tips
Nate.. Those are really helpfull tips to grow in blogging world
Very useful information. It really fits in with the whole “community” viewpoint of using blogs.
Nice!
Feel free to delete this comment, but you can use Simple Spam Filter, use ^nice in the top portion, to prevent that spam from getting through.
thanks for the great info, i will apply them and see what kind of results will i get
i agree that visiting the blogs of visitors who’ve commented on your blog and Great post Nate;)
You could comment on blogs, asking them to link to your posts!
Nate:
Please link to some of my posts!!
; )
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