Archive for the ‘link building’ Category

A little bit about Social Networking

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Social networking is a good thing to keep your site running smoothly. It also helps to pull in members that would not have found your site otherwise, and helps to keep the members you have updated.

Twitter:

Twitter is an ever growing option that many of your site’s members already use. You can utilize Twitter to get the word out on the better topics running on your forum, and can quickly give status updates to the site. It only takes a few moments to set up a twitter account, and only takes a minute to give an update!

ACP > vBulletin Options > Social Bookmarking Options > Add New Social Bookmarking Site

The input that’s needed is: http://twitter.com/home/?status={TITLE}%20{URL}

Then once you find a worthy thread, simply click on the Twitter Icon (You can easily find one for upload via Google Images) and the rest is pretty straight forward.

You can also log into Twitter itself to give tid-bits about your site. Warning people of upcoming down time (or worse, let people know of existing unexpected down time).

Facebook:

I know you already have a facebook account, these days everyone does! Now all you need is a page dedicated to your forum. Setting that up is not hard at all, just follow these simple instructions: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/help/?page=175 .

The input for social bookmarking is: http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u={URL}

The page can be a way to connect with your members on a deeper level then other bookmarking and social sites can never achieve. It allow your to not only give the best site updates, it allows for you to share banners and linking information, and when people “like” your page all of their friends and family see it! This can pull in other like minded people.

There are other great ways of integrating Facebook into your forum as well.

Adding a LIKE button:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like

Put this on the main index to encourage people to share their ‘like’ of your forum. Once implemented watch the number rise…

Letting people see your forums Facebook Activity:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/activity

Once that is added you can create a custom page for your forums to list it. If you are using vB then you follow the instructions found here: http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=124749

The Activity feed will show who has linked or liked what on your forums. This will show which friends have done what, but is otherwise pretty anonymous, so it’s safe according to most privacy policies, but test this out before keeping it implemented to suit your own terms of use.

Del.icio.us.

Not many use this bookmaking site, and it’s not very good at keeping others up to date on the goings on of your forum, but it is a VERY handy site to help keep things organized on an administrative level. I use it to keep track of important threads on the various vB sites out there, such as how to add custom pages (as seen above), as well as the APIs of other sites (like the facebook links I just gave). Forum users can use it to keep track of important threads, so it’s really worthy of making sure they can use it.

The input for social bookmarking is: http://del.icio.us/post?url={URL}&title={TITLE}

Stumble Upon:

Over using this site will surely get your banned, so use it wisely… but also make sure your members can use it! This is a fun way to find new members and to get the word out to random strangers about interesting threads.

The input for social bookmarking is:  http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url={URL}&title={TITLE}

Promote your forum with a Street Team

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Set up a street team on your forum to help you get the word out about it. Setting up a street team is fairly simple.

Setting up the Street Team:

  • Get the word out that you want members of your forums to help you promote it.
  • Set up a board specifically for the team to discuss the various ways of promotion
  • Set up a usergroup for the team that will allow them to have a few extra perks (bigger inboxes, larger avatars, etc. Though keep away from making them truly stand out. You don’t want people clicking through their links to find out they have been had).

Ways a Street Team can help promote

  • Have them install the Alexa Tool Bar, though you should let them know it’s spyware… that way every time they visit the site they help up the ranking.
  • Have them join social networking sites like Stumble Upon and Digg. It is important to note here that they need to stumble a lot more then just your forum of your site will likely end up on the banned list. The same applies to Digg. One of the extra things they can do here is to promote the sites that link to yours. Read more about this here: Promoting Links and Linkbait.
  • Have them start basic pages on freepages sources like  GooglePages. This sill provide additional links to your site and can generate some decent content if these pages are promoted through other means.
  • If any of them are good with graphics then they can help to make new banners for the forum that the rest of the team can use to in their promotion, like placing them in sigs and their created pages.
  • Have them join a few related forums. They can link to your forum via their signatures and can post related content that can link back to your articles. Tweak this out by reading the previous point. Have them follow the rules I give in this article: Link Building with Forums as it’s important that they are not coming across as spammers so they can continue to post on the other forums.
  • Get pens made with the site url on them and send boxes of them to the members of the team. They can then leave the pens at grocery stores so people will borrow them when they need to write a check. This can potentially spread your site all around several busy towns and cities.
  • Have them read related blog feeds so they can make comments about related threads on your forum. Again, make sure they are not spamming the blogs as no one likes a spammer. I give a few posting tips here: Link Building with Blog Commentsand again, check out point number two so they can then promote the blog entry they comment in. Yes, plugging other sites helps those sites, but it also increased the number of potential readers of the Street Team comments.
  • Get a few t-shirts printed up with the site logo and url on them. Send the shirts to the Street Team as a gift. Walmart sells tee’s fairly cheap from their photo center.
  • The Street Team can also help by submitting sites to the various directories out there. Have a member or three keep an eye on Solicitations & Announcements for new free directories or paid directories offering a sale.
  • Have them start blogs and post about interesting threads on your forum, and have them add your forum to their blogroll. This is worth doing even if you have to host their blogs yourself, though there are free alternatives out there like wordpress.com or blogger.com.
  • Another good idea which can often be more powerful for promotion is to have them set up account on social networking sites like LiveJournal, FaceBook, or Myspace. Many of these sites use NoFollow tags, but it’s not about Google Page rank for this project, it’s about site recognition and gaining members and traffic.
  • Other sites offer a link in their profiles. Youtube is one of them and if they are willing to make videos and tag your url onto their work, then so much the better.
  • In the forum you make for the team, have them come up with their own ideas to help promote your site

It is important to keep in mind though that when the Street Team is out there on another site, they should keep to the rules of those sites and should keep the community in mind. No one likes a spammer, and very few are willing to follow the link they feel is questionable or spammy. Have them truly interact with such communities and to make friends there. Those friends can in turn convert to potential advertisers as well, as I have followed my friends entries on places like Stumble Upon and have given those pages an additional thumbs up.

Want to post about a Blog Entry or an Article? Read this first!

