Link Love vs Link Bait

Posted on December 20, 2006 | Filed Under Traffic Generation

By Sharon Housley

Link Strategy

As a webmaster, it is important to develop a link strategy. Unless you
have a massive brand with a reputation and following, it is unlikely
that the masses will simply saturate your site with deep links. What
are deep links? Simply put, deep links are direct links to various
sub-pages on a website (example: domain.com/subpage.htm)

Search engines value websites that have numerous incoming links spread
over a large number of pages within a domain . In other words, a
website that has large number of incoming links to various pages within
the website will generally rank better than a website that only has
links to a single page.

Incoming links are critical to achieving Internet popularity and search
engine ranking. There are two popular ways to achieve a massive amount
of incoming links, Link Bait and Link Love.

What is Link Love?

Link Love is all about quality. In order to achieve Link Love you must
establish authority and credibility. Link Love is all about being a
reputable source, often recipients of link love are the first to post
breaking news that is vetted and accurate. Bloggers, webmasters and
publishers reward sources they genuinely enjoy with link love.

Link Bait is often considered the evil step sister of Link Love.

What is Link Bait?

Link Bait is a hook. It is unique or even controversial content. Common
sources of Link Bait include humorous items, accusations, controversy,
or even implications. Link Bait is similar to ’shock and awe’; people
cannot help but link because they are so intrigued (for good or bad).
Link Bait often walks the line between acceptable and unacceptable.

Both Link Bait and Link Love generally result in numerous deep links,
as bloggers tend to link to directly to specific articles or issues
that are raised.

Not all of us are feeling the Link Love and many are not gutsy enough
to use link bait with jaw dropping headlines, so what are some simple
ways to garner deep links?

Give Aways

Everyone loves ‘free’. Determine what is of value to your website
visitors and figure out how you can provide it free of charge. “Free”,
could be anything, an online calculator, a glossary of industry terms,
software, information, statistics or web space. It is best that the
free item relate to the content on the website.

Be Different

Do not be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Being different
or unique attracts attention and links. Step outside the box, be
innovative and different with your design, product, or service.

Contribute

Often non-profits will provide links to companies that have assisted
them. Contributions do not necessarily need to be financial they can be
in the form of free services or products.

Befriend Industry Authorities

Get to know the bloggers and journalists in your space, provide them
quality content, previews of releases or other industry information
that would be of interest to their readers. Nothing beats quality
information.

Participate

Participate in industry forums and newsgroups. Post constructive well
formed posts and link back to your websites sub-pages on your site as
part of your signature.

Regardless of whether you use Link Love or Link Bait, develop a plan to
solicit deep links throughout your website use these tips to improve
the quality and quantity of your incoming links.

About the Author:

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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Unique Selling Proposition

Posted on December 12, 2006 | Filed Under Online Marketing

Often businesses define themselves with what is called a unique selling proposition. Many businesses market their unique selling proposition to illustrate the advantages of their product or services. When trying to establish a unique selling proposition, it is crucial to find ways to differentiate and distinguish your business from your competitors, place emphasis on the positive differences between others in the marketplace.

If you can not differentiate your company based on what you sell, try to capitalize on how you sell or support your products or services. A unique selling proposition defines why customers should buy from one business rather than a competitor.

The unique selling proposition (USP) can be evident in all aspects of a business. Most often USPs are conveyed through a slogan, a company motto, or a brand. Think of the USPs that large brands have used over the years, and what they are really saying.

Slogan: “Have it your way” – Burger King
What they are really saying: We care about you, what you want matters to us. We are willing to do things different just for you, our customers are special to us.

Slogan: “Keeps going and going and going” – Energizer Batteries
What they are really saying: Our batteries are superior to our competition, no one else has batteries that last as long as ours.

Slogan: “We bring good things to life” – GE (General Electric)
What they are really saying: We are a powerful company. We do more than just one thing, you can rely on us because we have history.

Slogan: “Can you hear me now?” – Verizon
What they are really saying: Unlike our competitors, our cellular coverage is very reliable. You will not experience dropped calls or spotty coverage if you use our services.

Slogan: “You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers” – Radio Shack
What they are really saying: We excel at customer service. We staff knowledgeable professionals to help you make a purchase decisions.

Slogan: “When it Absolutely Has to be There” – Federal Express
What they are really saying: Our packages will be delivered, a competitors may not be.

Each business is highlighting it’s strengths and conveying a message that will instill confidence and comfort in their customers.

While a USP is one of the best way to successfully market a business, don’t just focus on the difference that appeals to you. Focus on identifying and expressing what is unique about the product or service that is of most importance to potential customers. The USP should place emphasis on the single item that is most important to prospective customers and distinguishes your company above all others. Is it location? Is it quality of materials? Is it superior level of service?

Another factor to consider when determining a focus for USP is how easy is it for your competitors to replicate. Many people make the mistake of using “price” as their USP. Unless you are able to consistently sell an exceedingly large volume, price is one of the easiest things for competitors to compete with. Ideally your USP should focus on something that others in your industry cannot easily reproduce.

Leverage your business by defining and using a USP in all aspects of your business.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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