Have you ever looked at the number of outgoing links most blogs display?
Whether placed in a long unsorted list (like mine!) or divided into related sections, most blogs have lots of outgoing links.
I often enjoy exploring other bloggers' lists of favourite places. Some delightful discoveries can be made along the way.
When you first see the list of links, it's fairly intimidating. There is the title of a completely unknown blog, and nothing more. Rarely is any information about blog link content given, outside of the main blog posts. The content behind the blog title is like a strange unexplored land.
What lies byond that mouse click?
The only way to find out, is to surf on over!
I have discovered and read some very interesting, and I suppose some not really my cup of tea blogs, in my travels. My preferred method is to check the links, on my regular reads, for blogs I have yet to find. I click over to that blog, and do the same thing randomly from that person's list.
Sometimes the "six degrees of separation" theory returns you to your starting point!
The excitement is often more in the discovery, than the reading itself. As a result of my wanderings, through these strange and exotic locales, I have found a few real gems.
More than a few, actually!
I like to think friends of other bloggers are my not yet discovered friends too.
While it would take too long to name even a few here, and your tastes may vary from mine, I'll leave the voyages of discovery up to you.
Stange blogs are no longer unknowns after you visit them; even one time.
You may want to link to them, and return again and again.
Other blog surfers can find the blog, from your blog links and blogrolls, as a result of your journey of exploration.
Monday, January 5, 2004
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Bloggers get married
While you may not be avid readers of their blogs, well known blogging types Deb Yoder of The Accidental Jedi and Jay Solo of Verbosity are tying the proverbial knot.
I have been a reader of The Accidental Jedi for quite some time. I also look in on Jay Solo's writings as well, although I have never got around to adding his blog to my links section.
Until now.
My friend Jeremy Wright of Ensight, has already spilled the beans, so to speak. He keeps up on the latest news, on my behalf.
What does the marriage of two bloggers have to do with business blogging you ask?
Good question!
Many people consider blogging to be a community that brings people closer together. While others disagree, about the community aspect, most agree that bloggers do have a level of interaction, not experienced by static website owners.
Outside of the various internet forums, there is little visible interplay between static website owners. They know one another from their forum discussion posts.
Bloggers are different.
With their personal lives, often played out in full public view, bloggers may have reached the fringes of the modern celebrity culture. Celebrity is often defined as being well known by others, who have never met you in person. They know of you by your public activities; in this case, it's blogging.
While it's possible to become well known, at least in internet circles, by having a website, being a blogger achieves that notice much faster.
By posting your thoughts and comments on various matters, in your daily blog posts, people begin to know you as a person. The amount of your inner thoughts and personality you choose to reveal, is entirely up to you.
As your present and potential clients and customers read your business blog, they start to know you a bit better as a person. Since you are already known to them, they are much more likely to become future customers of your business.
The function of having people get to know you better was formerly the domain of the e-mail newsletter. It's main purpose is to develop a bond of familiarity between the sender and the reader. The end result would be a customer relationship built on long term trust.
The blog adds another dimension to the familiarity process. An e-mail newsletter is sent to its mailing list every two weeks to a month. A blog is posted and read, by its regular readers, almost daily. The chances of developing a strong relationship are even greater.
Sometimes the relationships develop into long term customers.
Sometimes those relationships result in marriage.
Congratulations to Jay Solo and Deb Yoder on your marriage.
I have been a reader of The Accidental Jedi for quite some time. I also look in on Jay Solo's writings as well, although I have never got around to adding his blog to my links section.
Until now.
My friend Jeremy Wright of Ensight, has already spilled the beans, so to speak. He keeps up on the latest news, on my behalf.
What does the marriage of two bloggers have to do with business blogging you ask?
Good question!
Many people consider blogging to be a community that brings people closer together. While others disagree, about the community aspect, most agree that bloggers do have a level of interaction, not experienced by static website owners.
Outside of the various internet forums, there is little visible interplay between static website owners. They know one another from their forum discussion posts.
Bloggers are different.
With their personal lives, often played out in full public view, bloggers may have reached the fringes of the modern celebrity culture. Celebrity is often defined as being well known by others, who have never met you in person. They know of you by your public activities; in this case, it's blogging.
While it's possible to become well known, at least in internet circles, by having a website, being a blogger achieves that notice much faster.
By posting your thoughts and comments on various matters, in your daily blog posts, people begin to know you as a person. The amount of your inner thoughts and personality you choose to reveal, is entirely up to you.
As your present and potential clients and customers read your business blog, they start to know you a bit better as a person. Since you are already known to them, they are much more likely to become future customers of your business.
The function of having people get to know you better was formerly the domain of the e-mail newsletter. It's main purpose is to develop a bond of familiarity between the sender and the reader. The end result would be a customer relationship built on long term trust.
