Are You a Link Whore: Have Your Linking Strategies Gone from Respectable to Slutty?
Eric Ward, an expert in content publicity and link building strategies, has begun a series of blog posts on MarketingProfs.com's Daily Fix group weblog to try and separate the good, the bad and the ugly of Web site linking strategies.
Los Angeles, CA, June 01, 2006 --(PR.com)-- Eric Ward, an expert in content publicity and link building strategies, has begun a series of blog posts on MarketingProfs.com's Daily Fix group weblog to try and separate the good, the bad and the ugly of Web site linking strategies.
The first post on appeared on May 18, titled Are You a Link Whore?, http://blog.marketingprofs.com/2006/05/are_you_a_link_whore.html#more, with a follow-up post today, Is White Hat Linking a Myth?, http://blog.marketingprofs.com/2006/05/is_whitehat_a_myth.html.
"A link whore engages in sleazy link building tactics normally only used by gambling or Viagra sites," said Ward. "Immoral or, Black-Hat Linking Strategies, make the Web experience a jungle of false advertising and untrustworthy information that's like wading through quicksand."
Web sites are in a constant struggle to gain and maintain high page ranking with Google, Yahoo! and other search engines and directories. One of the many ways to build greater rankings is through inbound links from other Web sites which help to attract the attention of search engine algorithms. These algorithms are used to calculate the net worth of each site's content so they can be ranked and found during the search process.
Web sites have built their rankings through link exchanges with other sites, responding to blogs and discussions where they can include their URLs, and subscribing to numerous online directories where they can link back to their own sites.
So how do you know if you're a link whore?
Ward's first post documents many forms of link whoring that he said should make people feel "just a little slutty."
Some of these "nefarious" tactics include:
The purchase of one-way links from sites with higher rankings
Useless blog postings (blog spam) to leave URL's behind
Reciprocal links pages
Excessive press releases without news-worthy material, but filled with "so many deep links they look like site maps"
Ward said that blog spam is one of the worst offenders. As a regular contributor to MarketingProfs.com's Daily Fix, he frequently responds to comments left by readers. Adsense spam, the act of placing Google Adsense ads on a Web site that is strictly used for advertising purposes, coupled with blog spam create "one ‘majorly' unfulfilling search experience."
He discovered that his blog denouncing blog spam was also open to being spammed.
"Blog spam is a huge annoyance/nuisance for me on the [The Daily Fix] blog, so much so that I had to change the comments [setting on my posts] from unmoderated to moderated - in other words, I need to approve every single comment, clarification or throat-clearing. Which is too bad... because in my view, it takes some of the freshness out of the conversation if you have to run it by an editor first."
"[It] pisses me off that Spammers have ruined it for the rest of us. In fact, I get SO annoyed that I wish Moveable Type offered me another option in moderator mode -- not just "Publish," "Delete," or "Junk," but perhaps "Maim," "Kill," or "Slit Spammer's Throat with Hot Butter Knife."
Ward's post today discusses when White-Hat Strategies cross the line into murkier territories.
"At what point does a link building tactic make the leap from acceptable to not," said Ward. "What works is what's acceptable, right? If the other guy's using link farming, why can't I?"
Competition for page rank on the Internet is fierce, with link building strategies often creating situations where two wrongs do make a right-at least until search engines become wise to these tactics and find ways to make changes to the algorithms.
Ward said "Intent" and "Content" are at the core of the White-Hat/Black-Hat debate. Ward and The Daily Fix are looking for further debate on this topic.
About MarketingProfs.com
MarketingProfs, founded in 2000, is a comprehensive learning site for marketing professionals, with more than 185,000 members worldwide. Drawing on the expertise of more than 300 analysts, marketing professionals, and professors, MarketingProfs helps marketers all over the world - from the very largest to small start-ups - stay current and effective in the entire range of online and offline marketing areas.
Free membership to MarketingProfs includes a weekly newsletter on current issues and ideas, as well as access to the site's basic library. The site also offers more than 20 non-sponsored virtual seminars a year. Premium (paid) memberships include access to a vast Premium Library, podcasts, marketing templates, buyers' guides, benchmark surveys, and marketing guides.
About the Daily Fix
The Daily Fix, founded by MarketingProfs.com in 2006, is a daily group blog and news site with more than 40 contributors with vast experience throughout the marketing, public relations and business community.
Styled as a traditional blog, the Daily Fix offers the marketing and public relations community informative, entertaining and sometimes provocative views with the ability for readers to discuss and comment on the fast moving business world.
The Daily Fix also provides news feeds in partnership with MarketingVOX and MediaBuyerPlanner, both published by Watershed Publishing, which are also open to reader commentary and discussion.
About Eric Ward
Eric Ward founded the Web's very first online publicity and linking services, NetPOST and URLwire, in 1994. Ward's expertise is in helping companies generate links, publicity and buzz for their Web content. A hands-on practitioner, he also offers training and seminars that teach companies how to do it in-house. His client list is a who's who of online brands, from Amazon.com to PBS.org.
He has written for ClickZ and Ad Age, and he won the 1995 Tenagra Award for Internet Marketing Excellence. In 1997, he was named one of the Web's 100 most influential people by Websight magazine.
