More Ways to Build Back Links to Your Web Site - Respect My Authority
(Page 2 of 4 )
There’s a problem that plagues a lot of people who are very knowledgeable about particular topics. They forget that, to someone just approaching the field, they’re effectively speaking another language. If you don’t believe me, try talking to your grandmother about SEO. Even if she’s web savvy, I’ll wager she won’t know what you’re talking about unless she owns her own web site – and maybe not even then.
My point is, it’s very important to make your content easy to understand. People who understand something are more likely to spread it around. Before going live with an article, a tool, or other piece of linkbait, consider passing it to some of your intelligent friends who don’t eat, breathe, and live what you’re writing about. If they seem really puzzled, you might have to rethink what you’ve created. Of course, there’s a fine balance between making it understandable and talking down to people, so find someone who represents your target audience and let them check it over as well.
This next point is going to sound like it’s a pet peeve, coming as it does from someone who spends a lot of time editing for a living. But it isn’t just professional editors that get turned off by this problem. I’m talking about bad grammar, bad spelling, and other abuses of the language in which you’re writing. If you’re building linkbait aimed at any kind of professional, please take extra care to make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. You’ll lose the respect and attention of a huge chunk of your potential audience otherwise: professional writers, librarians, teachers, editors, voracious book readers…I could go on and on. It’s almost impossible to make it perfect – hand an article to any writer or editor and they’ll find a way to improve it – but you can minimize the errors.
Now that I’ve talked about the content of your linkbait, let me move on to your site. They say that people are judged by the company they keep; well, content is judged that way as well. If you want visitors to your site to trust your content and link to it, you need to show that the site on which it’s appearing – yours – is trustworthy. There are a lot of details that make users willing to trust a site; I’ll cover just two of them here.
When I’m researching a company, I always look for an “About” section. This is a chance to tell your visitors where you’re coming from professionally, and give them the feeling that you know what you’re talking about. You can check out other company web sites to see what kinds of things are included in About sections. Another item that your web site should include is a privacy policy, especially if you sell anything or ask your visitors for any personal information (and just about anything counts as personal information). Make sure that your privacy policy is easy to understand, and easy to find.
Next: Think Globally, Act Locally >>
More Link Trading Articles
More By Terri Wells
/ 14 
