Archive for the Niche Link Building Category
Posted on February 8, 2010 by admin
I’ve been slowly pushing our new 2.0 Press Release service known as PR Buzzer and it has been building up nicely although slowly. Our press release service is aiming to combine the usual PR services and include it with a wide variety of other news services in the social webosphere. We’re proving a free release to businesses around the world with only one catch, that you are an actual business. A lot of the free press release services are cluttered with a lot of spam and our goal is to keep it out.
With the free press release on PR Buzzer you get your news distributed through our current network of partners which includes broadcasting on our Twitter account. With your press release you also get included into our business directory which keeps track of all your releases. We’re currently programming in a custom RSS feed for each company profile so you’ll be able to pull your company news in where ever you like. Over time your business profile will rank nicely and provide you with an extra link from a trusted news source.
To get your free press release just fill out the order form for the free one, but if you need a press release written we’re only charge $50 USD with the free promotion instead of $100. We can have your release and company directory listing sorted within 2-3 business days. Once you have an account you will be able to forever send in a free release over our network even when this promo runs out.
Posted on January 29, 2010 by admin
I’ve been wanting to do more work in the hotel marketing arena so I thought I’d stir up some link building ideas you can use that I’ve found useful in the past. If you’d like to explore these ideas further then consider working with us to expand your hotel’s business both locally and beyond. There are a lot of ways you can build links in this industry and I wanted to show you a few that you may have overlooked.
Marketing a hotel can be a daunting task because no matter where you are, you have active competition that’s always trying to out do you. If you’re a hotel in a small area ranking well can be absolutely crucial to your survival in a local area. I’ve worked with a few hotels before and the one thing I have come to realize is that you need a good mix of link building and social media marketing.
There are a lot of things you can use I’ve already blogged about, or other link building posts that can apply to your hotel’s marketing strategy. While you can use a press release service to get some news out just like everyone else, you can also make use of hotel industry specific news sources. These are links privy to the hotel industry so you know you’re getting targeted links from great news sources.
Hotel PR Services:
These hotel specific PR services are a great way to reach the who’s who in your industry while picking up some links along the way. I’d try and put away the budget to do a press release every time your hotel hosts an event or conference. While some of these wire services may not snag you a link in the release, you may get a link from a site reporting on it. You never know until you try!
http://www.hotelresource.com/Info-net_add_content.html
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com
http://www.hsyndicate.org/news.html
http://www.hotelsmag.com
http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/submit-news
Backlink Analysis:
Mulling over backlink data is only fun for those who enjoy perving on websites link portfolios…I still recommend thoroughly going over everyone in the top 20 for your target keywords. Then once you’ve gone over and obtained any goodies from that, do the same for another 20 hotels in another city/country/place. This may yield you some link opportunities that you can use for yourself. If it brings you nothing then blame it all on me and curse the day you ran across this post.
Get Links From Partners:
Almost every business is able to leverage some links from partners it may not even realize it has. Hotels are able to do a lot of things to build links steadily over time. Sometimes these opportunities come along for a certain event so try and keep your mind on the target. You really want to be on the lookout for these link opportunities because these are quality links your competitors most likely cannot copy. Some ways to explore partners for links are;
- get links from conferences or conventions you`re hosting which can lead to bloggers linking to you in most cases
- use weddings as an opportunity to get links from wedding sites, tweets and other social media means
- somehow try and get a celebrity endorsement
- invite local bloggers to come stay and write about their experience at your hotel
- make videos and get links from social video sites
- offer discounts to students and try and get .edu links
- partner with local restaurants for promotions and for links
- partner with real estate agents in your area. They sometimes have out of town clients coming in to see property and they could be recommending your hotel with a link from their site.