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I’m seeing more and more threads as of late with little more then a link in them, so I thought I’d bring it up to let you all know that A) It’s technically against the rules, and B) You’re not reaching your full click potential!

A) Don’t create posts with nothing but a link. If you are going to link to a news article for example, give a summary of it.

Saying you wrote a blog entry on marketing tips, giving the link, and asking what I think, is NOT a summary.

B) Without the summary some people are not bothering to click!

I for one will generally not click on a link, unless there is something there inviting me too. I’m on dialup and there is no real possibility of an upgrade. If you tell me that your article is really good, sorry, I do not believe you, I do not know you! So come on, give me a teaser, make me want to click that link by giving me a small sample. Even the lowliest of drug dealers know that this marketing trick works…why don’t you people?

And it’s not just people on dialup, before I moved I was on DSL and if I saw a thread someplace that had little more then a link, I’d hit the back button muttering something about how spam tastes slightly worse then a canned ham.

I’ve also learned that if there is one person that does something, there is likely going to be more. So if I am not clicking the link because of possible load times, or because I think the way it was presentation was spammy, chances are there will be others not clicking it as well. On the other hand, those interested in clicking the link based solely on the promise of something good, will likely click regardless of whether there is a summary of the article or not.

Why not cater to everyone and give a little something? (like a brief description, or a sample of that blog entry/article). You’ll be glad you did!

Buying Signature Links

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

People buy and sell links all the time, that is certainly nothing new. About the only thing that changes is the cost of the links being bought and sold. On Digital Point (here: Signature Links)the going rate for signature links is about $0.50 for 200 posts. However, that price is rapidly dropping due to an over saturated market, so the buyer should pay close attention to what it is he or she is buying.
There are two main types of people that sell links, the first group is post whores that do nothing but up their post count to up the cost of their links. These members post little in the way of quality content so do little to better the forum they are posting on and actually do little in the way of helping the link seller. I mean, look at it this way, how many sig links have you clicked through? Was the post you checked the sig out worth reading? I’ll guess yes, and that’s why you clicked. Now think back, how many times have you clicked through a sig link that was attached to a post like “PM sent”, “thanks” or other meaningless drivel? No, these are not the members you should be giving your money over too.

The other type of poster that sells their sig link is just your average member with a spare link slot open so they are looking to make a few bucks. These are the members that are generally worth looking into. Their posts are generally of a higher quality and they are sure to generate more traffic to your site then the attention seeker I mentioned above. When buying from these members there are a few things you should look for before passing over your penny per post.

  • Member Rank : The sig of a moderator is generally worth more then the average member as people are more inclined to “trust” a link given by a member with some type of rank.
  • Post Quality : Simply click into the members profile and then click on “posts made by <user>” and it will give a post history complete with summery of their posts. If the first page worth of summaries have nothing cropped, chances are the member is a post whore. Look for actual content.
  • Reputation : While it is overall worth nothing on most forums, it can be a good indicator of the quality of the member. If someone has a thousand posts and only one green pip the post quality may not be up to par.
  • iTrader : This is not something on every forum, but if they have it or the equivalent, then anything in the positive is generally good. Keep in mind though, not all members make a lot of deals so high numbers are not always a sign of a better person, only a sign that the person posts more in the buy/sell areas. Read through the comments.
  • Threads Started : The higher the link is on the page, the more the link is potentially worth. A member that starts more threads has YOUR link at the top of more pages.
  • Post Locations : One of the things you want to look for is relevance. If a member only posts in the YAHOO forums, then your Google related link may not be a wise investment.

There are likely other things you should keep in mind, but the above list should be more then adequate for the link buyer to determine if the link seller is worth making a deal with. In all cases know what you are buying and if you do, there is a better chance of buying something of worth.

How to write non-spam forum links

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I’m a member on several forums and lately I’ve been seeing more and more people posting links to articles or blogs that basically say “I wrote an article on _X_, here’s the <link> check it out” well, I recently blogged about _X_ as well, if you’d like to see it, check out my ‘recent blog post’ that’s up by my name….there is no need to post about it for the sake of posting. The administration of the site was kind enough to give us an option that leaves no need for such a mundane thread. When you do post a thread like that it simply smacks of SPAM and a weak attempt at getting a link and maybe some traffic.

What people do not realize is that if they would spend a little time they could get much much more click through to the article or blog post they just made. How? Simple! Just give a little content to the thread. That’ll do two things. First it’ll make people want to read the article, and second it can cause discussion, which in turn helps to keep your thread on the top, and the longer it’s on top, the more traffic it’ll receive.

I am a forum owner, and as such, when I see a thread that starts off with no content and a link, that thread will generally get deleted, and the poster will generally get labeled as spammer, especially if that is their first post. However, if a brand new member comes and gives a few snippets of an article or blog post in hopes of discussion, and discussion happens, I’ll leave the post, and it’s link, as that is falling into the grand scheme of the forum being a Discussion Board.

I’ve also recently seen a thread with the original poster complaining that he was not getting good traffic through his signature. I looked into why and the reasons were pretty obvious, and I’m not just talking about the fact he only had 66 posts at the time. I ran through his posting history and of his 66 posts I counted only a small handful that actually provided any content to the thread he was posting in. If I am reading a thread and see a post that says little more then “I agree” I’ll scroll down to the next post skipping over the sig links in the process. On the other hand, if I see a good post that adds something to the thread, I’ll generally stay there for a moment while absorb what the member was talking about. This has often led me to look at the member’s signature, especially if the anchor text is relevant to the thread they are posting in.

The same concepts also cross over into blog posts. Time and time again I am logging into my comment queue only to find unrelated entries with little more then a link. I don’t care about your cat site if I am blogging about my garden. Though, if you have something to say about cats that relates to gardening somehow, then by all means give me some content and your link, I’ll gladly let it stay, in fact, if your link is really worthy of being read I may even click around a bit and possibly even blog about something else you have to say. Though, just post a link and chances are I’ll not even bother too look, even if it does seem relevant.

