Content Marketing – The Forgotten Link

“Content is King,” say the leaders. Yes, it is. What they do not mention is that your content reflects back on you. Your outbound links are important, and so are your inbound links.

Are you linking to sites or other content providers related to yours? Are the sites you send your readers to reflections of your standard of quality? Are they in a neighborhood to which you would not send your sister?

The Internet is like a great big family tree. Like a family tree, it has branches, some good, and some bad. Unlike a real family, you can choose your family members on the Internet. Your links make you part of a family, and part of a group of friends.

Are your outbound links reflections of your family group, or are they different? Do they reflect you? Do they reflect your business?

Inbound links come from other, hopefully, family group, members. If they are of the same quality that you reflect, great. If not, they might hurt your online reputation in the family.

Emphasize clear, cogent, and concise content and you will draw interested readers to your site. If what you have to say, or sell, has like content elsewhere, refer you readers there, too. But,

Be careful where you send your readers

• Are you sending them to sites relevant to yours?
• Are you sending them to spammy, ad-riddled sites? 

Keep a careful eye on where you send your readers, as this is where your readers come from. If you send readers to see clearly presented content, they will appreciate you more for it. Are the sites relevant to your site, your business? If you send readers to see junky sites, then you will get readers from there, too. Do you really want that? 

Emphasize quality, not quantity

• Write for the entire family, otherwise, do not write it.
• Have well written content, not just ephemeral notes relevant to only you. 

These are two key points. If it is a secret you do not want your competitors to know (or your sister), do you really want it on the Internet? If it is relevant to only one time, or to only one event, that has no lasting value, is it important that the whole Internet family know?

Like water finds its level, so do websites. Quality finds quality. If your site has quality outbound and inbound links yours will also likely be seen as a quality site. Sites emphasizing the best qualities of other like sites and linking to them are more likely to get quality inbound links in return.

My advice: 

1. Ignore the junky sites that want to link to yours. Their content is likely just as junky and spammy as their advertising. Break that link, too, if you can. 
2. Accept links only from sites that have quality content and relevant advertising. This is where you want to send your readers, and this is where you want your readers to come from. 

NPM

© 2012 N. P. Maling – Zen C&S MM