- do you outsource your cleaning services and does that company have a website
Hotel Business Directories:
There are a bounty of hotel directories out there with most being not the highest quality, there still is a decent amount of links to be had. So not only are there hotel specific directories, you can cross over and get listed in some of the most authoritative travel directories.
http://www.hotelresource.com/
http://ehotelier.com/directory/addlink.php
http://www.websitesofhotels.com
http://www.hotelandtraveldirectory.com
What type of hotel/motel/B&B/boutique are you? Take that into consideration as well because there are a few great luxury hotel sites out there you can get into.
http://www.directoryofhotels.com
http://www.mrandmrssmith.com
http://www.drakeandcavendish.com/suggest-hotel.php
If you’re a Bed & Breakfast then you also have an angle to work here with tons of niche specific directories such as;
http://www.bedandbreakfastdirectory.org
http://www.globalbedandbreakfastlinks.com
You’ll be able to sniff directories like these for cabin rentals, vacation homes, resorts and the list goes on. Keep in mind a lot of directories you’ll come across will cost some money or require a link back, so don’t expect a whole lot of magic to happen.
Hotel Social Media:
I could write so much on this topic so I’ll try and keep it short, simple and to the point. There are now hundreds of social media/network sites for travel so you are going to be busy for the next year straight. Some of these sites will allow links so keep your eyes peeled. Mainly you’ll want to be active on these sites to reap the rewards of becoming a trusted voice in the online travel community.
Most of these sites are review sites that are backed by your affiliates so you’re mostly only going to be able to interact with customers. If you’re skeptical about devoting someone to social media for your hotel give it a try for 2-3 months and see what kind of results come out of it. It takes a little while to get the ball rolling but once it does you can start to streamline certain aspects of it.
http://www.igougo.com
http://www.likeme.net
http://www.geckogo.com
http://www.oyster.com
Hotel Coupons:
If you have an online booking engine of sorts or feel like running a coupon the good ole fashioned way then you have plenty of link building options. Coupons can be a big hit if you’re on some of the bigger sites, so getting a link is just a bonus really. There are dozens of coupon sites and forums and you can find lists already made by other people through Google Blog Search. Be sure to get on these though;
http://www.retailmenot.com
http://www.savings.com
http://www.couponchief.com
http://www.couponshare.com
Widgets & Apps:
If you have a programming budget that’s big enough to tackle an iPhone/Blackberry/Android/Wordpress/Facebook app then I say go for it. If you can get something cool and unique done you’ll be able to grab links from all sorts of places. App review sites are a good place to start and you could also drum up some business via the mobile web.
I’ve seen a few hotel booking widgets that would just list the lowest price or best deal with no ties to an affiliate program. The boutique hotel wasn’t big enough to have its own affiliate program so they were just straight up marketing with a widget on local blogs. The links they gained from it did all the good little things they’re supposed to, rank you higher.
Hotel Link Building Resources:
- Link Building Case Study for Luxury Hotels
- 5 Link Building Strategies For Hoteliers
- Link Marketing For Travel & Tourism Businesses
- Travel SEO Internet Marketing Guide
- Hotelcast 2.0 Show For Hoteliers
Posted on February 27, 2009 by admin
One of my readers tipped me off to this site which every Real Estate Agent should find useful, and should be listed on. RealEstateAgentProfiles.com may have a long domain name, but it gets right to the point. Link building in the Real Estate industry is as tough as it gets and I’m glad to help out with the little tidbits here and there. This site is free and provides you with a SEO friendly profile which includes a dofollow link back to your realtor website. The site is easy to navigate and doesn’t have too many people in it so far, so take advantage early while the getting is good. I’ve taken a screenshot of a profile so you can get an idea of what’s going on there. The highlighted blue colors are dofollow links, red are nofollow, and you can see where you get your link within the profile.
Posted on December 15, 2008 by admin
I’ve just finished helping a client with her site that was selling products geared towards women, and I’ve learned quite a bit. I’ve learned that women are very savvy when it comes to researching and buying online, and they love to social network. In the past I’ve based a lot of my niche blogs after shopping for my girlfriend mainly because I know a lot of men do affiliate marketing, and it gave me a different perspective. I may be going out on a limb here when I say this, but I think women follow trends a little more then us men which can provide a good avenue for making money online. I’ve dabbled into such niche’s as handbags, diet products, cosmetics and shoes. So after doing a bunch of link building and SMM for my latest client I thought I would put up this post.
