As I’ve mentioned before, one of the best ways to build relationships online is using a combination of three strategies: 1) Comments 2) Links and 3) Contact. I’ve promised my readers I’d get more into this Personal PR strategy, and what better time than Brian’s recent Copyblogger headline remix challenge? So without further ado, we’ll dig right in.
Here are 27 secrets to linking that will help you build lasting relationships, increase your Personal PR, expand your network, and increase your presence online.
1. Link out in every post.
2. Always read before you link to make sure you’re putting the blogger’s ideas in context. It’s easier to build relationships when you’re demonstrating that you’ve actually read someone’s ideas and aren’t just linking for the heck of it.
4. Send trackbacks to posts of blogs that require them so they will show up on the blogger’s post.
5. Encourage other people to link to your posts by tagging them in bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us, StumbleUpon and Digg. And encourage other people to tag your posts by making it easy on your own blog.
6. Add other bloggers to best-of lists or nominate them for awards. In blogging, everyone likes recognition, especially in the form of links, but many dislike tooting their own horn. Get links for other people, tell them about it, and you’ll likely gain a new member of your network.
7. Hat tip bloggers you’ve borrowed links or ideas from. If you don’t play nice by giving credit online, it can really mess up your Personal PR. Especially if someone writes a nasty post about it. (Hat Tip: Penelope)
8. Link to yourself in every post. It will lead readers to your related content, demonstrate your breadth of ideas on the topic, and help you form relationships through those ideas.
9. When you’ve written a really great comment on a popular post, link to it. Even quote your comment, or expand on it in your post itself. You’ll promote the other blog while at the same time showcasing your ideas.
10. Try linkbait. It might work. It might not.
11. Consider linking to specific, related posts in the website section of a comment form so that readers will be taken directly to relevant content.
12. Realize that every post is an opportunity to build a new relationship by linking out to someone new.
13. Have a special section for of your blog to link to bloggers you have a relationship with – could be your bloggroll, a page, or an ongoing series. Whatever works for you.
14. Link (kindly) to people you openly dislike. Adding uncritical links to those you don’t like will show that you’re professional and personable. You never know, you might just turn a foe into a friend. If not, at least you’re taking the high road.
15. Use the less-is-more approach to your post. Drop in a few really powerful links and consider your job done. You don’t want to give readers too many reasons to leave your blog.
16. Link to as many relevant sources and ideas as possible. Show your broad understanding and extensive research on a subject by littering posts with links. People aren’t going to stay on your blog forever anyway. And they might not even be reading it from your site, so don’t worry about it.
17. In a really good post, link to an aspirational contact – someone you’d like to add to your network. You never know, they might just pay attention and link back to you.
18. Link to research, studies, statistics. Credibility is an important way to build trust, a critical component in establishing relationships.
19. Every once in a while, highlight your favorite blogs in a special post or series.
20. Link to top commentators. It will encourage conversation in the comment sections of your posts and reward those who are frequently chiming in. (I need to get that plugin installed myself so I can follow my own advice here! Update: Done!)
21. Link to people you disagree with (even openly). It will show you’re well-read, well-rounded, and don’t take things personally.
22. Be the first to link to a brand-new blog. If they’re worth their salt, they’ll see you as a valued personal advocate, and you’ll have a lifelong contact.
23. Link to other bloggers when you guest post at a high-profile blog. It’s a better strategy than linking only to yourself. When you link to your favorite bloggers in a guest post, they’ll get trickle-down traffic and appreciate the boost.
24. Be the first to link to a top blogger’s post so you’ll rank high in the comments section and get trickle-down traffic.
25. Link to old posts on your favorite blogs. Top bloggers get a lot of links and trackbacks, and many don’t have time to check all backlinks on hot posts. But link to a six-month old piece and they just might notice.
26. Join the link love bandwagon and share your favorite links, bloggers and sources each day, week, or month.
27. Remember that links are a form of currency in blogging. They can increase authority, promote content, and most importantly, help build relationships. Share the links first, and people will start linking back to you.
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Great Tips! I couldnt have thought of so many innovative ways myself! Great insight Tiffany!