The blog adds another dimension to the familiarity process. An e-mail newsletter is sent to its mailing list every two weeks to a month. A blog is posted and read, by its regular readers, almost daily. The chances of developing a strong relationship are even greater.
Sometimes the relationships develop into long term customers.
Sometimes those relationships result in marriage.
Congratulations to Jay Solo and Deb Yoder on your marriage.
Saturday, January 3, 2004
Business blogs: Oklahoma Wine News
When you think of Oklahoma, the first things that spring to mind for many people are cattle, oil and football.
Wine making is not something usually associated with the Sooner State.
In a great example of using a business blog, designed to promote the state's wine industry, try a sip of Oklahoma Wine News.
The Nuyaka Creek Winery in Oklahoma is the first of many business blogs I want to examine, as we look at some real business blogs in action.
The Oklahoma Wine News blog is an offshoot of the Nuyaka Creek Winery website.
The best thing about the Nuyaka Creek Winery's business blog is its purpose. It's not simply a blatantly self promoting advertising blurb for the winery. As you are probably aware, that is an easy trap to fall into, if care is not taken with the blog.
Instead, the blog focusses on the entire Oklahoma wine making industry, and on general wine news.
The blog does a great job of maintaining that direction.
Some recent posts focus on the health benefits of wine, sales of wine products on the internet, and news about the Oklahoma wine harvest.
Another positive feature of the blog is its almost daily updating. Fresh new posts are very important in a business blog, especially a recently established one like Oklahoma Wine News.
The frequency of posting will certainly help to add and retain visitor traffic. It's a must for business blogs.
Freely using, links to other Oklahoma wineries, and other industry sources makes the blog a useful and friendly site for visitors as well.
I have often said that bloggers are very generous linkers.
Oklahoma Wine News certainly is not hesitant to link to other blogs and static websites.
As an added feature, the blog has an RSS feeder through Feedster. An RSS feed helps complete the user friendliness of the blog.
While the blog doesn't offer a comment system, the main Nuyaka Creek Winery website includes a guest book and a discussion forum instead.
Here's a toast to Oklahoma Wine News on a great business blog!
Wine making is not something usually associated with the Sooner State.
In a great example of using a business blog, designed to promote the state's wine industry, try a sip of Oklahoma Wine News.
The Nuyaka Creek Winery in Oklahoma is the first of many business blogs I want to examine, as we look at some real business blogs in action.
The Oklahoma Wine News blog is an offshoot of the Nuyaka Creek Winery website.
The best thing about the Nuyaka Creek Winery's business blog is its purpose. It's not simply a blatantly self promoting advertising blurb for the winery. As you are probably aware, that is an easy trap to fall into, if care is not taken with the blog.
Instead, the blog focusses on the entire Oklahoma wine making industry, and on general wine news.
The blog does a great job of maintaining that direction.
Some recent posts focus on the health benefits of wine, sales of wine products on the internet, and news about the Oklahoma wine harvest.
Another positive feature of the blog is its almost daily updating. Fresh new posts are very important in a business blog, especially a recently established one like Oklahoma Wine News.
The frequency of posting will certainly help to add and retain visitor traffic. It's a must for business blogs.
Freely using, links to other Oklahoma wineries, and other industry sources makes the blog a useful and friendly site for visitors as well.
I have often said that bloggers are very generous linkers.
Oklahoma Wine News certainly is not hesitant to link to other blogs and static websites.
As an added feature, the blog has an RSS feeder through Feedster. An RSS feed helps complete the user friendliness of the blog.
While the blog doesn't offer a comment system, the main Nuyaka Creek Winery website includes a guest book and a discussion forum instead.
Here's a toast to Oklahoma Wine News on a great business blog!
Friday, January 2, 2004
Business Blog Predictions 2004: Not!
Business bloggers, political blogsters, and almost every other manner of blog writer, are making predictions for 2004.
I have decided to sort of avoid hopping on the prognostication bandwagon. I made some predictions on my other roller derby blog. I figured that's enough playing a Nostradamus wannabe for anyone.
I won't bore you with my cliched predictions for the coming year. I'll let the specialists in crystal balls and tea leaves do that for you. That's what they are paid to provide. On the other hand, if you have divined the winner of the Kentucky Derby, or the World Series, let me know!
Blogging became mainstream, to a large yet still uncompleted degree, in 2003. That trend will continue in 2004. Some pundits are already counting the gains made in the blogging community. Even the word "blog" made the 2003 new words lists.
Instead of giving you a series of misinformed and half baked ideas, about what to expect in the new year ahead, I'll continue to help you create better business blogs in the here and now.
The future will be upon us soon enough, as we already notice how fast the years whiz by us. After all, it was only a short time ago that the Y2K non-event was all the rage. Predictions of massive computer failures never translated into reality. Predictions can be wrong.
