Here at Web Gnomes, we stay on top of the ever-changing world of Internet Marketing so you don’t have to. We enjoy learning new tricks of the trade and putting them to practice in the work that we do for our esteemed clients. Here is some of the most helpful Internet marketing info we came across this week:
Link Building Strategies
This morning I stumbled across the web’s most comprehensive guide to link building (at least, according to author Jon Cooper). We’ve harped on the importance of external links on our blog in the past. And link building is perhaps the most tedious and difficult aspect of SEO. So this is a great find!
I can’t say I’ve read the entire guide, but it’s bookmarked for when I might need some inspiration. Here are a few of my favorite link building strategies from the list:
- Create a blog: This resonates with me, because I love to write! It’s a great way to get fresh content added to your website on a regular basis and a platform for writing content to which others will want to link.
- Link out: One of the nice side-effects of the Gnome Likes posts is that we link out to other blogs in our field. This way, people in the industry may become aware of who we are and perhaps even subscribe to our blog!
- Mention specific people whenever possible: Related to the above, we typically highlight the author of a blog post and link to their Twitter or Google+ profile, in addition to the link to the actual article. It gets people’s attention (and makes them happy!)
- Local listings: One of my specialties is local search marketing, so I like to see link building strategies that pertain to local businesses. It doesn’t matter where you live or what industry you’re in. You will be able to find at least one or two local sites where you can get a link. Just search for your town and see what comes up!
- Donate to charities & non-profits: Most businesses and individuals are already involved in some type of charitable giving or community involvement. If you sponsor an event, just ask if the organization has a sponsors page. If they don’t, perhaps they’ll create one and add a link to you!
This post is also a great example of what we call “link bait” (i.e. articles, infographics, videos or other amazing content to which other just can’t help but link). And it worked!
The Power of Positive PPC Ads and Attitude
I’m a big fan of the concept that positivity outranks negativity in the longrun. It is true for all areas of life: the empowering CEO is more effective than a CEO who rules with fear, laughter ads years to your life, and according to this article by Noran El-Shinnawy, positive PPC ads get more clicks!
The author provides several examples of A/B-tested ads and gives you the opportunity to guess which ad won. It’s a like playing a game while you read! And the best part is that the ads that won are the ads you would expect to win – based on your emotional response to the ad.
I encourage you to take a look at this article and see if you can guess which ads appealed most to searchers.
22 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue
Speaking about link bait… Here is the first ever infographic from Copyblogger, presented by Brian Clark. I know I’ve experienced that moment where I need to sit down and write something, but just don’t have any inspiration. This infographic will be going on my office wall to stave off such clueless moments in the future!
Congratulations to Copyblogger on such as wonderful infographic. It is truly awe-inspiring.
Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.
In an age where infocrapics are being produced more often than infographics, I too loved that gem from Copyblogger. I’m really glad you mentioned that one.
Also, thanks for the meniton Tabita! 🙂
I agree. I was so excited to find a useful infographic that didn’t look like it has been thrown together in 30 minutes. Leave it to Copyblogger…