Ward is a regular contributor to both MarketingProfs.com and the MarketingProfs Daily Fix.
Contact:
Ira Weiss
ira@marketingprofs.com
888-294-4233
###
The first post on appeared on May 18, titled Are You a Link Whore?, http://blog.marketingprofs.com/2006/05/are_you_a_link_whore.html#more, with a follow-up post today, Is White Hat Linking a Myth?, http://blog.marketingprofs.com/2006/05/is_whitehat_a_myth.html.
"A link whore engages in sleazy link building tactics normally only used by gambling or Viagra sites," said Ward. "Immoral or, Black-Hat Linking Strategies, make the Web experience a jungle of false advertising and untrustworthy information that's like wading through quicksand."
Web sites are in a constant struggle to gain and maintain high page ranking with Google, Yahoo! and other search engines and directories. One of the many ways to build greater rankings is through inbound links from other Web sites which help to attract the attention of search engine algorithms. These algorithms are used to calculate the net worth of each site's content so they can be ranked and found during the search process.
Web sites have built their rankings through link exchanges with other sites, responding to blogs and discussions where they can include their URLs, and subscribing to numerous online directories where they can link back to their own sites.
So how do you know if you're a link whore?
Ward's first post documents many forms of link whoring that he said should make people feel "just a little slutty."
Some of these "nefarious" tactics include:
The purchase of one-way links from sites with higher rankings
Useless blog postings (blog spam) to leave URL's behind
Reciprocal links pages
Excessive press releases without news-worthy material, but filled with "so many deep links they look like site maps"
Ward said that blog spam is one of the worst offenders. As a regular contributor to MarketingProfs.com's Daily Fix, he frequently responds to comments left by readers. Adsense spam, the act of placing Google Adsense ads on a Web site that is strictly used for advertising purposes, coupled with blog spam create "one ‘majorly' unfulfilling search experience."
He discovered that his blog denouncing blog spam was also open to being spammed.
"Blog spam is a huge annoyance/nuisance for me on the [The Daily Fix] blog, so much so that I had to change the comments [setting on my posts] from unmoderated to moderated - in other words, I need to approve every single comment, clarification or throat-clearing. Which is too bad... because in my view, it takes some of the freshness out of the conversation if you have to run it by an editor first."
"[It] pisses me off that Spammers have ruined it for the rest of us. In fact, I get SO annoyed that I wish Moveable Type offered me another option in moderator mode -- not just "Publish," "Delete," or "Junk," but perhaps "Maim," "Kill," or "Slit Spammer's Throat with Hot Butter Knife."
Ward's post today discusses when White-Hat Strategies cross the line into murkier territories.
"At what point does a link building tactic make the leap from acceptable to not," said Ward. "What works is what's acceptable, right? If the other guy's using link farming, why can't I?"
Competition for page rank on the Internet is fierce, with link building strategies often creating situations where two wrongs do make a right-at least until search engines become wise to these tactics and find ways to make changes to the algorithms.
Ward said "Intent" and "Content" are at the core of the White-Hat/Black-Hat debate. Ward and The Daily Fix are looking for further debate on this topic.
About MarketingProfs.com
MarketingProfs, founded in 2000, is a comprehensive learning site for marketing professionals, with more than 185,000 members worldwide. Drawing on the expertise of more than 300 analysts, marketing professionals, and professors, MarketingProfs helps marketers all over the world - from the very largest to small start-ups - stay current and effective in the entire range of online and offline marketing areas.
Free membership to MarketingProfs includes a weekly newsletter on current issues and ideas, as well as access to the site's basic library. The site also offers more than 20 non-sponsored virtual seminars a year. Premium (paid) memberships include access to a vast Premium Library, podcasts, marketing templates, buyers' guides, benchmark surveys, and marketing guides.
About the Daily Fix
The Daily Fix, founded by MarketingProfs.com in 2006, is a daily group blog and news site with more than 40 contributors with vast experience throughout the marketing, public relations and business community.
Styled as a traditional blog, the Daily Fix offers the marketing and public relations community informative, entertaining and sometimes provocative views with the ability for readers to discuss and comment on the fast moving business world.
The Daily Fix also provides news feeds in partnership with MarketingVOX and MediaBuyerPlanner, both published by Watershed Publishing, which are also open to reader commentary and discussion.
About Eric Ward
Eric Ward founded the Web's very first online publicity and linking services, NetPOST and URLwire, in 1994. Ward's expertise is in helping companies generate links, publicity and buzz for their Web content. A hands-on practitioner, he also offers training and seminars that teach companies how to do it in-house. His client list is a who's who of online brands, from Amazon.com to PBS.org.
He has written for ClickZ and Ad Age, and he won the 1995 Tenagra Award for Internet Marketing Excellence. In 1997, he was named one of the Web's 100 most influential people by Websight magazine.
Ward is a regular contributor to both MarketingProfs.com and the MarketingProfs Daily Fix.
Contact:
Ira Weiss
ira@marketingprofs.com
888-294-4233
###
Contact
MarketingProfs.com
Ira Weiss
845-698-0151
www.marketingprofs.com
Ira Weiss
845-698-0151
www.marketingprofs.com
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