One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I started blogging, was to link out from my posts to other sites, whenever it was relevant to do so.
After all, the Internet is built around links. If no sites gave external links, the Internet would not be a web, it would simply be a series of unconnected, individual sites.
Even so, many bloggers worry that by linking out from their blog to another blog or site, that they will lose traffic. In my experience, this is not only incorrect, it’s 180 degrees opposite from what actually happens when you link out.
Let me explain.
If I mention here how much I love reading Robert Scoble’s blog and Louis Gray’s blog AND I link to them, a few things happen:
- You get to discover 2 of the most valuable, interesting and original technology focused blogs on the web.
- If you like what you find, you will start thinking of this blog as a useful source of information and recommendations – making you more likely to return.
- Both Robert and Louis will get a ‘ping’ from this blog, once this post is published. This alerts them that they have been linked to from here.
- This then puts my blog on their radar. If they didn’t already know I existed, they will now.
By linking to useful, interesting and relevant external information; your readers benefit, the people you link to benefit and you benefit.
Win, win, win!
I never quite understood the benefits of links , so thank you for sharing
You’re very welcome Ida. Thanks for popping by the blog
Hugs Ida for the tweet
x
Always link out whenever you can. Why? Because it passes the conversation forward and shows people you are paying attention. Links are how the Web economy works.
Did I get a ping from you? No. But did somebody click from here to my blog and did I see? Yes. So here we are. Nice work.
Hi Louis,
Thanks for taking time to comment here and help me make the point. You make an excellent point about how linking out ‘passes the conversation forward’. Oh, and the ping’s turned on now, thanks for the heads-up!
Yes, I agree with you. Yesterday when the author of a post I linked to got a ping, she stopped by my blog and left a very nice comment with positive feedback. I’m sure that when others read the post along with the comment that will boost my creditability.
It’s also nice to retweet the posts that you like and leave comments on, so I did already.
Thanks for the post!
Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback Ileane. As the blog is just a month old today, I really appreciate the ReTweet too
Blogging and Pinging
It seems so quaint now
But relevant none the less.
Most importantly, it works – As Louis showed by finding and then contributing to this blog after my post, linked to him.
Thank you and Ida for this interesting article. Links have always bothered me ….
Either due to
spam or
not understanding the mehodology of using links
or which links to select?
Warm Wishes for a good Sunday
Carolyn Williams
You make a good point there Carolyn, about which links to use.
One of the reasons I read so many other blogs, is so that I know who / what to link to. It’s also a great source of ideas of course.
Thanks for the comment.
Finally understand the concept of linking and why it is a good idea. As a result I am going to add some links to my blog.
Previously I compared linking to having advertising on my blog. I always felt it was just a way to steer traffic away.
Links are clearly different from ads.
Thanks for the post, it’s a valuable one.
Glad you found it useful Roger. Thanks for the feedback.
I find that adding links is like adding resources or citations for readers to find more information on the subject. I view the blog as a jumping off point, either for discussion or for further research. If a blog is static, with no links, it’s a dead end for readers and offers no incentive to really come back.
Just my thoughts, but I just recently started blogging.
For a new blogger Chris, you talk a lot of sense. There’s gold in them links!