The Missing Link

Are you missing out on the best opportunity to gain more traffic to your blog or Web site? Links are the foundation of the Internet. Links drive traffic to your Web site. Are you taking advantage of the opportunities available to you?

The Internet is a series of links attached to Web pages. A group of pages under the same domain is a Web site. So the first question you need to ask yourself is: Are you taking advantage of all the linking opportunities between your pages and the pages under your domains? How about between your blogs, subdomains and Web sites?

Links are how search engine spiders find your content. Links to and from your Web site are how you are judged by Google and other search engines. Your ranking depends on quality links to and from your Web site.

Quality is important. Links between unrelated sites may actually penalize your Web-site ranking. Think about to whom you link and from whom you request links. The wording and topics on both pages should be related.

The new advertising

As a media photographer, my byline in print publications is an important business development tool. Although I work for a number of publications, I’ve stopped pursuing print opportunities and have focused on the great need for quality photography on the Internet. As the print media world continues to shrink, my free advertising is diminishing as well. What to do?

In the past, I’ve asked and taken advantage of quality link exchanges. I did it but it wasn’t part of my business plan. Today, that has changed. Just like a byline in a magazine, I request a photo credit along with a link to the appropriate Web site.

The link by my photograph is actually more powerful in the long term than a print byline. The nice thing about Web page photo credits is that they have a longer shelf life than print bylines.

An even greater advantage is that photo credit links are actionable bylines. The viewer may click on the link to learn more about the photographer. Make sure the link is attached to the most appropriate page. Your front page is not always the best location.

If I do a food shoot,  I’ll ask for a link to my food page: http://food.roshsillars.com. Similarly, an interior shoot link would be pointed to my interiors page: http://interior.roshsillars.com.

This opportunity is not always available. Some individuals or companies are not open to such exchanges or requests. But, the biggest barrier is usually the photographer not asking.

There is nothing wrong with a little bribe

I’ve often offered incentives such as an exchange. For a number of bigger shoots that I feel are worthy of sharing, I’ll write about the shoot and post images and links to my portfolio sites. This often generates traffic and opportunities for my clients.

Trade and incentives work, too. If I see great value in having a link on a specific client’s Web site, I might offer an additional image at half- price or no charge. I’ve never paid cash for a link.

With traditional methods of advertising drying up and becoming less effective, it is important to use best practices to help drive more traffic to your Web site. Every opportunity increases your advantage in the crowded photography landscape.

Rosh