In the new year, one thing I do want to see from you, is more linking. Your blogs benefit from adding incoming links from other blogs and static websites.
Don't hesitate to exchange links with sites that are related to your areas of interest.
If a site, while not exactly on topic interests you, link with them as well. Don't worry about things like PageRank, or traffic levels of your link trade partners. Think first and foremost of providing helpful and interesting links for your readers. Your visitors should always be your first concern.
Be sure to keep updating your content. Post often, and regularly, to your blogs. As you add more fresh information and articles to your blogs, you will add new visitors. You will also maintain your current traffic flows. Your readership will grow. The key to success is to provide strong content.
Always has been. Always will be.
That sounded strangely like a prediction. If you provide great content, and freely exchange links, you will add visitors to your blog.
Don't forget to market and promote your blog too. A baseball diamond, built in an Iowa cornfield, may have had them show up for Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams.
You need to work a bit harder, at gaining visitor traffic, than what happens in the movies.
Post in forums, using a signature link back to your blog. Write articles and provide guest blogs for other bloggers, when invited.
Submit your blog link to all of the available blog directories. Don't forget to add your link to the other many free directories either.
If you do even a few of these things, I have one more 2004 prediction.
Your blog will have more happy readers, and be much more successful, in the coming year.
And I promised not to make any forecasts.
Well, resolutions were made to be broken!
I have decided to sort of avoid hopping on the prognostication bandwagon. I made some predictions on my other roller derby blog. I figured that's enough playing a Nostradamus wannabe for anyone.
I won't bore you with my cliched predictions for the coming year. I'll let the specialists in crystal balls and tea leaves do that for you. That's what they are paid to provide. On the other hand, if you have divined the winner of the Kentucky Derby, or the World Series, let me know!
Blogging became mainstream, to a large yet still uncompleted degree, in 2003. That trend will continue in 2004. Some pundits are already counting the gains made in the blogging community. Even the word "blog" made the 2003 new words lists.
Instead of giving you a series of misinformed and half baked ideas, about what to expect in the new year ahead, I'll continue to help you create better business blogs in the here and now.
The future will be upon us soon enough, as we already notice how fast the years whiz by us. After all, it was only a short time ago that the Y2K non-event was all the rage. Predictions of massive computer failures never translated into reality. Predictions can be wrong.
In the new year, one thing I do want to see from you, is more linking. Your blogs benefit from adding incoming links from other blogs and static websites.
Don't hesitate to exchange links with sites that are related to your areas of interest.
If a site, while not exactly on topic interests you, link with them as well. Don't worry about things like PageRank, or traffic levels of your link trade partners. Think first and foremost of providing helpful and interesting links for your readers. Your visitors should always be your first concern.
Be sure to keep updating your content. Post often, and regularly, to your blogs. As you add more fresh information and articles to your blogs, you will add new visitors. You will also maintain your current traffic flows. Your readership will grow. The key to success is to provide strong content.
Always has been. Always will be.
That sounded strangely like a prediction. If you provide great content, and freely exchange links, you will add visitors to your blog.
Don't forget to market and promote your blog too. A baseball diamond, built in an Iowa cornfield, may have had them show up for Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams.
You need to work a bit harder, at gaining visitor traffic, than what happens in the movies.
Post in forums, using a signature link back to your blog. Write articles and provide guest blogs for other bloggers, when invited.
Submit your blog link to all of the available blog directories. Don't forget to add your link to the other many free directories either.
If you do even a few of these things, I have one more 2004 prediction.
Your blog will have more happy readers, and be much more successful, in the coming year.
And I promised not to make any forecasts.
Well, resolutions were made to be broken!
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Business Blog Resolutions 2004
Everyone spends an inordinate amount of time, on New Year's Day, creating a gaggle of resolutions.
I'll do that too. Who am I to break with such a grand tradition!
After all, I usually resolve to never resolve...or is that dissolve?
In any case, without further ado, here are some business blog resolutions for 2004.
Resolve to update your business blogs on a regular basis. I like to add daily posts; but at least three times a week is fine. For those of you, who update multiple times a day, all I can say, is you certainly must have a lot to blog about.
Make a committment to add links, and to engage in link exchanges with other bloggers, and with other static websites. Trading links adds entirely new visitor traffic to your blog. If your blog is interesting and informative, the new readers will return often.
Get your blog ranked higher, in the Google (and other search engines) listings, for your most important keywords. Those are the terms people enter into search boxes, to find information on a topic. By writing posts, that contain those keyword terms, your blog will be found regularly on the search engines.
Write interesting articles for other bloggers, wesbites, and newsletters. Build your traffic, by letting people see your writing and expertise, in many differnet online and offline locations. Don't forget to link back to your blog.
Add an RSS feeder to your blog, for ease of spreading your words to others.
