The true value of a Digg link
March 19, 2008
With all the chatter of Google punishing PageRank for Digg stories, I thought it's worth looking at the true value of links acquired from Digg or any social news site that uses dofollow.
To do this, let's consider the three types of links that Digg can help you get:
1. Primary links - direct links from Digg readers to your site.
2. Secondary links - indirect links from Digg readers who link via Digg.
3. Dud Links - links that result in neither primary and/or secondary links.
These are links that are solely from Digg and receive a negligible amount of PageRank.
The aim is to scoop up as many primaries and also secondaries as you can, with primary ones being the most desirable.
Typically you have little control as to the proportion of primary or secondary links that you get. If there is a good bit of banter within the Digg comments, there is a fair chance you will get a bigger dosage of secondary links.
So how do you know if you are getting primary, secondary or dud links I hear you ask?
Well that's where Yahoo Site Explorer comes in handy:
To illustrate this, let's look at the recent Digg/PageRank debate over at Sphinn. We are using Sphinn (digg clone) as the ‘Digg’ example.
http://sphinn.com/story/35232 - Sphinn page.
http://startupearth.com/2008/03/07/google-to-punish-pagerank-for-digg-stories/ - Orginal post.
Now go over to Yahoo Site Explorer and enter the above urls, making sure you click on the Inlinks link and show Inlinks "Except this domain".
Primary links
Secondary links
You will see that the primary links account for 13 links and the secondary links for for 8. There is one more step and that is to remove the secondary links from the above primary count. That sounds more confusing than it is, although it just means subtracting Sphinn links from from the primary ones.
Depending on how many primary links there are you may want to do this manually or export the TSV list provided by Yahoo. For this example, there are currently three Sphinn links, leaving 10 primary links as of writing. As I am linking to both, I suspect these numbers will change fairly soon.
Patrick Altoft gave me the idea of for this post in a post of his own and I agree and disagree with his last comment.
Remember that the aim of Digg isn't to get links from Digg, it's to get links from Digg readers websites.
I think Patrick’s wording is not quite right and using my analogy above I would say that the aim is to get both primary and secondary links via Digg.
I maybe wrong, but I suspect Google's algo already covers the whole Digg/PageRank spectacle. After all it’s only PageRank that we are talking about.
And this leads to the question, why would Google team up with an external party to sort out its own PageRank issues? It just doesn’t add up to me.
PageRank Update
April 29, 2007
Whilst the PR on my Google toolbar remains on 4 for both the homepage and blog of this site, I have noticed that the PR for deeper pages has increased, so I can’t grumble too much. Of course, the PR reading on the Google toolbar is not hugely important as I discussed in the last update.
However, if vanity gets the better of you or you just wanna peep to see if you can expect a change - here is another tool that you can use to check your PageRank at the various Google Data Centers.
The Bonsai Sandbox meets Google's Root Rot
April 12, 2007
The Bonsai Sandbox meets Google's Root Rot
While I don't pretend to be a Bonsai tree expert, nor a Google Sandbox pro; I couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarities between the successful growth of a Bonsai tree and a fresh website ranking in Google.
As spring has certainly sprung (UK), my relatively new Bonsai Tree has just started to spurt new shoots. Not knowing a great deal about the tree, I contemplated a re-pot, but thought I should better do a little research first. My tree ———–>
It became apparent that when potting or re-potting a bonsai tree it is essential to get the moisture balance just right and the one thing to avoid at all costs is total settlement of the soil before roots can penetrate. Drawing from this, it is clear that the roots are the nucleus for driving growth.
BonsaiGardner.org points out that there are three primary things that stand out in bonsai tree care "“ water, soil and the pot which the bonsai is grown.
To Water or Not to Water, Links are the Question?
It appears that the key attribute to Bonsai care is the watering.
I remember hearing an old Buddhist proverb, that you can give an apprentice Bonsai artist tools to prune on his first day, but only after several years will he be in a position to water the tree properly.
As for the reference, sorry I am not sure where it came from "“ you will have to take my word on it but it really does highlight the importance of watering. Too much or too little water can result in root rot "“ a common cause for lack of growth and even fatality in fresh Bonsais.
This proverb also holds weight for your link building efforts for a fresh site.
I use the word fresh to illustrate a new or re-potted tree. Similarly with a website this may be for a new, recently changed domain (301) or a change of registry info for a site.
Just like an inexperienced Bonsai enthusiast can get the balance of the moisture for their tree all wrong, a novice SEO can acquire too few links or go out aggressively and get too many spammy links. Both limit the growth and presence of the tree and website alike.
