May 30 2011

Tweet

Share

Why Link Bait is Not a 4-Letter Word

Ok, clearly for those who can count, link bait is actually 2, 4-letter words. But for some people out in web-land it’s become a dirty, almost derivative, term. I’m pretty sure though, that’s mostly because the word is so abused. Link bait isn’t everything we publish; link bait is a specific kind of content that is meant to draw a lot of attention to a site when it’s released. Link bait can be a beautiful thing when it’s done right. But other times it can make you want a shower.

Some people will just stoop to any depth to get links. They will create controversy, or expose others weaknesses in the hopes of benefitting from it. And they do. And everyone else sneers and calls their efforts mere “link bait”. Content that panders to negative emotions, makes inflammatory statements and goes only for shock value is, unfortunately, a class of link bait. But it’s an ugly one and it’s only part of the entire picture.

Like a secret in a game of telephone, the essence of great link bait got lost and mangled along the way. As any strategy spreads it’s bound to become warped to accommodate the agendas of those applying it.  But the art hasn’t been lost on everyone. As it stands, we’re left with a mixture of amazing link bait, mean link bait and utter crap that someone wishes was link bait. But link bait isn’t the unfortunate garbage and it doesn’t have to be unscrupulous either. It can simply be an incredible piece that is the culmination of a long period of planning and a lot of hard work.

True Link Bait is not Average

The vast majority of content on the web doesn’t really qualify as link bait. The bulk of what we write in terms of standard blog posts and informational articles just doesn’t rank. Most anything that can be put together in a couple of hours probably isn’t gonna reach the link bait bar. Sure, the occasional hilarious rant or brief video is going to be a home run. But more often than not, link bait is going to take more time and effort to create.

The problem is when people try to pass off mediocre material as link bait. Patrick Lencioni, of Table A said “When everything is important, nothing is”.  I think that concept may partly explain why the idea of link bait has become so distorted. By over-saturating the market with a whole lot of nothing special, it’s diminished everything.

Basically: Don’t be the link bait that cried wolf.

It’s ok to keep publishing and promoting your standard day to day content. It has use and merit of other kinds. But it’s best not to use your full promotional arsenal for that kind of work. Not everything deserves a ticker tape parade, so save the fanfare for when it’s really deserved.

Link Bait Breeds Innovation

One of the main reasons I think that link bait is a good thing is because it encourages people to do something extraordinary. Ok, maybe only doing it for links cheapens the purity a bit, but it doesn’t weaken the final product. I mean, sure, we may do it for the links, but let’s be honest; we also do it for the thrill. Trying to create something that will go viral, or that will become an online sensation is a lofty goal. It forces us all to be more creative, cleverer and more comprehensive than perhaps we would have if there weren’t link in it for us.

Making something great usually starts with research. Finding “hot” buttons in terms of popular content relating to your industry is the first place to start. But don’t assume some cheap knock off of someone else’s previous success is going to cut it either. Some people may be able to make a living selling faux Kate Spade’s on a New York City street corner, but it doesn’t usually fly with content on the web. If you want to do an extrapolation on an existing idea the general rule is “bigger and better”. Of course the best way to go is to break new ground.

Link Bait Can Be Valuable for Everyone

Whether it’s a quest for links or not, if someone wants to do something revolutionary we should all support that. Even if only because “revolutionary” is so damned hard to come by. In this day and age, if someone can create something truly new and unique it’s worth heralding. We all have our favorite resources bookmarked so that we can return to them time and time again. Perhaps it’s a tool, a calculator, a collection of images, a case study, a checklist, an infographic an article; a widget…the list doesn’t stop. The point is someone, somewhere, had to put that together. That effort resulted in something that we want, or need, to refer to. Whether the creator was in it for the links or not, we are grateful to have the end result at our disposal.

If the quest for links pushes us to continue to create the ultimate resource or best version of anything, that’s useful for everyone. As long as we do honestly strive to reach new heights in information and entertainment, our link greed actually has positive ramifications on the world.

You’ve got to feel a little bad for the way poor link bait has been bastardized over the years. It started out as a good idea and then became an over-used buzzword. When everybody tried to get a little piece of the action; great attempts at link bait got mixed in with a sea of ill-conceived imposters. So we have to ask, will the real link bait please stand up? I certainly hope so. Let’s hear it for the innovators who add real value to the internet world. How about a hand for the weeks of research and planning, for the data collection and programming? You know what, on second thought, save the applause, just send links.

Written By:

Jennifer Van Iderstyne | SEO consulting | @Vanetcetera

Jennifer Van Iderstyne works as the Online Marketing Director for Search Slingshot. Located in Albany NY, her company specializes in SEO reports and SEO Consulting.

More Posts By Jennifer Van Iderstyne

blog comments powered by Disqus

Blocking Web Pages

May 30, 2011 by Ajeet Khurana

Web content or website access has always been restricted in most environments, be it at home or the workplace. At times it is necessary for people to block certain web pages, especially in cases where employees in offices are not meant to browse irrelevant websites either from productivity perspective or for security reasons. Such situations leave the organization with no choice other than to block these sites for increase in productivity and for ensuring minimal security threats.

