Quick disclaimer: in some of the vids, the dots on my hands are from the markers… I ain’t a lepper, LOL
Today we are going to exhaustively talk about links! Yep, that’s right, links. I’m not going to tell you how to “get links” yet (so don’t get all excited), but I will teach you to “understand links.” Foundations are important.
Internet Marketing Links
First up… listen now and listen good: the success of your website in the search engines depends on backlinks. Links to your site are endorsements of your content from other “webmasters.” You must get links and market your content… But before you can get links, you have to understand what they are, what they mean, where they come from, and how they evolve.
There are a bunch of vids in this post, so watch and enjoy. I want to make this real-world for you, so I am going to stick with the “DIY Niche” through these vids. (our website here will be www.theDIYdude.com … a real domain I purchased just for this series here) I want you to get some true examples while visualizing the concepts in the REAL WORLD! (yeah, I am always trying to get you guys to think like humans in the real world and pull your heads outta your “Make Money Online Blogging” arses!) so let’s get started:
What Are Links and Why Are They Important Online?
In this video, I illustrate backlinks by pretending we are at a gathering of businesses, and Mr. Google is the doorman, directing customers to each business based on the customer’s needs. Watch…
So you can see that links are those little blue underlined words on websites. Most of you probably knew that. But there is a lot more to it than just having a bunch of sites pointing at you. This video has set the foundation for the next ones that will appeal to your more intermediate internet marketing mind!
All links are not created equally and the next videos will help you understand some of that.
Links And Anchor Text
The first thing I want you to consider when you go out to get links (or when you link out to your friends), is the anchor text used in the link. I mean, it’s cool if you get linked up with www.theDIYdude.com because of the fact that your domain name itself has the keyword “DIY” (do-it-yourself) in it, but this is not the best way to get your links anchored. Keep in mind that the actual anchored (the blue) words tell the Google crawlers what your site is about. IOW– when the spiders follow the link, the words anchored give them an idea of what’s on the other side of the link. Those spiders remember that! (in a manner of speaking of course)
In the case of www.theDIYdude.com we would love to have the anchore text of “home improvement tips” instead of just www.DIYdude.com. Can you see how the actual anchored blue words are more telling about the site than just the URL? (please ask questions below if you cannot grasp this concept ok?)
Linking Someone’s Name
This is something that you bloggers out there need to learn: and that being how to link to your buddies. I mean, quit linking people’s names. Sure, some of you think that “your name is your brand” and linking your name would increase that, but tell me how many real humans using Google are gonna search your dang name looking for whatyou have to offer? Yeah, they ain’t, so why do you insist on anchoring people’s names when you link to their sites? Why not help a brother or sister out and link their keywords? Let’s pretend you have a site about home improvement and you want to send me some natural link love: here is how you should do it:
“…since we are talking about floor tiling, wall framing and related power tools, you all could definitely benefit from checking out my friend Allyn Hane over at his DIY Home Improvement blog. Leave him a comment and let him know I sent you.”
Glad we got that one straight… and …Now that you know about anchor text, can you see how that is a lot better than just saying “Go see Allyn Hane for more information on DIY home improvement projects.”
Guest Posting Links
And not that I am bashing here guys, but that is really one thing that annoys me when it comes to guest posting on well known blogs. Some of you are big into this concept and you may spend an hour writing a nice keyword enriched, helpful post for a big name blogger, and when he introduces you as the guest poster, he links your freaking name or just your site name. Why wouldn’t he take the time to anchor your keywords in the guest post instead? Hmmf!
Yeah, just so you know, the value of guest posting isn’t from getting a bunch of someone’s trickle traffic… it’s in getting the anchored link from an authority site! THAT is why you guest post… for the LINK!!! (start thinking like a marketer and not just a blogger ya’ll)
Links And Site Authority
In this video, we talk about getting links from sites with some authority and how important that can be to your results.