For the Bonsai tree it's the dreaded root rot and for the web site owner it's the equally un-fancied Google Sandbox.
Trust in the Magic Roots
I think Ibrian over at SEOmoz gets it just right:
The result is that to rank on Google for any kind of competitive keyword, you need to be able to leverage some degree of "trust".
Likewise, with the Bonsai, in order to get any kind of tree growth with a newly potted tree, you need to leverage some degree of root trust or a root system. The Bonsai really does put a lot of faith in its roots and these roots are extremely fragile after potting.
Be Selective in your Watering/Link building
In order to leverage some degree of trust, it is important to be selective in your watering and link building approach. BonsaiGardner.org notes that you want to follow the old Japanese rule and water three times "“ once for the pot, once for the soil and once for the tree.
This ties in well with Aaron Wall's thoughts that being selective in links acquisition for a quality spread of trusted links is the preferred method to move forward and that sometime less really is more.
Similarly to the Bonsai tree, if you get the quality, volume and rate of link acquisition in the right areas for your website "“ the Google Sandbox will not provide too much of a problem; yes there will be a hurdle to climb "“ but a very achievable one.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, while some fresh Bonsai species can handle long periods of dryness, others require near constant moisture. This can be said for web sites too, there are many variables that come into play and it matters a great deal as to the environment and marketplace that they are in. Yes, even Bonsai trees compete within their own market!
What about my Bonsai?
She is still a-growin’ strong! I took a little peek at the roots "“ they seem to be in pretty good knick, so a 301 direct re-pot really isn't necessarily. That makes me feel better, although this still leaves me with pruning (tuning keywords), maintaining the soil (good neighbourhood), ensuring there is enough sun light and fertiliser (engaging content). I am sure there are plenty more analogies we could go into, but I am tired and of need of sleep. 
Feel free to share any thoughts or suggestions.
Link Growth - Ideas, Knowledge & Experience
March 27, 2007
As I am sure you will agree, link building is a core part of almost every SEO campaign. Without the knowledge it's difficult in applying link building ideas. Likewise without the ideas, it's hard to standout in a crowd and be noticed. And of course without the actual hands on experience, it can be more of a case of trial and error in determining which link building techniques & ideas will really work.
Link Building Knowledge
There are plenty of helping hands to assist in our own link building efforts. Staying up-to-date is the key to success "“ here are a few important posts in the last month or so.
1) The Relationship between Content & Link Growth
Rand Fishkin over at SeoMoz is continuing to unearth plenty of SEO gems. His content & link growth post is just one of many. He looks into the shift patterns for the acquisition of links and the production of content with regards to relevancy and authority of a site over time.
He identifies the following key areas:
Content growth patterns - how often does a particular site tend to add new pages
Content update patterns - how often are documents edited and updated
Link growth patterns - how often are new links pointing to the site
Link stagnation patterns - does the number of links to the site stagnate or decrease
Rand goes on to provide some useful real life examples and how the 'links to new content' ratio can pay a significant part in establishing perceived trust by search engines.
2) Understanding Link Reputation
Another interesting link building read is Eric Ward's Understanding Link Reputation. The post looks at a site's reputation and trust from a search engines perspective based on its linking history. Again this relates to Rand's post outlining shift patterns for the collection of links over time and how your site builds up link trust/reputation.
3) The Perfect Link
Matt Magee shares his wealth of knowledge and attempts to define the perfect link. He first points out that links can not only help with ranking in search engines, but also in referring traffic and not to mention branding too.
In Matt's quest for the perfect link, he considers 4 types of links:
Type of Link #1: With Whom?
Options: one-way, reciprocal, 3-way, 4-way "¦ 400-way, etc.Type of Link #2: How'd You Get It?
Options: paid or earnedType of Link #3: Format
Options: text or non-text (image, Flash, etc.)Type of Link #4: Placed Where?
Options: sitewide placement or unique location(s)
The article is a worthy read for any SEO "“ and also gives lots more guidance for things to look for when targeting link building.
4) Google Anchor Link Reporting
Google's Webmaster Central is now showing the exact phrase used in the anchor text to your site.
Google blurb “"¦enhanced the information we provide and will show you the complete phrases sites use to link to you, not just individual words. And we’ve expanded the number we show to 100″ courtesy of SearchEngineLand.
5) Link Development: 10 Questions by 5 Experts
SugarRae's massive Q&As with some of the big guns of Link building is a must read if you can still find a space to digest the 6600 worded beast. If you have not read it all and are a little linked up, then I recommend it for a single sitting all by itself.