Article Directories are nice, and should be the norm. When you submit an article to a directory, they will host it for you, if it has a link to your site, then it’s good for you, and good for them. The Article directory gets free content, and you get that sought after link, it’s WIN/WIN, and posting in a blog, forum, or even guest book, should be no different. Give a reason that your link should stay, and I’m betting that it will!

So unless you are posting to a link directory, give something in return (like good quality content). It’s the least you can do!

Freepages for article posting

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Many of the people that utilize article directories often over look something with even greater freedom and equal amount of SERP potential. What is this something that is over looked? Freepages!

Creating pages on free hosts can create some fantastic backlinks and help otherwise promote your site. I encourage you to make an account at a few of these sites and add in some unique content to them (complete with links to your main page).

If you make a page at any of these places please post the address in this thread so that we can hit as many as possible rather then us all making accounts on the same few.

NOTE: Many of these will have popup ads, banners, or other forms of advertising.

REMEMBER TO USE A JUNK EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN SIGNING UP! These sites WILL spam you!

Freeservers.com
http://www.freeservers.com/
12 Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Email forwarding. CGI scripts: counter, guestbook and form mailer. Domain hosting. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freeservers.com/’.

FortuneCity
http://www.fortunecity.com/
25 Mb with 3Gb monthly bandwidth. Banner ad and Pop-ups on each page. FTP uploads. URL: ‘http://members.fortunecity.com/yoursite/’.

AOL Hometown
http://hometown.aol.com/
12Mb. Banner frame ad. FTP uploads. URL: ‘http://hometown.aol.com/yoursite/’.

Tripod.com
http://www.tripod.lycos.com/
20 Mb. Banner or Pop-up ad on each page. FTP uploads. MS FrontPage, CGI and Perl supported. Web-based builder and templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.tripod.com/’.

Brinkster
http://www.brinkster.com/
30Mb with 500Mb monthly bandwidth. Browser uploads. ASP supported. URL: ‘http://www##.brinkster.com/yoursite/’.

Angelfire
http://www.angelfire.lycos.com/
20Mb. Choice of pop-up or on-page ads. FTP or Browser uploads. Templates and building tools provided. URL: ‘http://www.angelfire.com/dir/yoursite/’.

MyWebPage at Netscape
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/
20Mb. Banner ad at top of each page. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://webpages.netscape.com/yoursite/’.

Tripod-UK
http://www.tripod.lycos.co.uk/
50Mb. Banner frame ad. Browser and FTP uploads. MS FrontPage, PHP and MySQL supported. URL: ‘http://members.lycos.co.uk/yoursite/’.

Freewebs.com
http://members.freewebs.com
100Mb with 500Mb monthly bandwidth. No forced ads. CGI, Perl and SSI supported. Online website builder, counters, forums, form mailer provided. Domain hosting available. URL: ‘http://www.freewebs.com/yoursite/’.

Fateback
http://www.fateback.com/
60Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Small banner ads. FTP and browser uploads. POP3 email. Domain hosting available. URL: ‘http://yoursite.fateback.com/’.

WebSpawner.com
http://www.webspawner.com/
For beginners. Pop-up ad on each page. Web-based builder and site management tools.

Biz.ly
http://www.biz.ly
100Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Browser uploads. Banner on each page. URL: ‘http://yoursite.biz.ly’.

ProHosting
http://free.prohosting.com/
20Mb with 1Gb monthly bandwidth. FTP uploads. Web-based site builder. URL: ‘http://free.prohosting.com/~yoursite/’.

Free Hosting Guru
http://www.freehostingguru.com/
For approved sites. 5Mb space with unlimited bandwidth. No ads. Browser uploads. PHP supported. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freehostingguru.com/’.

CyberSoup
http://www.cybersoup.com/
15Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Web-based site builder. URL: ‘http://my.cybersoup.com/yoursite/’.

eSmartStart
http://www.esmartstart.com/
20Mb. FTP and browser uploads. Templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.eSmartWeb.com/’.

Free Web Space
http://www.freewebspace.com/
20 Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Email forwarding. CGI scripts and website tools. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freewebspace.com/’.

FreeHomePage.com
http://www.freehomepage.com/
12Mb. Templates provided. Pop-up and banner ads on each page. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freehomepage.com/’.

Thirdage.com
http://home.thirdage.com/
9Mb. Pop-up ad on each page. Browser uploads. Guestbook and counter provided. URL: ‘http://home.thirdage.com/area/yoursite/’.

HostsLtd
http://www.hostsltd.com/
20Mb. Counters, guestbooks, polls, forums and form mailer provided. URL: ‘http://www.freehostsltd.com/dir/yoursite/’.

SitePalace.com
http://www.sitepalace.com/
8Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. CGI scripts: counter. URL: ‘http://www.sitepalace.com/yoursite/’.

TopCities.com
http://www.topcities.com/
150Mb. Browser uploads. CGI scripts include guestbook, message board, form mailer and counter. URL: ‘http://yoursite.topcities.com/’.

DomainDLX
http://www.domaindlx.com/
100Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner or popup on each page. Browser upload. Web-based email. Domain hosting. ASP, Access databases and SSI supported.

Freespaces.com
http://www.freespaces.com/
Unlimited space and bandwidth. No forced banner ads. URL:’http://www.freespaces.com/yoursite’.

1ASPHost
http://www.1asphost.com/
100 Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Pop-up ads on each page. ASP and MS Access databases supported. URL: ‘http://home.1asphost.com/yoursite/’.

7Host
http://www.7host.com/
50Mb. Banner ad on each page. FTP uploads. ASP supported. URL: ‘http://user.7host.com/yoursite/’.

Planet-D
http://www.planet-d.net/
Unlimited space. Browser uploads. Web-based email. PHP, Perl, suexec supported. Domain hosting allowed. URL: ‘http://yoursite.planet-d.net/’.

Eccentrix
http://www.eccentrix.com/
50 Mb with 900Mb monthly bandwidth. Pop-ups on each page. CGI scripts: guestbook and message board. URL: ‘http://www.eccentrix.com/dir/yoursite/’.

