This post is dedicated to Amanda. 🙂 We’ve all reached a point that feels like a plateau in our online career. Either the revenue is staling out, or the traffic isn’t climbing the way you think it should be, but either way it’s tough to feel like you’re just stuck. So here are some ideas for moving beyond the basic tricks of digg, stumble and tweeting your links.
Look For an Additional Platform
Some online sites accept content from writers and have the ability to help you build up your platform as being knowledgeable in a particular area. Sites like Examiner, Suite101, Type-A-Mom and Untrained Housewife all have specific columns or section areas where you can contribute articles. Use them to not only become more well-known online, but also create judicious links back to your main blog, articles, and posts. Most of these sites offer an additional bonus of revenue sharing or payment!
Create Outlying Related Posts for Incoming Links
A great way to do this is to use Hubpages, Squidoo or other sites for creating incoming links to specific posts and articles on your main site. Google looks at these deep links (links to a PAGE on your site vs to your main site) in addition to links to your main site and considers them important, especially when coming from a page with related content. You can see a sample of how I did this with an Untrained Housewife article using Hubpages.
This Hubpage is specific to how to use this recipe for Thanksgiving. Very seasonal, short and easy to write. Meanwhile, the main article on Untrained Housewife, shares the Christmas Chicken Recipe and a bit more general information about how I use it and why I like it. By using the Hubpage to point back to the main website I’ve told Google that not only is this a great recipe worth showing in the results, but it’s also relevant to Thanksgiving.
Additionally, the community at Hubpages will see what I’ve posted and give me the potential of new readers that would not have otherwise found my site. And that’s an important key – if you are always getting readers from the same exact places, those are the only readers you will have. I have done similar things with Squidoo lenses by gathering more than one article or blog post on a related topic, and link to ALL the posts from a dedicated lens.
Message Boards, Blog Comments and Community Sites
Almost every niche has message boards or forums dedicated to them, blogs on the subject, or community websites offering you the chance to meet others in the same niche. This can be a great way to not only find other bloggers for post exchanges or blog carnivals, but also to keep informed of the latest news, books, “celebrities” and happenings in the field. Often your forum signature and profile information can include links so don’t be afraid to include a link to your favorite or most poignant post! (Be sure to check the user agreements of each specific community and forum so you are abiding within their guidelines.)
Once you move beyond the basic bookmarking sites, you’ll find your reach, audience, knowledge and traffic increasing. Sometimes it’s all about broadening your horizons a little bit and looking past the obvious. See some additional ideas from @Moomettes great post 11 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
I’ve used some of the very techniques you’ve mentioned – submitting articles to Type A Mom and other community sites; and also creating Squidoo lenses. I have a cooking lens, and link back to all the recipes on my blog, which actually are linked to eHow.
Good article, and thanks for the linky luv!
Yes, you are very good at doing that I’ve seen. Anytime you can incorporate links back to your main blog or higher revenue/traffic site you’ll be increasing the benefits in the long run. 🙂