So now let’s put a couple of these concepts together shall we? We know so far:
1) you need to get links (endorsements)
2) links with keywords anchored help Google understand your site better
3) links from sites with authority (PageRank) are bigger endoresements of your content
Just so you know, in my opinion, page rank on your own site really doesn’t mean much. Sure, if your site is a PR3 or PR4, your new posts will get crawled and indexed faster, and it will be easier to rank for langtails, but that is really the easy part.
Where pagerank matters is when sites that have a lot of it (PR3+) link *to* you. Those links are ENDORSEMENTS from already trusted sites and that makes the search engines in turn trust you, thus raising your site and pages up into the better locations in search results. (BTW– if you ain’t number 1 for a keyword, you ain’t nuthin’ in most cases!)
Can you see how this is stitching together? Getting links that are keyword anchored from authority sites will help you rank for your keywords… in other words, get you to position #1 for the keywords that are anchored. (read that run-on again 
)
PageRank Of Page, Not Domain
One other word of caution here: when you go out to seek/find high PR links, you need to understand that the pagerank of the PAGE the link is on matters and NOT so much the pagerank of the top level domain. I have seen these snake oil salesman out there telling people “we can get you 100 PR8 links to your website for $$$$”
What those guys do is go to sites where the main page is a PR8 (like http://www.weebly.com/) and they create an account page for you there and give you a link. But the page they created is a PRn/a or PR0.. and THAT is what Google looks at, the PR of the page, not the domain. Get it? So if you buy into that, you are not getting PR8 links, trust me.
Links And Site Relevance
We are almost done here, so pay attention as I am now going to talk about the relevance of the links you get.
This part of the concept can be a little confusing, so let me remind you that there really are no “bad links” for the most part. (well, unless someone spam links to you 1,000 times with the term “cheap vi*gra” or something)… but let’s stay on track.. there are no bad links.
But there are better links. So let’s look once again at our progression here, afteral, repetition is the key to learning bitches!
1) you need to get links, period
2) links with keywords anchored help Google understand your site better
3) links from sites with authority (PageRank) are bigger endoresements of your content
4) links from sites that are in your same or similar niche are big endorsements also, maybe bigger!
You see, it’s cool if we get a link to our DIY site from a PR4 site/page that is about general news and events, especially if our keywords are anchored. We’ll take those all day long.
But it’s actually a little better to get a keyword anchored link to our DIY site from a PR3 site that is focused on home improvement tips its-own-self. The relevance there trumps that extra pagerank when it comes to endorsement importance.
Now, no one truly knows what is better and what is worse in the grand scheme of the web.
“Is a PR6 link from CNN to your DIY site better than a PR4 link from DIY Network’s website…?” etc etc etc.
See how that can get a little muddy? So like I said before, all the links you can get are better than nothing, but you should, as a general rule, gets links on sites that are similar in your niche when you can. So in the case of www.theDIYdude.com we would try to get links from sites about “home improvement” first, but would also go for links on sites about “kitchens and baths” “gardening” “tile” “wood flooring” “home furnishings” “painting” etc. Each of these niches are great and would help us out, especially if the link was anchored well and on a high PR page.
So what is the Perfect Link?
As my friend Vic says, the HOLY GRAIL OF LINKS is…
So the best link (endorsement) I can get for www.theDIYdude.com is a keyword anchored link from a PR10 DIY Home Improvement site. If I can score that, I am well on my way to the big bank I am chasing. So how do you get links like that? You’ll have to stay tuned guys… I’ll show you in due time!
Honest Talk At The End (Everyone Read This Please)
Now it occurs to me that a lot of you are sitting there thinking, “Holy crap I can’t do all of that. That’s too much work!”
If that is you, you are not the first. But honestly, you should probably just stick to being a blogger then. As a blogger, you can feel good about “getting out a post today” and you can take refuge in the fact that you “left 10 comments on other blogs today” and go tell your Mommy that you “retweeted 10 tweets today.”
But “posting today” and “commenting today” and “Tweeting today” ain’t gonna get you paid any time soon.
So are you in this for the blogging touchy-feely or do you wanna get paid like a real marketer? Which is it? Do you have the bullocks to get out and market your content to real people or do you just want other bloggers to kiss your arse and mention you on Facebook?