Post regularly on internet forums. Visit and participate often on Blogger Talk and Blogger Forum and Yahoo Groups: Blogging Community. Ask questions of other bloggers. Answer their questions openly and honestly too. You will learn a lot that way.
Send a press release to the news media, letting them know about the stories on your blog, and about your business. Keep in close contact with the media, and not just when you have a story of your own either. You may be asked to comment on news, about other businesses, in your field of endeavour.
Get your blog listed in the many great blog directories. Many of those blog directories are listed in my Resources section. Be sure to add your blog to the very important internet directories like The Open Directory Project (DMOZ). For information on getting included in that major directory, see my SEO Chat article on how to get listed in DMOZ.
Make new internet friends, with other bloggers, and webmasters. The contacts not only open up new business relationships, but are wonderful for enriching your personal life. In the end, that's much more important.
Help other new bloggers gain knowledge and experience, with writing and promoting their freshly minted blogs. Be of assistance to long time blog writers too. Share your information and know how freely, with those who request your guidance.
Be a friend to other bloggers.
All my best to you and your families in 2004.
Blog Business World
Wayne's Derby World
I'll do that too. Who am I to break with such a grand tradition!
After all, I usually resolve to never resolve...or is that dissolve?
In any case, without further ado, here are some business blog resolutions for 2004.
Resolve to update your business blogs on a regular basis. I like to add daily posts; but at least three times a week is fine. For those of you, who update multiple times a day, all I can say, is you certainly must have a lot to blog about.
Make a committment to add links, and to engage in link exchanges with other bloggers, and with other static websites. Trading links adds entirely new visitor traffic to your blog. If your blog is interesting and informative, the new readers will return often.
Get your blog ranked higher, in the Google (and other search engines) listings, for your most important keywords. Those are the terms people enter into search boxes, to find information on a topic. By writing posts, that contain those keyword terms, your blog will be found regularly on the search engines.
Write interesting articles for other bloggers, wesbites, and newsletters. Build your traffic, by letting people see your writing and expertise, in many differnet online and offline locations. Don't forget to link back to your blog.
Add an RSS feeder to your blog, for ease of spreading your words to others.
Post regularly on internet forums. Visit and participate often on Blogger Talk and Blogger Forum and Yahoo Groups: Blogging Community. Ask questions of other bloggers. Answer their questions openly and honestly too. You will learn a lot that way.
Send a press release to the news media, letting them know about the stories on your blog, and about your business. Keep in close contact with the media, and not just when you have a story of your own either. You may be asked to comment on news, about other businesses, in your field of endeavour.
Get your blog listed in the many great blog directories. Many of those blog directories are listed in my Resources section. Be sure to add your blog to the very important internet directories like The Open Directory Project (DMOZ). For information on getting included in that major directory, see my SEO Chat article on how to get listed in DMOZ.
Make new internet friends, with other bloggers, and webmasters. The contacts not only open up new business relationships, but are wonderful for enriching your personal life. In the end, that's much more important.
Help other new bloggers gain knowledge and experience, with writing and promoting their freshly minted blogs. Be of assistance to long time blog writers too. Share your information and know how freely, with those who request your guidance.
Be a friend to other bloggers.
All my best to you and your families in 2004.
Blog Business World
Wayne's Derby World
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Blog Promotion: Writing Articles
You see them on every website, all over the internet.
They are articles written by guest writers.
Every website that's looking for more visitors, needs fresh content. Blogs are certainly no different. On the internet, content is king. I know that's a major cliche, but it's true.
If you want to get visitors, you need to provide great content.
So do other bloggers and webmasters.
You can also gain more readers for your own blog, by providing guest articles as content to other bloggers, and to traditional websites.
It's not that hard to do.
In fact, it's as easy as creating an e-mail request, and sending it to many of your favourite blogs and sites. Simply ask them if they accept guest articles. While not all of the people you contact will require your written work, many will gladly accept what you have to offer.
If you receive a refusal, don't take it personally. In most cases, the blogger probably creates enough content on their own.
The only catch for you, is the articles you write must be top quality, or no one will want them. No one will place bad content on their sites (unless it's their own creation!). If you don't write well, practice on your own blog first.
The more you write, the better you'll get.
The only stipulation you should always make, for printing your writing, is the user of your article place a link back to your blog.
After all, the point of writing the feature story is to get more visitor traffic to your blog. They can't find you without a live link. A brief two or three line biography, of you and your background, is also desireable.
If you have a great column already written, offer it to bloggers and webmasters who cover the same topics, as your area of expertise.
Everyone can write a top quality article, if they follow a few simple steps.
1) Write what you know best, in your first article. Your knowledge will carry the article for you. It will simply write itself.
2) Create a brief outline. Start with an introduction, that tells them what main points the article will be covering. Three points is about the right number of issues for a brief internet column. Write those points out, explaining them fully, yet without getting carried away with being too long winded. Write a conclusion that matches the points covered. Voila!