2GlobalMart.com

http://2globalmart.com/
12Mb. FTP uploads. Web-based email. Counter, form mailer and guestbook provided. FrontPage supported. URL: ‘http://yoursite.g2gm.com/’.

CentralPets.com
http://sites.centralpets.com/
For pet and animal related websites. Browser uploads. Templates provided.

Global Web
http://www.globalweb.com.ru/
50Mb space with 1Gb monthly bandwidth. Free Subdomains. Forced ads on top of each page. FTP uploads. POP3 email. PHP, MySQL, CGI and Perl are supported.

Dreamwater
http://www.dreamwater.com/
50+ Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Templates provided. CGI scripts: chat board, form mailer, and guestbook. URL: ‘http://yoursite.dreamwater.com/’.

100 Megs Free
http://www.100megsfree.com/
100Mb. Banner or Pop-up ad on each page. Browser or FTP uploads. Template based editor. CGI scripts: form mailer, message board, and guest book. URL: ‘http://yoursite.100megsfree.com/’.

Anzwers
http://www.anzwers.org/
Unlimited space and bandwidth. Banner ad each page. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://www.anzwers.org/free/yoursite/’.

20 Megs Free.com

http://www.20megsfree.com
20Mb. Browser or FTP uploads. Website builder and templates provided. Guestbook, counter and form mailer provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.20megsfree.com/’.

T35.com
http://www.t35.com/
Unlimited space with unlimited bandwidth. 250kb filesize limit. Pop-under ads. FTP uploads. PHP, SSI supported. Domain name hosting available. URL: ‘http://yoursite.t35.com/’.

ProperComfy
http://www.propercomfy.co.uk
50Mb with unlimited bandwidth. No forced ads. FTP uploads. Web-based email. PHP, Perl, MySQL supported. Domain hosting available. URL: ‘http://yoursite.propercomfy.co.uk/’.

Host Ultra
http://www.hostultra.com/
No image galleries allowed. Unlimited space with unlimited bandwidth. Filesize limit 1Mb. Exit Pop-up ads on each page. FTP and browser uploads. PHP supported. Domain hosting available. URL: ‘http://www.hostultra.com/~yoursite/’.

TheFreeWebHosting
http://www.thefreewebhosting.com/
Offers webhosting and email to members of their forum. Requires ownership of an existing domain name.

HostRave Free Hosting
http://www.freehosting.hostrave.com
20Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Text link ads. FTP and browser uploads. PHP, MySQL, CGI, Perl supported.

Mg2.org
http://www.mg2.org/
A community focused on web hosting. Sponsor based user selection and approval. 20Mb. No forced ads. FTP uploads. PHP, CGI, JSP and Perl supported. GCC access provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.mg2.org/’.

OAM Web
http://oamweb.com/
5 Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. CGI scripts: form mailer, guestbook, and message board. URL: ‘http://oamweb.com/dir/yoursite/’.

NexusWebs
http://www.nexuswebs.net/
35Mb with 750Mb bandwidth. No forced banner ads. FTP and browser uploads. Web-based email. Online website builder. URL: ‘http://yoursite.nexuswebs.net/’.

Graffiti.net
http://www.graffiti.net/
20Mb. Button link required. FTP uploads. Web-based email. Full CGI-BIN support, chat, message boards and mailing lists. URL: ‘http://www.graffiti.net/yoursite/’.

Stormpages.com
http://www.stormpages.com/
50Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Scripts: message board, guest book. Web-based site builder provided. URL: ‘http://stormpages.com/yoursite/’.

00server.com
http://00server.com/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://yoursite.00space.com/’.

BuildtoLearn
http://buildtolearn.com
For accepted sites. 20Mb. FTP uploads.

The Express Page
http://expage.com/
For creating a first home page. 1 page allowed. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://expage.com/yoursite/’.

Free Web Page Hosting
http://www.freewebpage.org/
150Mb with 600Mb monthly bandwidth. 900kb filesize limit. Banner or Pop-up ads. FTP and browser uploads. Form mailer, guestbook and message board provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freewebpage.org/’. Affiliated with TopCities.

Illusion FX Net
http://www.illusionfxnet.com/
250Mb with unlimited bandwidth. POP3 email. PHP, Perl, MySQL, PostgreSQL supported. Subdomain hosting.

Free Web Hosting
http://www.freeweb-hosting.com/
Unlimited space with unlimited bandwidth. Header and footer ads on each page. FTP uploads. Web-based email. Domain hosting. URL: ‘http://yoursite.sohounion.com/’.

PrimeTap
http://www.primetap.com/
12Mb. Banner and Pop-up ads on each page. Browser uploads. Templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.primetap.com/’.

deluxnetwork
http://www.deluxnetwork.com/
2Gb with unlimited monthly bandwidth. Ads on pages. FTP uploads. PHP and SSI supported. URL: ‘http://host.deluxnetwork.com/~yoursite/’.

Psend
http://www.psend.com/
12Mb. Banner ad on each page. FTP and browser uploads. Web-based email. PHP supported. URL: ‘http://yoursite.psend.com/’.

Websamba.com
http://www1.websamba.com/
30Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner at top and bottom of each page; no user ads. FTP uploads. CGI, ASP, SSI and ODBC databases supported. URL: ‘http://www.websamba/yoursite/’.

JoinMe
http://www.joinme.net/
5Mb. Web based editor, guest books and bulletin boards provided. URL: ‘http://joinme.net/yoursite’.

FortuneCity UK
http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/
25Mb with 0.5Gb monthly bandwidth. Banner ad on each page. FTP and browser uploads. URL: ‘http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/yoursite/’.

X-Mail.net
http://www.x-mail.net/
20Mb. 500kb filesize limit. Browser uploads. Web-based email account.

Bz.tc
http://www.bz.tc/
20 MB. Banners and Pop-up ad on each page. FTP. URL: ‘http://www.yoursite.bz.tc’.

MsgServerNet
http://www.msgserver.net/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. Web-based and POP3 email provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.msgserver.net/’.

Free Web Town
http://www.freewebtown.com/
Web-based site builder. URL: ‘http://www.freewebtown.com/yoursite/’.