In the real world, in real niches, you have to MARKET boys and girls, just like REAL businesses market a product of service, and getting links is the first step to marketing your content so you can turn a profit. …until next time…
Wow. Thanks, man. I try to explain this stuff to people and it’s very difficult. I’m glad I can send them your way now — and it helped me, too. I was hazy on page rank, but now I have a clearer understanding.
By the way, do PPC ads have any value for providing anchor text? I suspect not, for all kinds of reasons, but have always wondered if they’ve got any influence.
Adwords Writing´s last blog ..Great tips for writing more effective Adwords ads
Glad that the illustration worked for ya!
Adwords links don’t do anything for SEO value. I used to wonder if adsense on my site was considered content, so you are not the only one who thinks of that kinda stuff. It just proves you are starting to look outside the box ya know?
if i want to try this for my site, what would you suggest, if i join a link market
Hello kind sir….thanks a lot for this most informative blog, I can come in out of the dark armed with some comprehension of what it is I should be aiming for…going to have a caffeine hit then tackle your other pages…bless your white cotton socks for being out here in cyberspace with the benefit of your experience…arohanui to you and yours
Julie
Hey great stuff. My head is swimming between the right software and approach for ungrading a website, to considerations for how to best get exposure. Gonna read and research for a while I think.
I often wondered if the Adsense on my site would be considered content….I thought I was the only one! Anyway, even if it was, it would be duplicate content!
Those are pretty concise info on backlinks. It took me months to understand backlinks but it only took you an article to explain everything in clear, plain and funny English =). Loving you now. hehe
Shinta @ Real Work From Home´s last blog ..Globacy, The Search Engine for Online Freelance Jobs
[...] assume you wanted to know about backlinks, would you rather read a 2000 word post which tells you all you need to know about backlinks, or a 200 word one that only skims the surface and hints that the writer actually knows very little [...]
These vids were very helpful, Thanks.
Does this relate more to blogs than regular websites or do the same principles carry across?
Dan, blogs and websites are the same thing. so yep, it carries.
[...] this video series, Allyn masterfully weaves a path starting with the basics of backlinks and anchored links then onto links and site authority and relevance finally ending on a video discussing the perfect [...]
Hey Allyn,
Great post and information regarding links, anchored links and linking strategy. Though I hand some understanding of links and backlinking, your video series definitely helped clear up some of the finer points, especially about anchor text.
It even inspired me to create a post built around your videos on one of my sites and try the whole process out (ok it’s not quite an authority site
with links back to this post.
Thanks again for all the great insight …
Jim Hickey´s last blog ..Blog Traffic Techniques: Understanding Links and Link Strategies
Hey Jim, thanks for the props man, I am glad you found some good value in the vids. I always appreciate making new connections no matter what “status” their blog carries. IOW– you are cool with me man, no matter who you are!
Hey Allyn Jim was the innocent party who was the first person to comment and subscribe on THAT post of mine – his email box never recovered
lissie´s last blog ..What is a Long Tail Keyword? Keyword Identification for the New and Clueless
[...] exists enough good sources upon which I simply can direct you. Allyn Hane exhaustively articulates Everything You Need to Know About Backlinks in an excellent video tutorial that I highly recommend. Just Visit the links for specific details [...]
How do you convince someone to link to you? Maybe an approach like – “I love your blog…love it, love it, love it. I mean, like, you are the coolest dude in the dude-o-sphere. Your blog is like, bodacious. I mean, you’re like the Fourth Tribe! You wouldn’t want to link to me would ya? ”
Jim´s last blog ..Content Theft – When Imitation is Not the Sincerest Form of Flattery
you don’t convince anyone to link to you, you go out and get your own links!
you will, of course, get some natural links, but most will be ones you go grab yourself!
Sorry if I’m sounding dense. I shouldn’t have posted in such a silly way.
I watched your videos again but I still don’t get it.
Getting links is contacting people and asking for a referral in a post (or perhaps in a guest post), right? (Using your meeting example, you would introduce yourself to Bob Vila and establish credibility with him. Based upon the discussion, he would then decide if he wants to associate with you.)