3) Set the article aside for a day, and then edit it for content and style. Your next draft will be much more professional looking than the original.
4) Add a link back, at the end of the article, to your blog. A brief personal biography, of about two or three lines is also a great addition.
As you receive permission to place your new article on other blogs and websites, make certain that your writing appears as submitted. Check the link back to your blog too. While most people will provide a link, sometimes the link will simply not work. That just happens.
if the link doesn't work, let the article host know about it. They will fix it for you.
As your articles appear on other blogs and sites, your reputation for expertise in your area of endeavour increases dramatically.
As your reputation increases, so too will your readership, and your blog's incoming links.
Articles are a vast untapped technique for finding new visitor traffic, and adding new incoming links.
Get those keyboards tapping!
They are articles written by guest writers.
Every website that's looking for more visitors, needs fresh content. Blogs are certainly no different. On the internet, content is king. I know that's a major cliche, but it's true.
If you want to get visitors, you need to provide great content.
So do other bloggers and webmasters.
You can also gain more readers for your own blog, by providing guest articles as content to other bloggers, and to traditional websites.
It's not that hard to do.
In fact, it's as easy as creating an e-mail request, and sending it to many of your favourite blogs and sites. Simply ask them if they accept guest articles. While not all of the people you contact will require your written work, many will gladly accept what you have to offer.
If you receive a refusal, don't take it personally. In most cases, the blogger probably creates enough content on their own.
The only catch for you, is the articles you write must be top quality, or no one will want them. No one will place bad content on their sites (unless it's their own creation!). If you don't write well, practice on your own blog first.
The more you write, the better you'll get.
The only stipulation you should always make, for printing your writing, is the user of your article place a link back to your blog.
After all, the point of writing the feature story is to get more visitor traffic to your blog. They can't find you without a live link. A brief two or three line biography, of you and your background, is also desireable.
If you have a great column already written, offer it to bloggers and webmasters who cover the same topics, as your area of expertise.
Everyone can write a top quality article, if they follow a few simple steps.
1) Write what you know best, in your first article. Your knowledge will carry the article for you. It will simply write itself.
2) Create a brief outline. Start with an introduction, that tells them what main points the article will be covering. Three points is about the right number of issues for a brief internet column. Write those points out, explaining them fully, yet without getting carried away with being too long winded. Write a conclusion that matches the points covered. Voila!
3) Set the article aside for a day, and then edit it for content and style. Your next draft will be much more professional looking than the original.
4) Add a link back, at the end of the article, to your blog. A brief personal biography, of about two or three lines is also a great addition.
As you receive permission to place your new article on other blogs and websites, make certain that your writing appears as submitted. Check the link back to your blog too. While most people will provide a link, sometimes the link will simply not work. That just happens.
if the link doesn't work, let the article host know about it. They will fix it for you.
As your articles appear on other blogs and sites, your reputation for expertise in your area of endeavour increases dramatically.
As your reputation increases, so too will your readership, and your blog's incoming links.
Articles are a vast untapped technique for finding new visitor traffic, and adding new incoming links.
Get those keyboards tapping!
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Google PageRank and Backlinks Updated Pt. 2
Blog Business World has had a PageRank update to PageRank 6 (PR6).
PageRank is Google's measure of importance of an internet page, based on its number of incoming links, often referred to as backlinks.
Blog Business World is showing a total of 472 incoming links from the Google Toolbar.
For those of you who don't have the Google Toolbar, which incidently only seems to work with MS Internet Explorer, and not on Mac computers, is available to download (free) from Google:
Google Toolbar Download
The PageRank indicator is in green and white on the right hand side of the toolbar. Mouse over it and it will give the PageRank (mine says 6/10). The more green, the higher the PageRank.
My other roller derby blog is also a PageRank 6, and shows a total of 556 backlinks.
To view your incoming links from the Google Toolbar, click on a blue oval with a white letter i in the middle. It opens up a dropdown menu. Click on "backward links", and your Google recognized (PR4 or higher) backlinks will appear.
Keep in mind that Google does not list all of the available backlinks; only a sampling, and only PR4 or higher links. That doesn't mean the rest are not counted, however. They are.....mostly.
For another fun exercise, in finding incoming links from blogs, check out the Truth Laid Bear Blogoshere Ecosystem.
Listing blogs in a pseudo-Darwinian hierarchy, from "Higher Beings" at the top to "Insignificant Microbes" at the bottom, the Ecosystem is based on incoming links.
The more unique incoming links to a blog, the more highly it ranks on the Blog Ecosystem.
To find out where your blog is placed in the Ecosystem, type your blog title into the Search box, found on the right hand side of the page.