In home environments as well, parents, at time, do not want their children to visit websites that are not advisable or appropriate for them. Another reason for blocking a website for personal usage is that some websites trigger spam attack to steal user’s data or to harm user’s computer. Therefore, blocking a certain website can help prevent viruses from attacking your computer. There are various softwares available in the market that provide us with numerous options to block a certain set of websites.

Multiple implementations have been used and suggested that are dependent upon the level and type of restrictions to be put.

Following are the ways to block certain web pages and stay protected online on different browsers:

• In order to block a site on Internet Explorer, a user is required to specify a given site or multiple sites as restricted in Internet Explorer settings. For doing that, the user has to know the URL of the website or webpage to be restricted. Click on the Tools menu and select ‘Internet Options’ from the drop-down. Under the Internet Options, all you need to do is to click the Privacy tab. You will see the Privacy settings window that has all the options for setting the privacy and securing requirements of the user. Click on the Sites button in the ‘Per Site Privacy Actions’ window. This is where you will specify which sites you want to allow or block. Provide the URL of a site in ‘Address of Website’ box and click Block or Allow appropriately in front of the text box. The sites you specify will show up in the list below with the corresponding settings that you specified.
• To restrict a site using FireFox, click the Tools option that is present in FireFox. After clicking the Tools option, click the Add-ons option present in the Tools option. As soon as you have clicked the Add-ons option, another option will appear known as Get Add-ons. Click on that option and then choose the option Browse All Add-ons. On clicking this option, a search option will come into the picture. All you need to do is type in Blocksite in the space. Blocking various sites will only be possible after the Add-on option is installed. There you will be able to specify sites that you want to block.
• To block a certain site or sites using Google Chrome, one needs to open Google Chrome and click the wrench symbol situated at the upper right side of the page. After clicking the wrench symbol, an option known as the Tools will be present. Click on the Tools option and click the Under the Hood tab present in the Tools option. An option known as Change Proxy Settings will be available that must be clicked. Security options will be present that provide the user with options to restrict whatever site they wish to delete or extradite. You need to double click on the Restricted Sites option and mention the site that needs to be blocked.

Also Read:

• Remove Alexa Toolbar
• 1-click Retweet/Share/Like WordPress Plugin Review
• Ghostzilla: The Invisible Browser
• Gain Site Access to a Website That Has Been Blocked
• JavaScript updated in Firefox 3.5

Related Posts

Tags

Share This

This guest post is by Ali Luke of Aliventures.

Your blog isn’t growing as fast as you’d hoped.

You’re working hard—and trying to follow all the advice which you’ve read online—but you’re not seeing the traffic or subscriber levels that you’d like, and you’re not making quit-your-day-job levels of money. Actually, you’re not making much money at all.

Professional blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme—and I’m sure you’ve discovered that for yourself. But although building a successful, income-producing blog might take a bit longer than you wanted, it’s far from impossible.

In fact, it’s just a case of slowly but surely improving your game. These are seven habits which top bloggers share. Are you missing any of them?

1. Learning

Being willing to learn, consistently, is crucial to success in today’s fast-moving world—but that’s especially true in blogging, where technological changes mean that last year’s top sites are this year’s has-beens.

As I’ve met more and more great bloggers, I’ve been struck how much they invest in learning. They go to conferences, they read ebooks and take ecourses, and they make sure they keep improving their skills in the two areas which matter most: being able to write well and being adept with technology.

First step

Become a regular reader of great blogging and writing related blogs. My top three are:

• ProBlogger (RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney)
• Daily Blog Tips (RSS: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/DailyBlogTips)
• Copyblogger (RSS: http://feeds.copyblogger.com/copyblogger)

Take it further

Buy an ebook or take an ecourse that’ll help you take your blogging further. A great one to start with is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, because it combines solid theory with practical exercises, and it covers a wide range of beginner-friendly topics.

2. Sustainability

Your blogging needs to be sustainable. While you might not be making much money to start with, you should aim to make enough to invest in some learning materials—and to cover your hosting, domain name registration, and other blogging expenses.

You also need to make sure that you’re being realistic about the time you can spend on your blog. Sure, you might have the energy to write all weekend when you first start out—but will you be able to do that month after month? An awful lot of would-be probloggers give up after a few weeks because their blogging schedule just wasn’t sustainable.

First step

If your hosting and other expenses mean that your blog’s currently running at a loss, find one simple way to monetize it. That might mean finding a great affiliate product to recommend, installing a donation button, or putting up Google AdSense.

Take it further

Plan out major purchases—like ecourses or conference tickets—in advance. Look for ways to cover the costs from your blogging income, rather than out of your own pocket. The first time I went to South by South West, I released an ebook which paid for the cost of my trip (you can read how I did it here on ProBlogger).

