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Next week we are going to discuss linking practices on our monthly Google Plus Hangout: That will be your perfect chance to ask us your questions!
Today, in preparation for that talk, we sum up the previously discussed linking topics to create a all-in-one resource to make your life easier!
1. Number of Links
- You can have ONE link to your site or page (self-serving = anything that has relation to you; be it your site, your client, etc). Read on: Linking Terminology We Use At #MyBlogGuest
- You can link to your personal social media accounts. You are HIGHLY encouraged to link to your Google Plus account. See how to verify the authorship of your guest posts: Verify Authorship Using Google Plus Account (“Contributor to” Section)
- You are HIGHLY encouraged to link out to trusted pages that add additional information on what you mentioned. Read on: Guest Blogging for Co-Citation: the Benefit of Linking out #MyBlogGuest
- You are free to link to your other guest posts if it MAKES SENSE: We believe that benefits your previous publishers and builds your relationships with them. Read on: Make the Most of Guest Blogging: Second-Tier Link Building
#MyBlogGuest I like 1.4. Linking to other guest posts you've written is a great way share the love. #myblogguest
— Helen Hoefele (@figmentations) May 23, 2013
2. Placement of your links
- If you link to your page from the byline, make sure to sound neutral: Don’t promote your site, Don’t make it sound as an ad. Read on: Guest Post Bylines: Examples and Resources to Get Inspired
- If you link to your page from the body, feel free to link to your personal social profiles from the byline. Please don’t start your guest post with your link: It’s bad manners at the very least (and a good chance to ruin your relationships with bloggers). Please, use your link in the second half of the article. Make sure to surround it with other good links. Read on: See examples of links appearing naturally in the guest article
@RoberteKraus This is a good example (bottom) -> http://t.co/tHBtHNUHZz #myblogguest
— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) May 23, 2013
My personal preference is no intro links at all. Why invite the reader to bounce off immediately? #myblogguest
— Don Sturgill (@Don_Sturgill) May 23, 2013
3. Ten Commandments
1. Your own link should flow naturally (and NOT stand out) in a guest post
Amen to 3.1 … 10% more effort will move you from passable to excellent in this regard. #myblogguest
— Don Sturgill (@Don_Sturgill) May 23, 2013
2. Your own link should be relevant to the surrounding context (kind of obvious after #1)
3. Your own link should be surrounded by other good trusted relevant links (think good signals and co-citation)
4. Your own link should NOT sound as an ad (even when placed in the byline): You are not promoting yourself; you are informing the reader of who you are!
5. Forget about anchor text: It always looks forced and unnatural (and will raise red flags at Google)
6. Linking out to others’ blog posts and articles is relationship building (and again good signal to Google)
7. {For publishers} Don’t be afraid to link OUT generously: This makes your article more useful (Google will love you for that as well!)
8. If your link is in the first paragraph of the guest post, the blogger will be turned off. DON’T DO THIS
9. If someone says they know what Google thinks about links, RUN!
10. To see if you are following the above rules, reread your article and answer the question: “Is it useful?”
Love the distinction between "informing" vs "promoting" in these 10 Commandments of #MyBlogGuest Best Linking Practices #myblogguest
— Helen Hoefele (@figmentations) May 23, 2013
To better memorize the above commandments, please download this graphic and take it with you; give each of your employees a copy!
Have I missed anything?
Next week we’ll be listing some examples of articles that adhere to the above commandments during our monthly PUSH Thursday! Don’t miss it!
Joseph
Latest posts by Joseph (see all)
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Jon Barry @ Jon Barry's Let's Talk...
Hi Anne
This is an interesting post, and I am glad that some of the “rules” I allow on my posts have been adopted here too (not meaning you saw mine and copied, just we both saw value in the same things) Like a link to the author in the byline, and not just to the client – if they are allowed to.
I have always said I do not mind if you add 3 or even 4 links in the copy, IF it adds to the story, and helps to educate the reader…. but not too keyword heavy – and think more of Long Chain Links etc….
I know links are not bad, indeed, links out are good…. for Google, and for increasing knowledge available – and keeping your posts that bit shorter…..
(Odd a post of 1000 or more is too big, but a post of about 600 – 700 is fine, even linking to two or three other posts of 600 – 700 – when they read them all, as some do, the word count is well over your (could have been) 1000 word post…. odd….)
Good to see that MBG is a fluid evolving thing, than just being a static, unchanging, and in danger of becoming out dated thing….
Thanks for all you and your team do for us!
Posted by Jon Barry of JonBarry.co.uk – one of many blogs in the MBG available sites.