Your blog will appear on a page, along with its numerical ranking in the system. Click on your blog's title for its "level of evolution" in the Ecosystem. If your blog doesn't appear, click on "Add Your Blog" and fill in your blog title and URL, and enter it.
According to the Ecosystem, Blog Business World is a "Flappy Bird".
For more Ecosystem fun, you can add a bit of code to your blog, that lets you know your status in the Ecosystem hierarchy of creatures. Your status will be displayed right on your blog.
To rise in the Blog Ecosystem, you need to get more links coming into your blog..
To get more incoming links to your blog, there are really only two reliable techniques. In fact, they are really one and the same.
You have to keep adding fresh, informative, and interesting new content to your blog. If you ail to do that, you'll simply have very few readers, and not many people wanting to link to your blog.
With quality content, you'll gain links in two ways.
Many other bloggers will simply link to your blog, and to your posts, because they are interesting to them and their readers. Other bloggers will be more than happy to exchange links with you as well, if you have a great blog.
Neither will happen if you don't update your blog regularly, with fresh and interesting posts.
Backlinks are important, but content is king.
Fresh blog content is even more royal!
Provide great fresh content, and the backlinks and PageRank will follow.
In that order.
PageRank is Google's measure of importance of an internet page, based on its number of incoming links, often referred to as backlinks.
Blog Business World is showing a total of 472 incoming links from the Google Toolbar.
For those of you who don't have the Google Toolbar, which incidently only seems to work with MS Internet Explorer, and not on Mac computers, is available to download (free) from Google:
Google Toolbar Download
The PageRank indicator is in green and white on the right hand side of the toolbar. Mouse over it and it will give the PageRank (mine says 6/10). The more green, the higher the PageRank.
My other roller derby blog is also a PageRank 6, and shows a total of 556 backlinks.
To view your incoming links from the Google Toolbar, click on a blue oval with a white letter i in the middle. It opens up a dropdown menu. Click on "backward links", and your Google recognized (PR4 or higher) backlinks will appear.
Keep in mind that Google does not list all of the available backlinks; only a sampling, and only PR4 or higher links. That doesn't mean the rest are not counted, however. They are.....mostly.
For another fun exercise, in finding incoming links from blogs, check out the Truth Laid Bear Blogoshere Ecosystem.
Listing blogs in a pseudo-Darwinian hierarchy, from "Higher Beings" at the top to "Insignificant Microbes" at the bottom, the Ecosystem is based on incoming links.
The more unique incoming links to a blog, the more highly it ranks on the Blog Ecosystem.
To find out where your blog is placed in the Ecosystem, type your blog title into the Search box, found on the right hand side of the page.
Your blog will appear on a page, along with its numerical ranking in the system. Click on your blog's title for its "level of evolution" in the Ecosystem. If your blog doesn't appear, click on "Add Your Blog" and fill in your blog title and URL, and enter it.
According to the Ecosystem, Blog Business World is a "Flappy Bird".
For more Ecosystem fun, you can add a bit of code to your blog, that lets you know your status in the Ecosystem hierarchy of creatures. Your status will be displayed right on your blog.
To rise in the Blog Ecosystem, you need to get more links coming into your blog..
To get more incoming links to your blog, there are really only two reliable techniques. In fact, they are really one and the same.
You have to keep adding fresh, informative, and interesting new content to your blog. If you ail to do that, you'll simply have very few readers, and not many people wanting to link to your blog.
With quality content, you'll gain links in two ways.
Many other bloggers will simply link to your blog, and to your posts, because they are interesting to them and their readers. Other bloggers will be more than happy to exchange links with you as well, if you have a great blog.
Neither will happen if you don't update your blog regularly, with fresh and interesting posts.
Backlinks are important, but content is king.
Fresh blog content is even more royal!
Provide great fresh content, and the backlinks and PageRank will follow.
In that order.
Monday, December 29, 2003
Year end blogging reviews of 2003 begin
Blogging Ambassador extrordinaire Trudy Schuett has already started the parade of year end blogging reviews of 2003.
In her post Once and Future Heroes 2003, she names bloggers and blogging supporters who she calls,
"a list of people who are doing good things for the Internet, for blogging, and helping those of us who are slightly tech-impaired to do our thing online. You may or may not have heard of some of these people...
"The Internet is no longer boring or exclusionary thanks to these people! You probably have your own list of heroes..."
Along with notable bloggers like Doc Searls, Dan Gillmor, Chris Pirillo, and the Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, are some other well known individuals.
I subscribe to Ann Handley's newsletter, from the superlative marketing and business site Marketing Profs. There is a wealth of knowledge on that site that everyone should read. Every time I go there, I don't learn a single new thing. I learn hundreds of ideas!
I also receive a newsletter from the veryknowldgeable and helpful Debbie Weil. It's great to see her make the list. She certainly deserves it.
