Stuntdubl on Directories

We (along with everyone else, it seems) have gone back and forth on directories in the past six months: acknowledging that links from many of them are not as useful as they used to be, while proposing that listings in those of higher quality are still a valid, helpful link building method. A few prominent figures have been proclaiming the "death" of all directories, but this is certainly exaggerated (and wrong). Stuntdubl gives a more balanced view in Mr. Ploppyâs Monday Tool List - Volume XXVI - Directory Tools.

I still like many directories. When theyâre not built for the SOLE purpose of manipulating PR, they can be a very good addition to a siteâs backlinks. I donât think the directory model will ever completely die, but it does have itâs flaws. As a final note, donât go over board with getting ALL the directories in one sitting.

There's a lot more there, go read it.

You Can't Buy Everything

Rand Fishkin over at SEOmoz has posted a cracking article on how to get links when money won't suffice.

What do you do when money doesn't appeal to your link targets. This happens to me all the time - sometimes because they're an educational institution, a non-profit or simply a webmaster who doesn't want to "compromise". If purchasing "advertising" links becomes impossible, there are some great ways around it that I've used successfully.

His ideas are link junkie required reading.

Legal Linking Goodness

I just finished writing a rather long post at Threadwatch about the legality of linking. If you're too lazy to read my rather encyclopedic rant, here is a two-point summary:

A hyperlink is basically a reference. A reference, whether in your kid's term paper or on your homepage, is (in and of itself) legal.Any reference, including a hyperlink, is bound by 'normal' laws which govern speech--e.g., you can't slander someone, you can't steal someone's content, etc.

For a concise breakdown of what the average webmaster needs to know, I suggest Linking Legalities...What You Need to Know by Eric Ward.

SEOBook: 'Legal Donations Accepted'

Unless you live under a rock, I'm sure you're aware of the (almost hilariousm, but not quite) Traffic Power lawsuit against Aaron Wall.

He is now accepting donations for his legal team.

PowerHouse Linking Seminar

I just came across the PowerHouse Linking Seminar (thanks, Aaron).

The subject: "Learn to create and execute targeted link building campaigns from linking experts Eric Ward and Debra Mastaler"
The date: October 27/28, 2005
The location: Charlotte Sheraton Airport Hotel (Charlotte, NC)

These two people are some of the most respected names in link building, so it is definitely worth at least checking out.

What do YOU want from TLA?

NickW from Threadwatch is a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to marketing. Rather than getting standard links or banners on Threadwatch, advertisers get sponsored threads where they can engage the blog's audience directly.

Text Link Ads is a regular advertiser of course, and our latest sponsored thread asks, What do you want from a text link company? Please hop on over and let us know!

Greg Boser on Buying Links

I just got back from SES San Jose. Good show, good people, good parties. On the content side, Barry Schwartz wrote some excellent recaps as always. One of the most interesting sessions was Buying and Selling Links.

Greg Boser - WebGuerilla
Brief comments. He is very happy that there is now an actual session on this topic because it used to be considered so âbad.â The wild wild west of buying links is settling down and people are beginning to understand that it is advertising just like any other form. Sees that paid links will continue to be a part of their links in the future. Suggests adding it to your mix.

Text links have come a long way and continue to gain legitimacy and momentum as an advertising method which yields exceptional ROI. Buy up ;-)