Social Networks & Media Sites For Women:
iVillage.com is on of the most authoritative and oldest social networking sites for women and it’s a must if you’re writing content. This site has pretty much everything including forums, articles and blogs on just about every topic that matters. This is a great place to create content and if you’re promoting a brand this is the place to be. I haven’t spent much time to see where you can build links, but so far the only place I can see is in the forums.
Glam.com is the place to be for fashion, style and beauty and is a very large network. The site gets over 40 million readers a month which should be plenty of potential for marketing. With Glam you can setup your own profile, blog and join the forums. You can get a dofollow link on your profile as well in your blog posts which is great if you’re a writer. There are so many users on here you should have 0 problem networking with like minded people. If you write something good you stand a chance to be featured on the front page with a link to your blog…expect traffic and a strong link!
Youronramp.com is a social networking and media site for professional women from all areas of business and life. This is a great place to network with professionals, promote your resume and business through blogs, forums and articles. Among all this you can get dofollow links within your blog posts and profile which makes it an added bonus. This is a place for great content so please join only if you have something worthy to contribute to the community.
Cafemom.com is pretty much the Myspace for moms! If you want to connect with other mothers from around the world and share photos, blog entries and products you can do all of this here. The site has a ton of members and you can keep a journal or write a blog all included with dofollow links within that, as well as your profile. I have a new project I’ve been working on which includes a few baby products, so I’ll be fully testing this one out later.
Parentsconnect.com is a social network for parents that’s funded by Nickelodeon and features mostly articles and tips for parents. The user profiles are viewed only when signed in so there’s no SEO benefit there, but this is a powerful place to promote content. You are encouraged to write about products and tips for parents which you can include a link to, but they are all nofollow. But when it comes to marketing you have to think past the link and focus on great content to attract the user.
Kaboose.com is another very active social network for parents, but mainly moms. This is a great place to get your content out as well link to products or your blog. Keep in mind this site is nofollow but still a great place to promote your content. If you write something good enough you can be featured on the main page which drives a lot of quality traffic, so make sure to write something great. This is another place I’ll be marketing a few baby products with and I’ll let you all know how it goes.
TeamSugar.com is a social networkin and media site geared towards the teens and young 20 somethings. This site features everything you can imagine from user profiles to blogs, forums, videos, chat and so much more. This is a great place to blog about your products and tips for teens, and if you’ve done your research, you’ll know that this age demographic is a very productive one. Influencing this generation will result in sales galore! The user profiles are for signed in members only, but you can get dofollow links within your blog posts which do get indexed.
Minti.com is a growing social network for moms and parents but is heavily dominated by active moms. This site has all the features like blogs, microblogging, question & answers, forums and advice. This is a great place to connect with like minded people and you can get dofollow links from a couple of ways. To start you get a blog which provides dofollow links within the content, or you can submit your external blog’s RSS feed right into your profile. You can also add a link to the advice section of your own posts or someone elses by using the “add external link” feature at the bottom of the post.
Gut-Women.com is a social news portal site that looks like it runs on Pligg and is set to nofollow, but is a great place to get traffic. It is 100% community driven and works the same as you’d expect most of the other sites out there. Not too sure about the name though….seems a little strange.
Mothersclick.com is another social networking and media site for Mom’s that has all the features you could need. This site is not as big as some of the others but has more than enough users to reach out to. One of the features they have over others is a decently active classifieds section, so if you’re selling something you can make use of it without getting in trouble. It seems you can get dofollow links within your blog posts and they can be pushed to the frontpage for extra exposure.
Kirtsy.com is a social news portal that delivers on topics like style, health and parenting for women. Kirtsy is a very active social site that although nofollow’s its links, still provides a burst of targeted traffic to your site. If you can make the front page you’re in for a treat, and a decent amount of traffic that will be 99% women.