Worldbreak.com
http://www.worldbreak.com/
12Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Unlimited web-based email accounts. CGI scripts include counters, form mailer and guestbook. URL: ‘http://yoursite/worldbreak.com/’.

HomePageHost
http://hp-h.com
Application review in signup. 50Mb. FTP uploads. PHP, MySQL supported. Subdirectory hosting.

Megspace
http://www.megspace.com/
50Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. CGI scripts: form mailer, guestbook, and message board. URL: ‘http://www.megspace.com/dir/yoursite/’.

Web1000.com

http://web1000.com
50Mb with unlimited bandwidth. No forced ads. FTP uploads. Adult sites permitted. Many URLs available.

aboho.com
http://www.aboho.com
Requires forum posting. 15Mb space and 500Mb bandwidth. No forced banner ads. FTP uploads. PHP, MySQL supported. cPanel provided. Subdomain hosting.

Sakellaris Electronics
http://www.snn.gr/
12Mb. Banner ad on each page. FTP and browser uploads. Templates provided. Email forwarding. URL: ‘http://yoursite.snn.gr/’.

Community Architect
http://signup.communityarchitect.com/cgi-bin/signup
12Mb with 512Mb monthly bandwidth. Ads on pages. 256kb filesize limit. Online site builder. Subdomain hosting.

Lifelesspeople.com
http://www.lifelesspeople.com/
For approved sites. 100Mb with 2Gb monthly bandwidth. No forced ads. FTP uploads. PHP, MySQL, Perl, SSI supported. Domain hosting supported. Subdomains at lifelesspeople.com, l2p.net and belike.net

ComVision2000.com
http://www.comvision2000.com/
12 Mb. Adframe at top of each page. Browser or FTP uploads. Web-based email account. URL: ‘http://yoursite.comvision2000.com/’ or ‘http://yoursite.2itb.com/’.

Cool Free Pages
http://www.coolfreepages.com/
50Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Exit Pop-up ad. FTP uploads. PHP supported. Domain hosting. URL: ‘http://yoursite.coolfreepages.com/’.

WebMasterTools.Com
http://www.webmastertools.com/
10Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner ad on homepage. FTP uploads. Two POP3 email accounts. URL: ‘http://webmastertools.com/dir/yoursite/’.

OurWeb.to
http://www.ourweb.to/
20Mb. Banner ads on pages. FTP and browser uploads. Email forwarding. CGI scripts, CGI-BIN access provided. SSI, PHP, MySQL, ASP, MS Frontpage extensions suppported. URL: ‘http://www.ourweb.to/~yoursite/’.

Xaper Homepages
http://www.xaper.com/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. FTP uploads. Templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.xaper.com/’.

Lastpromise.com
http://hosting.lastpromise.com/
Two tiers of free hosting with limited spaces available. POP3 e-mail, subdomain or directory URLs, and PHP/MySQL offered. No ads.

FriendPages
http://www.friendpages.com/
5Mb. Ads on pages. URL: ‘http://yoursite.friendpages.com/’.

Cooo.net

http://www.cooo.net/
100Mb with unlimited bandwidth. 500kb filesize limit. Ads on pages. FTP uploads. URL: ‘http://yoursite.cooo.net/’.

Hostars Free Web Hosting
http://www.hostars.com
25Mb space and 500Mb monthly bandwidth. Ads on pags. FTP uploads. URL: http://yoursite.hostars.com

FreeCyberZone.com
http://www.freecyberzone.com/
12Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Free web-based e-mail. CGI scripts: counter, guestbook and message boards. URL: ‘http://yoursite.freecyberzone.com/’.

Yours2Use
http://www.yours2use.co.uk/
2Mb. No forced ads. URL:’http://members.yours2use.co.uk/yoursite/’.

hus.meg.nu
http://hus.meg.nu/
2.5Mb. 500kb filesize limit. No forced ads. Site builder tools. URL: ‘http://hus.meg.nu/homepage/dir/yoursite’.

Home Page Builders
http://www.homepagebuilders.com
12Mb. Banner at top and bottom of each page. Browser uploads. Web-based site builder. URL: ‘http://yoursite.fabpage.com/’.

Web Hosting Pal

http://www.webhostingpal.com
50Mb with 5000Mb monthly bandwidth. No forced ads. FTP uploads. PHP, Perl, SSI supported. URL: ‘http://yoursite.webhostingpal.com/’.

Crazyghost.com
http://crazyghost.com/
200Mb with 10Gb bandwidth. No forced ads. CGI, PHP, MySQL, CURL, Perl supported. cPanel provided.

Pinoysite
http://www.pinoysite.com/
For Philippine theme sites. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://www.pinoysite.com/dir/yoursite/’.

20megs.com
http://www.20megs.com/
20Mb with unlimited bandwidth. Banner ad on each page. FTP or browser uploads. CGI scripts: guestbook and message board. URL: ‘http://www.20megs.com/category/yoursite/’.

GoBot
http://www.gobot.com/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. Templates provided. FTP uploads. URL: ‘http://yoursite.gobot.com’.

TheGeekHost.com
http://www.thegeekhost.com/
For technically oriented sites. 15Mb with 500Mb monthly bandwidth. Ads on pages. Browser uploads. SSI supported. Site building and management tools. Available scripts include guestbook, counter, appointment book, and message board. URL: ‘http://www.thegeekhost.com/yoursite/’.

Wizards of WizardSoul

http://wizardsoul.com/
For a simple web page. Text link ad at top of each page. Web-based builder and messenger system provided. URL: ‘http://wizardsoul.com/wizards/yoursite/’.

PCI Free Host
http://pcifreehost.com/
12Mb with 512Mb monthly bandwidth. 256kb filesize limit. Banner ad on each page. Email forwarding. CGI scripts: webring, message board, form mailer and counter. URL: ‘http://yoursite.pcizone.com/’.

ababa
http://www.ababa.net/
15Mb with 1Gb monthly bandwidth. MP3 and EXE files not allowed. No forced ads. Browser uploads. SSI supported. URL: ‘http://ballz.ababa.net/yoursite/’.

