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Originally Posted by vangogh
Well you need me to add it so what you're trying to do is get my attention in some way. Not just any kind of attention, but attention that will leave me feeling good about you and wanting to link to you.
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Ah, and the next paragraph has some great ideas in it. I hadn't even though of them. But you're exactly right, in that blogs tend to carry conversations between them, over time. A lot of blog entries seem to begin with "Our friends at xxx" ( with xxx being a link ), then a summary, then finally analysis. And commenting regularly, in an intelligent way, is probably a great way to get yourself into this conversation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vangogh
Naturally none of that is easy.
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Dang it, I knew there would be a problem with this approach!
This is what it boils down to. It isn't easy. Nothing worth doing ever is, somebody smarter than me once said. I guess this is what I'm ranting about. Some of the other forums here, people buy a database of articles, or a template and some copy writing, and launch a site. All of what should be important, aren't really necessary. You can launch a web site without being or having a designer, writer, artist, or even content at all. Not that a great design should be enough, but for sites that don't actually produce anything, they don't even need this to try and drum up some ad revenue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vangogh
For example 'A List Apart' publishes articles on css. I think anyone can submit, but most articles will never be accepted. But if you write a good enough article and it is accepted and you have a link or two back to your site whether in the article or in an author bio you just got yourself a good link.
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Another fantastic bit of advice, and I meant to come back and write something like this in a reply, until my boss asked me to do actual work.
Read between the lines, and it's hard, but not impossible. I didn't know this about A List Apart, but they're a perfect example. You can go about influencing your chances of getting a link ( in pretty much the same was as organic - by writing some good content! ) but the ultimate power is in someone else's hands. And they don't wield this power against you as punishment, rather, they use it to reward truly outstanding advice. ( Like what some of the regulars here are known for. ) Not being published doesn't mean "you suck," it's just that they only have so much room, and people compete for it.
How Google defines authority in their algorithms is anybody's guess, but I think this is one factor. A List Apart sounds open to feedback and new ideas from the community, but they aren't like a girl in high school with a bad reputation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vangogh
A lot of it will come down to being creative, finding good sites where you can submit something that gives you back a decent link, and getting the attention of someone so they want to link to you.
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And I would say these are the same skills it takes to
create a good web site. Maybe it takes a little more creativity to think outside the walls of your own site, but in general, good content is smiled upon on the internet. In fact, that's what Stumble is all about - there's so much great content out there getting lost like a needle in a haystack, that there should be a way for people to find great stuff more easily.
I owe the two of you in particular thanks. I feel a lot less wet behind the ears. It seems like a good SEO isn't just someone who says "use h1 and title tags." You could almost get the impression a really good SEO's job is more to be a rational person who can stand back, size up a situation for what it is, and have good, logical advice. Or maybe to not loose track of the goal, not get so mired in the details ( more links! never enough, we need
more! ) that they loose track of what's important.
