In the previous post I revealed an actual traffic scam that is currently being sold. That’s one landmine you just avoided. There are dozens more out there. Grab a coffee, Coke or water and get comfy. We’ve got a lot to cover here today…
When it comes to semi-automating your link building and traffic-getting, there are 3 main options for you:
1. Article directory submitters
2. Video directory submitters
3. Blog network/article syndication
Yes, there are other variations of 1-3 above. But, those are your primary options. Picking a decent service is tough enough. But, signing up with a traffic service is like putting the wagon before the horse.
Why?
Because first you need to consider what type of links (and traffic) will work best for you. I always recommend a “blended approach” when it comes to building backlinks. Use some manual methods such as creating a Squidoo lens, HubPage – or using other web 2.0 properties. Those work really well.
Use Comment Kahuna to get some blog comments linking back to your website. Also, syndicate some of your videos and articles. I know, seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? But, it really isn’t.
You might be only doing 20% manual link building and the rest can be automated using software and/or services. Let me break this down and go into a bit more detail about those 3 link building options I mentioned above that can be semi-automated:
1. Article directory submitters
If you’ve been paying attention lately, you already know that Google slapped many article directories with a Content Farm label. What does this mean? Many article directories watched their rankings (and traffic) plummet in 24 hours. Why did this happen? Well…
Most article directories contain pretty much the same articles!
Yes, people “spin” or write variations of the articles they submit. But, they are very similar. So, you’ve got hundreds of article directories that contain similar (over spun, low quality) articles. Once these articles start competing for rankings, that’s where the problem starts.
One or two of those articles may get recognized as the original source – and get ranked. All the others, get ignored by Google. That’s why when Google recently cleaned house, most of those similar articles got dropped.
Their rankings disappeared. Traffic stopped. And when you are piggybacking off those article directories to send you referral traffic and give you good back links, you can begin to see the challenge here.
Problem: If less people are seeing your article on article directories, there’s less of a chance that they will re-publish your article.
That’s really the goal for most article marketers, getting their articles re-published. So, do I recommend that you ignore article directories? No. They are still valuable. But, focus on a handful of directories. Think quality over quantity. Sure, the thought of auto-blasting your article to 400 article directories sounds amazing – it isn’t.
2. Video directory submitters
Video is extremely powerful. I highly recommend that you submit your videos to the top video directories. Be sure to include a “Call to Action” in your video and a link back to your website to capture all that video traffic. You will get visitors. There are many options to submit your videos. You can do it manually, or pay upwards of $147 per month for a service to do it for you.
Tip: There are less than 10 video directories that actually get decent traffic and will help you. Most of the others are a waste because nobody visits them.
So, just like with article directories…as exciting as “we submit your video to 200 directories” sounds… don’t believe the hype. Some challenges with video submissions are similar to article submissions…
Problem: No guarantee that other webmasters will re-publish your videos and give you wider distribution. Most video syndication services are very expensive for what they actually deliver. When it comes to your videos and how you syndicate them… think quality, not quantity.
3. Blog networks/article syndication
Lately, you’ve seen these pop up everywhere. It’s almost too easy for any “guru” to get into the “blog network” business. I’m not great at math, but anybody can understand these crazy numbers!
- Go buy 200 new domain names (cost = $2,000)
- Go hire some overseas freelancer to build you 200 vanilla-looking blogs (cost = $4,000)
- Web hosting = about $200 per month
Total Upfront Cost: $6,200
Do a big launch. Charge people $47 per month to access your new “treasure trove” of link and traffic-boosting goodness – 500 members @ $47 = $23,500 per month, and then sit back and watch as everything comes crumbling down.
Profit: $17,300 (almost 300 %!)
Holy COW!
This is *exactly* what’s been happening lately. I already showed you some screen shots from a “traffic” service that I recently joined. Nothing but crappy blogs and bad content. Believe me. These type of services are everywhere. Why?
Because it’s too damn easy (and profitable) for some people to cash in on this. Lucky for you, now you know. Earlier in this post, I mentioned that I prefer a “blended” approach to link building. Using only one method won’t get you the best results. That’s been my experience anyway.
So, now that you are armed with what options are available and why some are better than others, what’s next? Wait until the next post and this will all come together and make sense.
While waiting, you can take a look at the traffic-getting service I use in my everyday internet marketing business:
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hey good post! I mean, when I started reading I thought, omg its gonna be full of endorsements for traffic systems and link building software. But yea you gave an honest review of what its really like.
And exactly this is the case that yes there are legit automated methods for link building, but they will either do more harm than good in the long term, or just flat out wont work.
I cover this also in my post here http://www.2buildbacklinks.com/faq/how-to-get-backlinks-fast/