QuickFox Websites
http://users.quickfox.org/
150Mb. No forced banner ads. SSI supported. URL: ‘http://users.quickfox.org/~yoursite/’.

Xenith
http://www.xenith.com
For established web sites. 100Mb with 10Gb monthly bandwidth. Banner ads.

GigDig
http://www.gigdig.com/
720kb. No forced ads.

Free Info Center

http://www.freeinfocenter.net/
50Mb with 2Gb monthly transfer. Banner on each page. FTP uploads. Frontpage and ASP supported. POP3 email. Domain hosting available. URL: ‘http://www.freeinfocenter.net/yoursite/’.

Virtual Solar System
http://www.virtualsolarsystem.com/members/
5Mb. No forced ads. Browser uploads. URL: ‘http://www.virtualsolarsystem.com/dir/yoursite/’.

4qtherapeia.com
http://4qtherapeia.com/
Only for sites that have already been built. 10Mb. No forced ads. Browser uploads. Domain hosting. URL: ‘http://yoursite.joolsc.net/’.

Lecktronix.net
http://freehosting.lecktronix.net/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. FTP and browser uploads. Web-based site builder provided. CGI scripts: counter, guestbook and forms. URL: ‘http://yoursite.lecktronix.net/’.

CCRTC Internet
http://www.ccrtcweb.com/
No forced ads. URL: ‘http://www.ccrtc.com/dir/yoursite/’.

A11.net
http://www.a11.net/
12Mb. Ads on pages. Browser uploads. Email forwarding. Templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.a11.net/’.

The Free Auction

http://www.thefreeauction.com/help/freewebpages.html
1.5Mb. Browser uploads. Web-based PageBuilder and templates provided. Search box, guestbook, counter and form mailer provided.

Slydevil’s Lair
http://www.slydevil.net/
5Mb. Four DS3 backbone connections. No forced banner ads. Browser uploads. Guestbook provided.

Balasainet.com
http://www.balasainet.com
25Mb. Browser uploads. Perl/CGI supported. Subdomain hosting.

Gpox.com
http://www.gpox.com
25Mb with unlimited bandwidth. FTP and browser uploads. Subdomain hosting.

Free Web Space
http://freewebspace.planetdns.net/
50Mb. FTP uploads.

SwiftHost
http://swifthost.homeunix.net
100Mb. No forced ads. FTP uploads. PHP and ASP supported.

XentriK Hosting

http://www.xentrik.net/hosting
Offering 10MB disk space, 500 MB data transfer, no forced advertisments, FTP, PHP, CGI and SSI support. URL: user.xentrik.net

IcySpicy
http://www.icyspicy.com/
20Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Templates provided. URL: ‘http://yoursite.icyspicy.com’.

nu3.net
http://www.nu3.net/
12Mb. Banner ad on each page. Browser uploads. Web-based email. Scripts: form mailer, guestbook and message boards. URL: ‘http://yoursite.nu3.net/’.

ItsMySite.com
http://www.itsmysite.com/
5Mb. Ad frame or banner on each page. Only hosts pages built by SiteBuilder, an online site building tool. Password-protecting available. URL: ‘http://www.itsmysite.com/yoursite/’.

REMEMBER TO USE A JUNK EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN SIGNING UP! These sites WILL spam you!

I think these would work best if you picked a theme or topic and then created a small site based around that with a few pages about that topic.

For instance, you could pick a broad topic like Technomancy, then create an introduction page explaining the basics of that.

From there, then a few pages about specifics could be created. Not every page has to point back from here, but some certainly should. Like maybe a link from the intro page to the board on it here, then maybe a page about your take on one of the topics from the board, and a link back to the topic. Another page could then be your take on something else within technomancy, but not actually have a link…

What Would Mother Do

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I was talking to my mother about the internet this morning and a few things clicked in my little mind. I’m not sure if the clicking sound was something breaking or not, but anyways, here are a few thoughts with my mother in mind…

What would my Mother do?

Google is trying to tweak their algorithms out to help organic searches, and in SEO it’s the webmasters job to pull in as much of that organic traffic as possible. The smarter we get, the tougher it is to fool the machine….but what if fooling the machine is not the way to go?

SPAM: Sending out bulk emails will get you banned from most hosting companies, as well as get you blacklisted on most mail servers. I think out of the thousands of bulk mailings I’ve gotten I’ve opened maybe 5 and have never once bought into them. My mother on the other hand reads about half and has called me several times to ask how she can buy what’s being sold.

MFA: I think it’s unfair to focus on AdSence here, as any (spammy) affiliate sites likely falls under this heading. When I see a page like this I click the back button and tweak my search terms. My mother clicks on ads thinking they are part of the site.

Free Pages: My mother can’t tell the difference between your $100,000 website and my nephews homepage on Angelfire. So aside from making a fancy MFA site, why not kick out a few sub-pages that are a bit more ‘organic’ and link these pages back to the main host or another of your sites. Then head out to places like Angelfire, Googlepages and the like and start sending Emails to these “webmasters” for some reciprocal linking.

Text Links/Banners: My mother has yet to understand the concept of the status bar to see where a link takes her, and even if she did, if it was blank she’d likely think it was part of the site sinse it wasn’t telling her otherwise. This makes ads a good thing…though personally I’ve only clicked on maybe 10 ads in my life…my mother has clicked on likely thousands (I won’t give her the addresses to my sites).

The three things above if done incorrectly can get one penalized in SERP placement and no one really wants that, but if one is to use such methods, then it’s likely best to aim things at the people that do not have a clue what is actually going on. Fellow webmasters, SEO experts, and the like are less inclined to fall for such things, so never focus your less ethical tactics their way, instead focus such efforts at people that will fall for them…like your own mother!

Search Engines are doing their best to keep things as organic as possible. They are looking into all types of links trying to get all of the false ones filtered out of their calculations. Currently their main target is links created to specifically effect Search Engine Rank Position, these links are generally created by SEOers and Webmasters, they know it and we know it. As they are getting better and better at spotting things, it’s our job to get more creative in fooling them…but what if that’s really not needed?