Stumbled it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the first 8 or 9 tips, but then I got overwhelmed by the word “link”…which is bound to happen when you are writing a post titled “27 Secrets to Linking Like a Master.”
It’s good to put some useful links to other blogs in a post but I think adding lot’s of links in a single post just to build interaction with other bloggers will make your readers confused and they will not follow most of the links for sure!
@ Vikram – thanks! I don’t usually write posts with so many tips, but having that number set for me by the challenge definitely helped me squeeze out an extra does of creativity.
@ Chad – I know, it’s a long list, and since my traffic here is a good mix of both seasoned and novice bloggers, I started with the meat-and-potatoes strategies first and got to the more advanced stuff later. Maybe you can get to them all if you read it in shifts?
I think some people have become wrapped up in link hoarding so it’s nice to see someone provide a different view. The web works because of links!
Tiffany,
This is a great post and embodies the true essence of blogging; PARTICIPATION. Never in human history has it been so easy to hold an open conversation with someone for everyone to participate in.
You have really great tips and I’ll be sure to use more than a few of them to enrich my own blogging experience.
Success in all your endeavors,
Raza
@ Lukas – well, since this post is about linking, and since it has so many points, it’s a bit of an extreme case. I usually limit my links to anywhere between 3-10 – because you do want to make sure you’re not providing too much and keeping people from clicking anything.
This also illustrates the idea that you need to balance the amount of links you put in relative to the length of your content.
@ Marios – Good point. By being proactive and giving (through links) to other people, most of them will give back to you. That’s the Bloggers Golden Rule I wrote about recently.
@ Raza – You’ve hit the nail on the head. Participation is the real power of the web today. It’s why MySpace and Facebook are worth so much – they are able to capitalize on the participation we all have with one another. So when we learn to capitalize on it for ourselves, we add value to ourselves and those we’re forming relationships with. Glad you enjoyed the post!
I liked it a lot! Thanks for sharing such ideas Tiffany!
“14. Link (kindly) to people you openly dislike. Adding uncritical links to those you don’t like will show that you’re professional and personable. You never know, you might just turn a foe into a friend. If not, at least you’re taking the high road.”
You’re not a fan of John Maxwell by any chance? I have one of his books (Winning with people) and he emphasises the virtue of taking the high road.
Now lets see if my linking to his website is going to have the sort of impact you describe in point 23 😉
@Kosta I am in fact a John Maxwell fan
In fact, I met him last year, and hearing him speak was a life changing, inspiring moment. What I love is that he demonstrates through his thought leadership that putting others first and adding value to them also turns out to be a great business strategy.
So you’ve found an influence of mine! I’m glad it shows in my own advice. I truly believe it’s also sage blogging advice to put others first, to build relationships, and to add value – to the conversation, to people, to your niche – and whatever comes from doing that is awesome, but extra. Maxwell’s humility in his own career success has demonstrated the power of that stance to me!
Here’s where I wrote about meeting him:
http://tiffanymonhollon.com/blog/2007/10/19/the-secret-to-leadership/
Tiffany…I can’t put into words how awesome of a greeting I received on your blog! A personal email? You ROCK! (Note to self…sign up for RSS feed right away!)
I think one thing I run into is I’ll read a news article and want to link to it to back up something I’ve written and I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve found the Google Notebook application is a good place to copy an article and highlight or write comments to yourself for future reference. Pre-planning linkage, if you will.
@Kate,
I struggled with this for a long time, too, and I’ve tried many different systems. I used to e-mail things to myself, then I tried keeping track in Backpack, and now I’m using del.icio.us to tag things so I can keep track of them by category. I’m actually enjoying the tagging thing, because it’s quick, and it’s flexible enough I can keep track of all the links/ideas in one vein in one place with the tag mechanism, that way if I’m finding a lot of great stuff on community, for example, I can just go into my account and look at all the other stuff I’ve tagged about it. Google applications are a good place too, but I often find myself with so much stuff I need a way to manage it all.
Thanks for sharing the tip!
This is great information! Linking is just like talking and a real conversation. Making the effort to start relationships w/ those is a splendid idea.