PrettySocial.net is another digg clone for women that is the only one I could find that provides a dofollow link to your website. PrettySocial is free to join and you’ll be pleased to hear has a lot of user activity so if you submit something good, you stand a great chance of hitting the front page. By the looks of its Alexa ranking, you should expect a few hundred hits to your submitted content if it goes viral.
Posted on December 8, 2008 by admin
This is my first guest post I’ve had on the blog and I’d like to thank the author Patric Herber from Real Estate License Direct for writing this post while I’ve been quite sick with the flu. Patric has been link building in the real estate niche for quite some time and knows what it takes to stand out in a really tough niche.
Quick, if you can’t handle the truth cover your ears for this first bit. Are you ready? Real estate is one of the most difficult niches to build links in, period. Why? Because the industry has a bad name! Ninety percent of all real estate websites are little more than spam infested hubs for low-life wanna be webmasters that can’t compete in niches with more tech savvy competition.
So what does this bad reputation mean for a professional real estate website? Well, it means:
- There is less “natural linking” among real estate webmasters due to a lack of trust within the niche itself.
- There are fewer authority links available because a lot of authority websites have closed their doors to anything real estate related. I have seen a lot of segregation here for our industry, it is quite unfortunate.
- There will be more work involved in obtaining enough links to rank for anything competitive.
- That basically you can expect less links, less love and a whole lot more work but the end result is truly a wonderful thing, because online, the real estate industry gets a great deal of quality traffic that can easily convert to quality clients.
So now that you know what problems you’re likely to face, you can begin to create a solution that will separate you from the rest of the real estate industry. You should know that I am not going to preach about writing great content and networking within the industry, chances are you probably already know and do that(hint, hint). But rather I want to direct your thoughts towards the real muscle behind a successful real estate website, quality inbound links from related websites.
Let me give you some methods that I use to build real estate links, but first I want you to remember one thing, “Anyone can build a million low quality backlinks from un-related websites, but how well do you think those links will make you rank?” So here are some link building methods I use, in no specific order:
- Guest Writing – In any niche, but especially real estate, we find that the best quality links come from providing quality content. Now I know that sounds a little cliche’ but it works. I have seen sites with a hundred backlinks out rank older websites with thousands of links using this method, I highly recommend you try it out. Finding guest writing opportunities is really pretty easy, try a few of these searches:
“real estate” +”write for us”
“real estate” +”our contributors”
“real estate” +”submit an article”
“real estate” +”guest bloggers”
inurl:real estate “guest bloggers”
inurl:real estate “write for us”
“real estate” +”guest posts”
- Visit news websites – What I really like about news websites are that they are often considered authority sites and they can just about go with any niche. In the past, I have found a lot of news services such as CNN and similar sites that offer community services where you can strategically place links to your site. For instance, MSN has community forums with dofollow signature links, some other services allow you to create profiles, profile pages are often great places to place links. Just do a search for news, and start running through each service one by one, you will be amazed at how many opportunities you can find.
- Utilize the Industry Leaders – Some times to find the best opportunities(ie. the best links) you need to visit the authorities within the industry. But don’t stop there, there is much more to real estate than just real estate, it is a business which means that you can combine the two for valuable links. Here are a few of the websites on my routine, all of which allow for dofollow links in one form or another:
Active Rain – Real estate community that allows you to publish blog posts with links in them.
Work.com – One of the leading business resource sites, you can publish how-to guides on virtually any subject with links to your site.
Inman News – Popular real estate news site that has dofollow comments.
BizJournals – Another business resource that will allow you to setup an account and write business articles and news stories.
- Build out your website – Some of the best links come from within your own website. A website that is inner-linked very well and has a lot of rich pages will naturally have more link authority. I was able to drastically increase my rankings using this very method, so I know it works well. Give it a shot and see for yourself.
So when it comes to marketing a real estate website, you really need to change your mind set from link builder to opportunist, because as you can see above, great real estate links are all about hard work and opportunity. In fact, when I am building links for our real estate projects, I never “look for links”, I look for opportunities to provide value and build back the reputation that has been lost among the community.
« Older Entries