I own a forum, and most of the members on that forum have NO CLUE what Anchor Text means let alone how to use it. When they give a link they give it like http://www.google.com/ how’s that for SEO? Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking about…but what if we are wrong? I mean, if they want the results to assist the ‘average user’ then shouldn’t we be thinking like the average user? We are not the average user that’s for sure, but I’m willing to be the users on a general topic forum are…and those are the ones we are wanting to draw in right?

So go on and try it, take a small site and promote the hell out of it…but don’t do it like your other sites. Before you do anything and before you do everything ask yourself “what would mother do?” and then do it that way… see how far it takes you. You may be surprised.

(and yes, I realize my mother is a moron )

Link Building with Blog Comments

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I define SPAM in the strictest sense as posting non-sequitur links as related to the original blog entry, article, or site. When you find a place to post your links that actually pertain to those links then you are one step closer to actually getting that link published. There are two ways to spam blogs with your links; the right way and the wrong way. I’m here to let you know the best way to even try it.

If content is king, then spam is the court jester. It’s sometimes funny to watch, but no one really pays any attention to it. So the trick is to get on-topic and to get people to actually bother reading it. The three steps below can greatly increase your odds of getting your link through the moderation queue and equally important, getting people to actually click on your link.

Post on relevant sites:
To better promote your link it is best to find blogging sites within your own niche. If you are trying to promote your new invention on how to walk your dog, then posting on a healthcare site will likely not generate any traffic, even if it does happen to make it though the moderation queue. People are going to the healthcare site for healthcare, not dog-walking.

When looking at potential sites, you should focus on traffic more then anything else. High PR is nice, but secondary to the actual click through rate to your site. The more readers, the more potential for additional backlinks and customers. Likewise, re=”nofollow” can also be ignored. Humans follow nofollow links, and it’s humans you are after here not bots. While both PR and follow links are good, blogs without them should not be underestimated.

Besides, most new blog entries will be unranked anyway so the chances of passing any PR are minimal at best. Also, not all search engines pay attention to the re=”nofollow” attribute.

Post on topic:
If the site is on auto-mechanics, and the blog entry in question is on exhaust pipes, posting a link on fender repair will likely not result in any click through and likely will not pass through the queue. Find an entry on fenders or fender repair and you’ll fair far better.

When you are looking at the entry, skim over it’s existing replies. Sometimes it’s better to comment on an existing comment, especially if that comment is closer to your reply then the original post. It’s also more likely to pass through moderation as it can look like you are trying to actually help out a fellow reader.

In any case, do not just post your link. It’s URL will not even be checked unless of course an admin happens to cross his/her mouse over it on the way to the delete button. Actually post something worth reading…

Post Content:
So you found the correct niche site, and an entry that is topically accurate, your work is not finished yet. Now you need to accent your link with actual content. If you head in with a subject title and a message body with just an URL then no one will really care. Take the time to write up a line or three that deals with the topic at hand and try to squeeze in your link in a relevant manor that helps the readers of the blog.

Start off with a relevant subject line if it gives the option. Follow that with something conversational in the message body. Actually get involved in the discussion if you can, or at least look like it. Do not stuff your entry with keywords either, actually communicate your point with proper sentence structure, spelling, and grammar. Post as if you were commenting to one of your own friends…as if the admin of the blog is to allow your post to stay it’s the least you can do.

How to squeeze in that link:
In many cases a deeplink will pass before just a site link, and in many cases both a site link and a deep link can make it in. This is due to the fact that it will look like you are actually contributing to the discussion rather then just plugging another site.

A bad example would be:

Posted by: Qryztufre (Q@gmail.com)
I talk about this very thing over at armchair.seo.
Check it out: Link Building with Blog Comments

That is most certainly a plug for my site and does nothing to actually add to the conversation that is going on within the comments of the blog. Whereas…

A good example:

Posted by: Not_my_username (anotheremail@ddress.net)
On Armchair.SEO Qryztufre talks about this very thing. In fact he actually goes through the trouble of giving a few examples of good and bad ways of making blog comments. If you’d like to check it out here is the link: http://armchair.seo.googlepages.com/linkbuildingwithblogcomments

While I did not actually give a great deal of content you should be able to see the difference between actually plugging my site, and making something that at least seems useful to the other readers. In the first example you’d need to click into the main site link then hunt down the relevant article. In the second example I link directly to the article…which of course has a link to the main page should the readers wish to know more about what I’ve said.

In the second example I used the URL rather then anchor text, this was actually done on purpose, as surely no webmaster in his right mind would link to his or her site without the proper use of anchor text. I also used a false persona and a different email then I normally do (but a valid email all the same). Then I posted as if I were someone else pointing to my article… a bit seedy I know, but I find that it works, especially if you are actually adding something to the conversation.

By all means though, change the URL to an actual hyperlink, and if you do then also feel free to make the site name a hyperlink as well (pointing to the main site index). You could also put in your normal name, and outright say that the article/link is yours. Some admin may actually prefer it from the source.

Well, that’s my take on blog spam, take it as you will, and feel free to point to this article in anyone else’s blog *smirk*

20 Steps to Forum Link-Building

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Joining and posting on forums can bring in loads of traffic to your own site if you keep a few things in mind while posting. You can also gain a few friends, and in return a few one way links as they plug your site as well. So read on…

Your first steps here will be to actually find applicable forums to post on.

  1. You’ll need a valid email address
    Having a VALID address will prove you are a human, so this is actually important enough to mention.
  2. Find a forum.
    The easiest way to do this is to search for “your niche” + Forum. If you have a preferred forum platform then replace forum with something like SMF, vBulletin, or phpBB. This should list several forums within your specialty.
  3. Join the forum!
    Remember to use your valid email address.
  4. Fill in your profile.
    Most offer a spot for your homepage, but also add an Avatar, your YAHOO or AIM information, and of course your signature! Fill in the biography as well, just don’t spam your location. Either put in your real location or something witty. Most people are put off by a web address there.