Just deliver the content that would get them WANTING to link to you…
Rob Sellen´s last blog ..If you want to make money online don’t try to do it all
Keep in mind, this post is designed to talk about what links are, not necessarily tell you how to get links.
Here is a vid post I did to give you a few ideas on getting links
http://bloggerillustrated.net/how-to-get-links-by-darren-rowse-and-i-agree/
The easiest way to get links is to link from your own websites
or buy links. Hardly anyone will naturally link to your site unless it contains amazing content, then these links may be from social sites. There is no way Amazon will link to your 4 slice toaster site for example.
Like Allyn said, you’ve got to go out there and get your own links.
Andrew´s last blog ..We Were Attacked
They won’t?
Damn… off to sort my toaster site out.
Rob Sellen´s last blog ..If you want to make money online don’t try to do it all
[...] some half decent content utilising these long tail keywords, and with that some anchored backlinks with these long tail keywords too. (see how these links I am sharing are anchored [...]
Brilliant! I am so over the hype. You have real class my friend, and your explanations are clear as a bell. Thank you for this, I will read or watch whatever I can of yours.
earnest´s last blog ..James Taylor and Carole King concert Melbourne Australia
I really did love all the posts i read Allyn not just this one. I’m following your system and i’m starting to stack some backlinks and guess what, this week my new sites jumped 6 pages forward in google now after they were truely burried. Things are getting better. thanks to you and Grizzly.
Regards.
Hang in there! you can do it!
Hi Allyn,
Stumbled on your site and am I GLAD I did. Unemployed, older (did not grow up with computers), want to do internet marketing and “Oh Man!” there is so much! What’s a scam what’s not…where / how does one start? A step by step would be beautiful!!! Your vid sure helped and I will keep reading / watching. Any suggestions are welcome. Thank You!
Tom
Tom,
You found a good one to learn from, but just out of interest, seeing your predicament… what were you employed as? Hobbies, that sort of thing… what could you write easy about? That’s a where to start.
At least, just research the possibility of what you could do out of anything related to them, use searchs etc to get some ideas.
Any questions, all ya gotta do is ask.
rob sellen´s last blog ..Make money online from one of these 95 niches
[...] Back-linking tips I will take on board, tips to get that passive income online coming in and I’ll also be getting some make money online advice, that is making money online advice from a bear! [...]
I found this post from the Grizzly blog and this article answered most of my question marks about the backlinks. Thanks for the lesson.
small sofas´s last blog ..6 Easy Ways to Clean Your Sofa
Yet another great and entertaining tutorial. Your use of text and videos remains the best training I’ve seen yet. I am very comfortable sending the people I work with to your site.
Thanks for all that you do!
Rick Samara
How to Build an Internet Home Business´s last blog ..Instructions on Developing a Mini-Network
[...] has links already pointing at it. This is super important for several reasons, mostly because building links [...]
[...] gives you a backlink if you have a blog to link to and encourages comments I think I am on the right path, at least as [...]
dude, srsly great write up and videos. backlinks are super important for the big G.
Awesome. Man, this is the info that people getting into SEO really need to take in. Loved the vids. Problem is I think a lot of people are just getting one or two of these principles and leaving it there (particularly forgetting about anchor text!!!!)
Jimmy´s last blog ..How I Make Money Online
I assume the importance of nofollow/dofollow links is covered elsewhere?
Dave@funny tattoos´s last blog ..For Sale- 1959 Series II Land Rover Project Car
no not really… I will be doing a post about link variation soon. The MayDay update changed some of my assumptions, so that is why I have not done it yet. stay tuned!
Clearly this is the best tutorial on links that I have found on the web. Love the videos and the “no fluff zone”. It took me several weeks to understand links and anchor text, but now I know where to send anyone wanting to know about these topics/
Kidgas´s last blog ..Another Day- Another Dollar
[...] told me to do in his video, plus I did what I already knew how to do in regards to content and getting links. Pretty simple when you look at it from afar [...]