Update - Try these beefy lists for size too.
Link Building Ideas
In the world of link building, if knowledge is King, then ideas must surely be Queen. Generating link building ideas is where SEO takes a leap away from its geeky routes and towards a more fun & creative aspect.
You may wish to take a logical walkthrough to linkbaiting for some ideas. For a more comprehensive guide why not spend sometime reading the various enormous linkbait lists. There really are heaps of ways to acquire links, sometimes they can be straightforward and other times it requires a little bit more of lateral thinking "“ but hey, this is where it gets all the more interesting!
Now You Can Get Oodles of Links with Oodles of Reports
February 7, 2007
Andy Hagans pretty much lays all his linkbaiting cards on the table. This guide explores endless opportunities to get heaps of inbound links and all it requires is a little bit of thought by you.
Yes, that's you and after any successful link building campaign, wouldn't it be nice to track all those new Google links? Now you can through Google Webmaster Central.
This brand spanking new feature gives a much more complete overview of the inbound links that Google can see, rather than just a small sample that was previously on offer "“ so what are you waiting for? Go bait some links, reflect, sit back and enjoy the link love-ly reports!
Warning: the two main articles are fairly size-able, but read them wisely and so may be your link building efforts.
Lateral Th(L)ink(bait)ing: >-)));> ?________||==
January 22, 2007
Update:heaps more linkbait ideas!
January has been a great month for forward-thinking linkbaiting ideas. Two posts that really stood out for me are Todd Malicoat’s Linkbaiting Playbook and Nick Wilson’s 2007 Guide to Linkbaiting.
Todd opens up and expands in some detail to Nick’s original five linkbaiting hooks and adds two more gems of his own:
- News Hook
- Contrary Hook
- Attack Hook
- Resource Hook
- Humour Hook
- Ego Hook
- Incentive Hook
Todd illustrates some excellent ideas and examples. Although, it was Nick’s 2007 Guide to Linkbaiting coupled with Aaron Wall’s SEM & Lateral Thinking Skills that really struck a chord for the need to be creative, think laterally and to take calculated risks in the drive for link love.
Nick goes on to say:
The linkbait way of link building is a mindset. To do it well, you need to put thoughts of manipulating the system to one side and focus entirely on providing value to your clients users and making that value easy to link to.
I agree that valuable content is the key, however I would go a little further in suggesting that the mindset for truly remarkable content that provides the highest rewards in links, is having the ability to think laterally.
In any competitive market it helps to think a little outside the box for new ideas. A savvy linkbaiter will then analyse the risks to link aggregation and have the confidence to take the most appropriate action.
Lateral Th(L)ink(bait)ing is where it is at for 2007 and lets finish off with Nick’s final and inspiring thoughts from his post:
Those of you already working on linkbaiting services are the rockstars of the industry, the pioneers of change, and you have a responsibility to yourselves and the industry as a whole to not let a wonderful win-win service gain an undeserved, shady reputation.
A Logical Walkthrough to Linkbaiting: >-)));> ?________||==
January 3, 2007
Some would say that 2006 has been the year of the linkbait. And as I have not really mentioned it too much, I could not think of a better way to wrap of the year than a logical walkthrough to Linkbaiting.
Linkbaiting is really nothing more than a well thought out piece of viral marketing. Back in the day, word of mouth provided the vehicle for nearly all successful viral marketing campaigns. These days, online viral marketing is beginning to be driven by social media with the main purpose in attracting more links and more visitors.
At first, the term linkbait, may seem a little uneasy to swallow. Ok it does sound a little like a trap, however it’s perfectly ethical from a search engine’s perspective and in most cases from a human point too.
I think the controversy of its name has only added to the overall success and rapid adoption in the SEO world. Come on, isn’t the term itself an intriguing and alluring pull to find out more? And that’s the start to any great source of linkbait, right?
Ok, let’s have a quick gander at the various parts that make up linkbaiting:
The Linkbaiter
The first step to being an artful linkbaiter is being extremely knowledgeable and/or passionate about the content you writing about.
After that, it’s all about being creative! Think of ways to grab the reader’s attention, provide something of true value and make it easy for visitors to link and discuss your content. Make your bait really juicy and the ~ fishes >-)));> ~ are sure to follow :).
Linkbait Goals
Every linkbaiter should have an idea for their linkbait goals! Yes, linkbaiting is great for (cheap) inbound links, but it is also useful for increasing visitors, branding, subscribers, registrations and of course customers. Does your linkbait have a persuasive goal?