3. Consistency

Can you imagine reading a post like this on ProBlogger?

Sorry guys, I know I haven’t updated in a month, I’ve just been really busy…

Of course not. In fact, if even a couple of days went by without a ProBlogger update, I bet Darren would be inundated with emails from worried readers asking what was wrong. Professional bloggers post consistently—whether that means once a week or three times a day.

Posting consistently shows that you take your blog seriously. It gets readers into the habit of coming back to read new posts—and it gets you into the habit of writing regularly.

First step

Decide on a sensible, sustainable posting schedule. It’s fine if that means one post a week—readers would rather have one great post every week than seven rushed posts one week then nothing for a month.

Take it further

Write posts ahead of time, so that you’ve got some “banked” for busy periods. You can schedule a post to publish in the future using WordPress, so your posts can keep going up consistently even if you’re jetting off on holiday.

4. Self-discipline

The sun’s shining outside. There’s a show I want to watch. And I really should do the dishes…

It’s all too easy to think up excuses to leave your desk and your blog. Even if you love writing, you probably find it hard to sit down and stay focused while you’re working on a post. I write for a living and I still find it challenging!

That’s why self-discipline is so important for professional bloggers. You need to be able to work on your blog without checking Twitter every two minutes, and without getting distracted by everything else that’s going on around you.

Self-discipline doesn’t just mean sitting down and working, though. It also means knowing when to stop working. That might mean being self-disciplined enough not to check your emails during dinner, or not obsessing over Google Analytics.

First step

Next time you sit down to write a post, close your internet browser first. Don’t open it up again until you’ve been writing for at least 30 minutes.

Take it further

Find ways to bolster your self-discipline by changing your environment:

• Take your laptop to a coffee shop that doesn’t have wi-fi.
• Get up earlier so you can blog before work, rather than struggling to have motivation to blog when you get home.
• Block websites which you find yourself accessing too often.

5. Integrity

This might seem like an odd habit to include on the list, but I think integrity is extremely important for professional bloggers. The best bloggers I know are people who I put a lot of trust in. I buy their products—and I’m confident that these will be worth my money. I buy products which they recommend—and I know that the blogger isn’t just hyping something in order to get a few dollars in commission.

I can’t tell you what integrity means for you and your blog. But I suggest that you give it some thought. It’s very easy to lose readers’ trust—and once you’ve lost it, they won’t be coming back. Worse, they might warn other people to steer clear of you.

First step

Make sure you always disclose affiliate links. This isn’t just to help readers trust you—it’s also a legal requirement if you live in America.

Take it further

Think through any moral grey areas carefully. For instance, would you run a sponsored post on your blog—and if so, would you disclose its status? Would you promote a product which you hadn’t tried out yourself—and if so, would you make that clear to your readers?

6. Courtesy

I’ve seen a few train-wreck situations in my time in the blogosphere, where comment threads have got out of hand, or where two bloggers have attacked one another in their posts. It’s never a pretty sight, and it always gives me a dim view of the people in question.

So courtesy is a vital habit. That means responding politely and pleasantly to people—even if they’ve said something which makes you angry. If your blog is still small, courtesy might also mean replying to all your comments. If your blog is too big to do that, courtesy might prompt you to explain on your “About” page that you can’t reply to everyone but that you do value their comments.

First step

If you’re ever tempted to post a blazing angry comment, stop. Walk away for a while—at least an hour if you can.

Take it further

Consider having a comments policy which encourages (or requires) all your blog’s readers to interact respectfully. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree—but they have to avoid using aggressive language or posting personal attacks. Remember that many readers may read the comments, even if they never post one.

7. Growth

Finally, professional bloggers don’t stay in the middle of their cozy comfort zone. If they did, they’d never have got far. They keep on growing—stretching themselves, trying new things, bringing in new readers, and launching new products.

Growth isn’t always easy. There’ll be plenty of times in your blogging journey where you’re nervous about taking the next step. Perhaps you’ve never sent out a guest post, because you’re worried about being rejected. Or perhaps you’ve not made a start on that ebook you’ve got planned, because you know it’ll be a lot of work.

But every single problogger had to write their first guest post, launch their first product and go to their first conference. I’m sure they were all nervous—there’s nothing wrong with that—but what matters is that they did it anyway. And that’s how they, and their blogs, grew.

First step

Try something which challenges you: maybe emailing a blogger who you admire, or sending out your first guest post.

Take it further

Keep looking for new ways to grow. That might mean trying a joint venture, taking an ecourse, going to a conference, writing an ebook, hiring a personal assistant … or almost anything. It’ll probably feel scary the first time you do it, but it’ll quickly get easier.

So—which of these seven habits could you work on today? And if you think I’ve missed out a vital habit, add an eighth (or more!) in the comments.

Ali Luke has just released a (totally free) mini-ebook, Ten Powerful Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Stronger. It’s packed with great advice, clear examples and quick exercises to get you to take action. Click here to grab your copy now.