Hey Tiffany, great idea! In fact, if you don’t mind, I’m going to link my website right here! Dear Bulk Mailer
I link to wikipedia cuz I’m in love wif it.
Great tips about networking dude. I was following the most of the tips you gave and the results are awesome. Keep growing with great posts like this, see you around :cool:.
These are great tips Tiffany. I love linking out. As you say – people are going to leave your site at some point, so you may as well send them somewhere good.
And your idea of awards is a great one. I think that might be something a friend of mine may want to do on her blog, so I just emailed her with your suggestion as I was reading your post.
@Catherine – Thanks for passing the post along! Glad to hear you not only got some value out of it yourself, but find it valuable for others as well.
Thank you for this post!
This is a hugely useful post. So many great ideas along with explanations. Thanks.
Great ideas! Thanks! Great Effort!
Amazing. Straight to the point. Thank you _very_ much.
I will definately take your advice. I’ve spent too much time blogging and not enough time reading others and commenting. Now it’s time to take my blogs to the next level. Thanks again!
I have wanted one of these forever! THANKS for the great work
Tiffany, terrific advice!
I found your site through a link from Twenty Set.
When I come across a website I like, I always check out their links and blogrolls. Glad to have found your site.
I bookmark everything but rarely link to it. Something to think about in the future.
Nice tips.. I hope i could do all that and be a master..
@ Dexter – Thanks! Once you start using all these different ideas, they will begin to come to you more naturally!
Thank you very much for the ideas. I’m just starting my blog and I’ll certainly keep these things in mind.
@ Jonathan – Glad you’re finding these ideas valuable. Let us know how your new blog launch goes!
I let my readers know about your hard work on this one Tiffany. Very insightful, I love the suggestion of tipping the hat. It’s always nice to say thank you and it builds your credibility at the same time.
-Lawton
@ Lawton – Thanks so much, Lawton! It was a blast putting this together and seeing how valuable it has been to so many people. I truly appreciate it.
This is just such an awesome post. You’re all about giving credit where it’s due, giving to others without asking anything in return, and just being an awesome human being overall.
I love it.
I’ll be back real soon!
Sheree
@ Sheree – thanks so much for the kind compliments! If this post itself has taught me anything, it’s that those qualities you’re talking about sure to pay back – in dividends!
Hi Tiffany
Came across your post through http://www.doshdosh.com/
Thanks for the tips; thinking of restarting my blog, will keep these in mind. Thanks a million for sharing.
Cheers
Kay
This whole linking thing is new to me. I am now learning how important it is to link. These are some excellent link secrets I will be using because I never understood this linking thing. Thank you so much. I am a glad to have found your blog and you have made my day. Alright Carmen get to work:)
Great article, really put some ideas in my head growing my blog. Thanks again
@ Dave – Thanks for the comment! Linking is one of the top strategies I’ve used to grow my blog and my network.
Hi, I’m Isaac Yassar and I help people reaching success in self development, business, and blogging for free.
I’ve read the whole 27 linking tips. AWESOME!!!
Incredibly useful! Masterpiece!
Thank you for sharing. I highly appreciate it.
Oh and I’ve just check your page source, since I love to look for meta tags from others’ website just to compare it with mine.
And I see that you have simple meta tags. In case you want to enhance them to make your site more search engine friendly, I have collected many meta tags for search engine in my post:
http://isaacyassar.blogspot.com/2008/12/site-development-3-seo.html
I haven’t found any website that has more complete meta tags than mine, so feel free to visit, compare, and adopt them as you please.
However, I just want to help here, if needed. I’m not trying to promote my site and I do not ask for anything in return.
Have a nice day.
Great tips! Thank you!
Great tips! Thanks for publishing them.
I have been marketing on youtube for a while with a few secret strategies that I use and as a youtube marketer I must say these are some very helpful tips
Thanks A million
A new business technique called attraction marketing is getting a whole lot more attention and can help you become an authority networker. One primary focus of the attraction marketing formula is developing personal relationships with existing clients and become a person of value, so that they have the underlying feeling of attraction and want to come back for more.
Great tips, great insight – I will be using many of the suggestions you have here!