Where possible, it is sometimes best to avoid diluting your goals. Oftentimes linkbait goals just don’t mix. Bloggers can provide heaps of lush inbound links and customers is where the money is at!
Both are important for business, but linkbait is all about going viral, so it’s often best to target links, visitors and subscribers as separate entities to customers. Customers can result from linkbait, but they are rarely the catalyst for viral success.
Linkbait Audience
Identifying your Linkbaiting audience or as Rand nicely puts it, your ‘Linkerati‘ should be high on the agenda in your linkbaiting strategy. Rand breaks these down into seven suitable areas: bloggers, forum posters, web news writers, content creators, resource editors, social taggers and viral connectors. Know who you are targeting!
The Linkbait
If links are the objective, what is the bait? Linkbait can come in all shapes, and sizes, all with the end result of increased traffic, brand exposure and oodles of links back to your site or brand. Nick Wilson separates his thoughts of linkbait into 5 broad, but neat hooks:
- News hook
- Contrary Hook
- Attack Hook
- Resource Hook
- Humour Hook
Add one of these with a magnetic headline to arouse interest and if you can, be quotable! Remember, more often than not, links come from small citations or remarks from others which may only be a few words rather than chunks of paragraphs.
Linkbaiting Portals
There are lots of web 2.0 friendly portals like digg and del.icio.us which act a little like a linkbaiter’s playground. That’s right, a fun playground where many of the readers are bloggers or news reporters of some kind, and are all itching and possibly anticipating for a piece of your fresh linkbait!
You can seed your linkbait in such portals and also learn what’s hot, newsy and most importantly what’s baity!
The Search Engine’s Perspective on Linkbaiting
What better perspective about a search engine’s view to linkbaiting/link building, than that of Danny Sullivan’s recent take on a Google’s discussion regarding link building?
Here’s a summary of what’s covered:
- Earned Links/Trusted Links
- Non-Earned Links/Non-Trusted Links
- Buying Paid Links
- Selling Paid Links
- Have Good Content
- Link Baiting Is Fine
- Exchanged Links Are Bad BUT I Say Ignore This
The key area mentioned is that Google is only really interested in giving credit for links that you have earned and that it can trust. This seems straightforward and obvious, but it’s easy to fool yourself and believe that any link you receive, you have earnt. Oh, and it also covers that you should ‘have good content‘. And linkbaiting is fine - phew!
And finally a look at the Top Linkbaiters in SEO
Let’s finish things off by looking at the bright stars of linkbaiting and their best posts for 2006. Here you will see their most popular articles and it should also illustrate some rather fat juicy linkbait.
And not forgetting some of the other greats like Andy Hagans and Aaron Wall on their collaboration of the mighty linkbaicious 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity in 2006.
Basically, it all really boils down to having compelling valuable content that folks go crazy about and can’t resist in sharing and discussing further. Easy, isn’t it???
MSN Forward & Backward Linking
October 21, 2006
MSN has recently enabled the ability to display what forward links a domain has. LinkFromDomain:semconsultancy.com demonstrates the links that this site links to. SEOBOOK points out an advanced linking feature whereby you can see domains pointing at country specific domains. Pretty nifty!!
MarketingFan has an interesting article, detailing 3 great uses for the link operator. This includes bad neighbourhood linkage analysis, authority analysis & reciprocal analysis. All quite handy, although I don’t think people will be using it heavily for reciprocal link building these days!
Battling Google’s Sandbox & Link Baiting
September 20, 2006
It’s all about trust!
Andy Hagan provides an excellent detailed report on how to beat google’s sandbox , which includes some great ‘link baiting’ techniques. Firstly he defines Google’s sanbox as:
“The sandbox/Trustbox is a set of filters in Google’s search algorithm that together prevent new sites from ranking well until they gain trust.”
Andy insists it is all about building trust between websites and Google. He outlines the Sandbox phases, how to acquire easy trusted links and link baiting.
Link baiting seems to be the real buzz phrase in SEO for 2006 and blogging appears to be taking a key role in building up trust. Andy points out that social media sites like digg.com and Del.icio.us are great in the trust building process.
Links
SeoMoz:How to beat the Google Sandbox
How much Traffic can Digg or Google News can drive to you site?
Google’s Ranking Filters: Trust & Age Factors
Link Building Links
August 20, 2006
Over the last few years it has become evidently apparent that off-page SEO techniques hold as much weight as more traditional on-page SEO techniques – with link building in the forefront. However there is much debate as how to best implement a successful link building campaign… Fear not, checkout these cool link building links for an up-to-date overview of what’s hot and what’s not!
