Blog Tipz

Back in August, I created a post titled A Few Basics on Linking, in which I created a general overview of the ins and outs of linking to other sites.  Linking is supposed to, in its elemental form, link your readers to the sites and resources that you mention in your pots.  However, I’d like to go over a few more topics along the same topic.

Let’s assume you run an “average” blog, with a new post every day or so.  You have a strong readership base, with well-informed people reading your blog (who also read other blogs in your niche).  We’ll apply this to the rest of the situations presented below.

1. In your post, you reference “Google” or any other well-known site.  In this case, you won’t have to link to the article, as many people will know how to get there, visiting the site nearly every day and can easily search for the site if they really need to.
2. Secondly, you assume people know about a rather popular site, such as another blog in your niche, however, upon mentioning it in a post, you find that few realize the immense wealth that this blog provides.  Assuming that people know something may put you in the worst position — unless of course, you “stalk” all of your readers.  Linking to the site may be the best solution.
3. Now, should you link to “competitors’” websites?  For the most part, yes.  If it comes to you having to link to them, it would be in your best interest to reward their efforts and not be stingy all the time.
4. Finally, if you mention an individual article, there are very few times that you will be able to avoid linking to the post.  Readers don’t want to have to type in a long string of words to find the article in a search engine.  You should do them the favor of linking directly to the article to save them time and effort.

A few more tips and basics on “when you should and shouldn’t link out” include:

• Don’t overdo the number of links you place in individual posts.  While it can be said that search engines favor sites that have fewer links out and more into the site, you should practice a good balance of linking when writing posts.
• If you think a reader will spend more than twenty seconds searching for the article or website (especially a new one), link directly to the article or website where he or she will be able to find the content you have mentioned.
• Make it easy for readers to find “past” articles on your website, eliminating their need to search or plunge into multiple pages of archives.

These were a few more basics on linking “out” of your blog.  Please share any other thoughts or comments on this topic in the comments section below.