Why link to other websites?
First, it’s a very nice thing to do for your readers. Links help readers find great resources on the web and that makes your website more useful. So put links on your site to help your readers.
Well, yes and no. I mean it’s all very nice to put a link to a great party entertainment or a funny website if that’s the sort of thing you’d like to do. But there is a risk that you’ll distract your reader and they’ll never come back to your website again.
If your on the web just to be helpful and entertaining you can link randomly if you’d like! But if you want to grow your business, link strategically.
The second reason to link out to other sites is that it makes your site more credible. The major search engines give more rank to sites that have more authority on a subject. Linking lends your site some authority.
Third, when you link to other sites other sites are more likely to link to you. And that’s a very good thing. The more sites that send links to your site – the more Google thinks – “Well, looks like this might be important!” If lots of sites point to you as an authority your ranking will improve.
So, here’s a link worth following if you want to learn more about search engine optimization … SEO Book. Good advice. Enjoy!
I don’t really agree with this idea. I used to have my wedding photo blog be only about wedding photos, but since I’ve made it more personal, talking aobut my house, life, and stuff I like, I’ve found my site is more sticky. Guests are staying longer, and navigating deeper into the content.
It’s not just wedding after wedding after wedding, I mix it up by linking out to other peoples sites, embedding videos, and sharing fun content. Remember, that every business has their own client base. Perhaps your base Brian isn’t interested in that kind of stuff, but lots of other people are
Thanks for a great blog,
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Eric – you are right! I should have qualified my statement. My advice was for people who are using websites to get visitors to take a specific action – like signing up for an appointment.
Anything that distracts visitors from completing a required task is harmful to your sales.
Your blog does a great job of conveying a very personal way of doing business. Good stuff.