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Despite years and years of writing and blogging about the need to offer something of value in return for a link, people still don't get it. In the past week, my inbox has been absolutely slammed with link exchange requests and link schemes. Not a single one of the has offered me anything in return, not even good content. They all just want me to link to them. On the other hand, Stoney deGeyter scored himself a link to his online marketing blog by getting creative.
Now, I link to Stoney all the time anyway. Why? Because I really like his writing. (In fact, he's a regular blogger here at Search Engine Guide for that same reason.) His company, Pole Position Marketing is also one of the few companies I refer people to when I get emails asking about who to hire for search marketing and online marketing jobs.
Basically, Stoney gets it. He's taken the time to build a relationship with me over the years. He's impressed me with his knowledge, his search marketing services and most importantly, the quality of his character. (His astounding knowledge of obscure movie quotes doesn't hurt either.) What brought this to mind, however, was his response to a post I made earlier this month.
Back on September 11th, I made a post about the current Google paid link controversy. In it, I wrote:
I know I certainly wouldn't have a problem dropping paid text link ads on some of my sites and then "giving" those same ads away in exchange for products or services. (Anyone want to send me a new iPod Touch in exchange for a link?)
Guess what showed up on my doorstep this week?
Now, I'm not saying you should buy off site owners to get links back to your site. I'm simply pointing out that a little creativity and a sense of humor combined with an understanding of what a site owner values (in this case, gadgets I'm too cheap to buy myself) can go a long way toward helping you score a good link. If you go back and count them up, you'll note that Stoney scored five links in this post.
He deserves them.
Now what can you do to go and earn your own links?
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Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, the Social Media Faculty Chair for MarketMotive and offers small business social media strategy & consulting. Jennifer enjoys the challenge of finding unique and creative ways to connect with consumers without spending a fortune in marketing dollars. Though she now prefers to work with small businesses, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children.
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