Bloggers made news in 2003, and Trudy's list includes many of those who made it happen. A glaring omission from her list, of course, is Trudy Schuett herself. Understandably, she is too modest to include her own name.
So....I'll do it for her.
Trudy Schuett belongs on any list of influential bloggers for 2003, or any other year for that matter!
I was excited to see a couple of friends of mine make this prestigious list.
Loren Baker of the tremendous blog directory Blog Search Engine, and the great blogger's discussion forum Blogger Talk, made the list.
Also included was Dougal Campbell, inventor of the wonderful one stop blog pinging tool Blog Service Pinger. I have mentioned this tool, for letting everyone know about updates to your blogs, on Blog Business World in a previous column.
I also have a permanent link to Blog Service Pinger on my Resources list.
Oh, I made Trudy's list too.
I barely belong as a footnote, but I am honoured and pleased to have been included with the giants of the blogging world.
I feel like Gulliver in the Land of the Giants, Brobdingnag, in Gulliver's Travels, in such illustrious company.
Oh, by the way, the link to the book Gulliver's Travels, lets you read it online for free.
Despite being one of the truly great books in the English language, you still didn't actually expect me to suggest paying for Gulliver's Travels, did you?
In her post Once and Future Heroes 2003, she names bloggers and blogging supporters who she calls,
"a list of people who are doing good things for the Internet, for blogging, and helping those of us who are slightly tech-impaired to do our thing online. You may or may not have heard of some of these people...
"The Internet is no longer boring or exclusionary thanks to these people! You probably have your own list of heroes..."
Along with notable bloggers like Doc Searls, Dan Gillmor, Chris Pirillo, and the Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, are some other well known individuals.
I subscribe to Ann Handley's newsletter, from the superlative marketing and business site Marketing Profs. There is a wealth of knowledge on that site that everyone should read. Every time I go there, I don't learn a single new thing. I learn hundreds of ideas!
I also receive a newsletter from the veryknowldgeable and helpful Debbie Weil. It's great to see her make the list. She certainly deserves it.
Bloggers made news in 2003, and Trudy's list includes many of those who made it happen. A glaring omission from her list, of course, is Trudy Schuett herself. Understandably, she is too modest to include her own name.
So....I'll do it for her.
Trudy Schuett belongs on any list of influential bloggers for 2003, or any other year for that matter!
I was excited to see a couple of friends of mine make this prestigious list.
Loren Baker of the tremendous blog directory Blog Search Engine, and the great blogger's discussion forum Blogger Talk, made the list.
Also included was Dougal Campbell, inventor of the wonderful one stop blog pinging tool Blog Service Pinger. I have mentioned this tool, for letting everyone know about updates to your blogs, on Blog Business World in a previous column.
I also have a permanent link to Blog Service Pinger on my Resources list.
Oh, I made Trudy's list too.
I barely belong as a footnote, but I am honoured and pleased to have been included with the giants of the blogging world.
I feel like Gulliver in the Land of the Giants, Brobdingnag, in Gulliver's Travels, in such illustrious company.
Oh, by the way, the link to the book Gulliver's Travels, lets you read it online for free.
Despite being one of the truly great books in the English language, you still didn't actually expect me to suggest paying for Gulliver's Travels, did you?
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Links add value to your blog
I was surprised to discover, on a post on the blog discussion board Blogger Forum, that some people believe incoming links can harm their blog.
The myth the question addressed was whether "having incoming low-rated links, or links that are not rated, will reduce your own site's page ranking."
That is untrue.
Let's make one thing abundantly clear.
Incoming links help!
Incoming links help your site's rankings in the search engines like Google(from searches for your main search terms and keywords).
Incoming links help your site's PageRank (PR) (the measure of your blog's importance based on the number and quality of incoming links) regardless of the incoming link's PR value.
I think what the myth has confused, is Google only shows on your backlinks report, PageRank 4 (PR4) or higher links. That report is only a sampling too, and doesn't include all of the links to your blog either.
Google takes into account all incoming links it collects as its spiders (search engine computer robots that travel the internet indexing websites) crawl your blogs. While a PR2 site (a low PageRank site) may not pass along as much PageRank as a higher, say PR6 site, they all are included in the calculation of PageRank.
Sites with more incoming links, tend to be placed much higher in the search results for your keywords, than those sites lacking many backlinks. The more links the better.
Links add to your blog's search rankings and PageRank.
Links do not subtract.
Don't hesitate to trade links with a site that has a "low" PageRank. That PR can increase over time as that blog adds incoming links.
The only links that can harm your blog are from Google penalized sites (including some "link farms" and "free for all (FFA)" sites.) You are not penalized if they link to your blog, however.
Google understands that you have no control over who links to your blog. You are only hurt if you link back to them, as Google believes you have control over what links you place on your own blog. Avoid those, and you have nothing to worry about!
In summary, incoming links are good for your blog.