Now that you are a member of a forum you should be ready to get posting. You do not need to stay logged into the forum, or work very hard at what needs to be done, so relax. Log into the forum for as little as a half hour a week, check the ‘new posts’ link and answer a few questions or get involved with a few conversations. Log out, and head back the following week. In 30 minutes you should be able to get out 2 or 3 decent quality posts. However, the longer you stay, and the more you post, the more recognition you will get.

Forum Etiquette:

1. BE HUMAN!
First and foremost in forum linkbuilding is to be HUMAN. No one likes a bot, and most forums will delete the post anyway.

2. Be a part of the Community.
Your posts should speak for themselves. If you are personable and people like you, they will click on your signature links to see what else you have to say.

3. Follow the rules.
Getting yourself banned from a popular forum does nothing but lower your click through rates. Think of yourself as a moderator on the forum you are posting at (even if you are not a mod) and ask yourself if you delete what you are about to post if it was being posted by someone else.

4. Don’t Spam!
Do not start threads that point to your links in your signature, though if someone starts a thread on a topic that’s relevant to one of your pages, then by all means quote a little bit of it, and give a link to the rest of it. This should be covered under fair use in the copyright laws, and most mods allow such things (if done in good taste). Just don’t over do it.

5. Don’t bother with checking for rel=”nofollow”.
The key to forum linking is traffic. People follow nofollow links, so use them. Especially if it is a popular forum. The traffic you’ll get should supersede any negative effects of the nofollow tag anyway. Besides, most of the threads you’ll be posting in have PR0 or are unranked anyway.

6. READ sticky threads!
Many forums have sticky threads for resources. As your site is a resources, post it! Sticky threads also have a higher tendency to get PR which is, as you know, the best backlink. It is better to wait a few weeks (and a few posts) before plugging your sites like this.

7.Post!
But don’t post whore. 10 GREAT posts will bring in more traffic then 100 one-liners that people simply scroll past. The higher quality you can keep the forum, the higher quality your links will be.

8. Be keyword rich
Don’t list them, but use then as often as possible. Your posts will do better in the SERPS and may result in more guests clicking your links.

9. Trade sig links with other community members.
If you link to your site and someone else’s, and they do the same for you it can potentially double your linking power. This can be tricky to ask for however, so beware.

10. Make friends with the mod team!
If you have a friend on the inside, then you’ll have a better chance to squeeze out something a bit spammier. Just don’t let them know you read this list!

Posts to try:

1. Introduce yourself.
This post is important, as it’s +1 post count, and often a good way to make friends. Don’t bother plugging your site in your intro thread as that is generally an indication you are a spammer. Just give a good “hello” and maybe a little bit about yourself.

2. Post about things that interest you.
You’ll actually know what you are talking about, your posts will be relevant, and likely appreciated.

3. Be On-Topic!
Topicality is a major point that many forum goers neglect. Don’t be kind of on topic, be exactly on topic. The more relevant your posts can be the better for you, the forum you are on, and the internet community as a whole.

4. Controversy
Everyone likes a good debate, just don’t resort to name calling. If the thread you post in is a hot topic then it will have a higher chance of staying on page one. Just make sure you remain cool, and don’t troll or flame.

5. Thanks
While trying to stay away from pointless one liners, still be kind and courteous to your fellow forumers. Thank others when applicable, and they may just become your friend ~ a friend which you can later invite to check out your site.

6. Be friendly!
In all that you do, do it with a smile. People will like you and want to be like you…

7. Be helpful and informative.
Not every post needs a link as every post has your signature. So just post what you know, and don’t be overly concerned about backlinks. In fact, see the next point.

8. Give other links…
Link to sites other then yours. Doing that will show you are not just plugging your sites. Link to my sites, or link to your friends sites. You don’t need to do it often, but trust me, you’ll less like a salesmen and more like a part of the forum family. It may be wise to not link to competing sites, however, linking to other sites that link to yours can be a real bonus.

9. Make friends with the post whores.
Most of these people are on the mod team, but not all of them. Making friends with the ‘core’ members will help get you further in the community. They also tend to have a higher rep power on forums that use the reputation system, and they are generally inclined to use it on their friends. The first step in them liking you is simply posting in their threads.

10. BE HUMAN!
Again, no one likes a bot, and most hate spam. Post as a member of the community and you’ll find that your post links, and signature will take you farther.

If you have a forum yourself:

1.Do all the posting points above
The reasoning behind that should be obvious, and members clicking through from other communities should see the same person on your site.

2.Start a Street Team
Find a few loyal members that you can give a few added perks too in return for them posting on other forums. If they are also linking to your sites, that’ll help your cause even more. Have them read this guide, then have them do what they do best.

3.Join in on post exchanges.
So long as you and the person you are trading with are adding content, then both parties win. This point can work well with the Street Team mentioned above.

4.Expect people to use these guidelines on your site, and let them!
Seriously, as long as that member is contributing to your site what is the harm? Chances are they will be adding decent content, and as long as they are following this guide, they will likely do more good then bad. Though, if they are crossing the lines into spam, then don’t hesitate to issue them an infraction.

Two Bonus Tips:

  • Many new forums actually PAY you to post.
    Take advantage of this. While the traffic may be a bit slow, if you prove your worth you may find yourself asked to join the mod team. Though pay attention to the actions of the owner/admin. If they are not actively promoting their forum your work may be wasted.
  • Sell your signature!
    Really. If you are plugging one or two of your sites via your signature, then selling a 3rd spot should not be out of the ordinary. Just don’t be spammy, and be sure you are only selling to relevant buyers. Promoting your automotive sites, with another link to a bid directory may seem a bit strange, which in turn could raise a few red flags with the site staff.

Lastly I would like to say that this method of link building is more about traffic and less about Search Engine Optimization. Your forum posts and signature may very well help you in Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) but will likely do very little in the way of Page Rank. Your posting style will reflect upon your product/site so for good product recognition it is generally advised to post with a smile and aways follow Good Form practices. Be yourself, and post what you know.

If you would like to discuss this article or see even more tips then see THIS thread on Digital Point.