The Web, our vast storehouse of billions of web pages, with terabytes of information available in any type of topic, is yours to manage: make sure your promoted links stand out. Links you promote relate directly to your keywords and to your fields of interest. Your fans, followers, readers, and clients look to you to “curate” the gigantic array of data out there into something useful, worthwhile, and relevant to their time.
Typical links to mention include your company or personal blog entries, or links to downloads, informational articles, and topics of interest in your industry. Links may also relate to discussions you start about your product or service, stories that you mention during your publicity campaign, troubleshooting items, alerts and announcements, contests and giveaways, and conversations about your field.
Think about how to create a valuable resource for your readers and potential readers.
For example:
- If your personal focus is on marketing, offer your collection of top 50 marketing links, including articles, companies, to-do lists, blogs, or a weekly “round-up” carnival.
- If your company offers products and services related to organic gardening, put together a resource list of your top 100 seed, garden tools and equipment suppliers.
- If your company focuses on coffee, itemize your top 20 coffeehouses worldwide, or your top 10 espresso machines, or your five best coffee suppliers.
The trick with sharing links is to walk that fine line between narcissism and information-sharing. Are you too much of an egoist? Are your links too self-referential, or worse, are they unwanted, abusive, or spammy? You want your readers to think of you as a resource in your particular subject matter.
Before you click “submit”, consider running your post through this checklist.
Checklist before you post a link:
A) Is your link evergreen? Does it stand up to the test of time? Are you sure it’s a longtime resource or are you referencing a passing fad? A year from now, will this link still be valid?
B) Is your link informative and educational? Does it help inform, educate, or entertain your customer?
C) Is your link simply a commercial message? Be advised that posting relentless commercials may earn you snide remarks or “unfollows.”
D) Does your link provide more insight or information on who you are?
E) Does your link provide information about what you value, or what you stand for?
F) Is your link a repost? If so, make sure to give credit to the original author.
G) Did you mention contextual information about what you are linking to and why it’s important?
H) Is your link original? If you are posting original research, focus on your specific keywords that describe your company, product, service, or field of interest.
I) Is your link user-friendly? Consider using a link shortener to direct people to your posted resource.
By keeping your links “on-topic” and by focusing on your core, niche-specific phrases and topics, you’ll find your own website rising in the search engine results related to you, your company, and your specific keywords.
Monica S. Flores, an active web developer since 1999, works with women entrepreneurs and fair trade, organic, holistic, sustainable, and green businesses. She is author and editor of the “A Successful Woman’s Handbook” series, at http://www.asuccessfulwoman.com. This tip is reproduced from “Social Networking for Women on Business”, available as a trade paperback http://www.tinyurl.com/socialnetworkingwomen and an e-version http://www.tinyurl.com/socialwomenbiz.
Monica S Flores
Monica S. Flores leads large-scale web development projects in refactoring, redesign/redevelopment, digital platform buildout, & new product launches. She works with US-based & international associations, non-profits, public agencies, & startups on how to reach their communities online. Her focus is to build community, foster connectedness, & use her technology & management skills to make a better world. She believes each of us has an ability/obligation to use our knowledge, ideas, & talents to advance fairness, justice, safety, health, sustainability, & wellbeing. Find her books at Amazon or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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