Don't listen to those people who say otherwise.
They are only repeating myths.
The myth the question addressed was whether "having incoming low-rated links, or links that are not rated, will reduce your own site's page ranking."
That is untrue.
Let's make one thing abundantly clear.
Incoming links help!
Incoming links help your site's rankings in the search engines like Google(from searches for your main search terms and keywords).
Incoming links help your site's PageRank (PR) (the measure of your blog's importance based on the number and quality of incoming links) regardless of the incoming link's PR value.
I think what the myth has confused, is Google only shows on your backlinks report, PageRank 4 (PR4) or higher links. That report is only a sampling too, and doesn't include all of the links to your blog either.
Google takes into account all incoming links it collects as its spiders (search engine computer robots that travel the internet indexing websites) crawl your blogs. While a PR2 site (a low PageRank site) may not pass along as much PageRank as a higher, say PR6 site, they all are included in the calculation of PageRank.
Sites with more incoming links, tend to be placed much higher in the search results for your keywords, than those sites lacking many backlinks. The more links the better.
Links add to your blog's search rankings and PageRank.
Links do not subtract.
Don't hesitate to trade links with a site that has a "low" PageRank. That PR can increase over time as that blog adds incoming links.
The only links that can harm your blog are from Google penalized sites (including some "link farms" and "free for all (FFA)" sites.) You are not penalized if they link to your blog, however.
Google understands that you have no control over who links to your blog. You are only hurt if you link back to them, as Google believes you have control over what links you place on your own blog. Avoid those, and you have nothing to worry about!
In summary, incoming links are good for your blog.
Don't listen to those people who say otherwise.
They are only repeating myths.
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Google PageRank and backlink update followup
As I reported recently, Google is in the midst of updating its PageRank and reported backlinks, for the three billion plus pages in its data base.
For those of you who are interested in your blog's PageRank and incoming links, this is an important time. In case you were wondering, Google updates them about once a month, but that can vary widely. Google likes to keep everyone off balance in that regard!
If you are unaware of where your blog stands, you need to download the Google Toolbar. It has an indicator of both PageRank and backlinks.
It can be downloaded directly from Google:
Google Toolbar Download
If any of you have experienced an increase or decrease, in PageRank and/or reported backlinks, please let me know.
It's my opinion, that blogs generally do very well, in regard to Google PageRank and reported backlinks. One of the strengths of blogs, is their ability to score very highly in these areas.
I think that blogs, because of their frequently updated content and generous linking and link trading policies, will outscore many traditional static websites.
If any of you wish to share your experiences in this, or any other Google issues, please let me know.
It would be interesting to hear some personal information about how your blogs are faring with Google. That would include what's happening with your PageRank, backlinks, and search. Search is where your blog appears when you enter your main keywords in the search box. What page does your blog fall upon?
For example, if you enter... blog business ... in the Google search box, Blog Business World ranks Number One on Page One (out of over 3 million returns), for that phrase.
As a new site, Blog Business World has a good PageRank 5 (PR5) and shows 135 PR4 or higher incoming links. Google only reports PR4 or higher backlinks. The backlinks total is also available on the Google Toolbar.
Feel free to let me know how your blog is doing in Google.
Leave me a comment or e-mail me at blogbusinessworld@yahoo.com
I'm sure it's going great!
And if not, why not?
For those of you who are interested in your blog's PageRank and incoming links, this is an important time. In case you were wondering, Google updates them about once a month, but that can vary widely. Google likes to keep everyone off balance in that regard!
If you are unaware of where your blog stands, you need to download the Google Toolbar. It has an indicator of both PageRank and backlinks.
It can be downloaded directly from Google:
Google Toolbar Download
If any of you have experienced an increase or decrease, in PageRank and/or reported backlinks, please let me know.
It's my opinion, that blogs generally do very well, in regard to Google PageRank and reported backlinks. One of the strengths of blogs, is their ability to score very highly in these areas.
I think that blogs, because of their frequently updated content and generous linking and link trading policies, will outscore many traditional static websites.
If any of you wish to share your experiences in this, or any other Google issues, please let me know.
It would be interesting to hear some personal information about how your blogs are faring with Google. That would include what's happening with your PageRank, backlinks, and search. Search is where your blog appears when you enter your main keywords in the search box. What page does your blog fall upon?
For example, if you enter... blog business ... in the Google search box, Blog Business World ranks Number One on Page One (out of over 3 million returns), for that phrase.
As a new site, Blog Business World has a good PageRank 5 (PR5) and shows 135 PR4 or higher incoming links. Google only reports PR4 or higher backlinks. The backlinks total is also available on the Google Toolbar.
Feel free to let me know how your blog is doing in Google.
Leave me a comment or e-mail me at blogbusinessworld@yahoo.com
I'm sure it's going great!
And if not, why not?
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