All New CommentMILK Version 1.0Online Social Networks for Link Building or Traffic?
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OK so we all know that Web 2.0 sites (online social networks) are a huge buzz worthy thing. Heck we even hear people talking Web 3.0 which personally we find a little premature and think it is people jumping on the “oh lets coin a new phrase” band wagon.
Anyhooo… yes the power of online social networks is HUGE but if you look around at how they are being used, it is pretty safe to say that 90% really have no clue what they are doing. We are not talking about people not knowing how to use the social networks from a technical standpoint (heck we still dont know how to use most of them, but the ones we do know, we use very well). What we are referring to is people not having a clue from a strategic standpoint.
What is YOUR Strategic Purpose for Using Online Social Networks?
We are sure there are most likely dozens of ideas that could be listed for “purposes” for using social sites but we are willing to bet that the purpose the majority of people focus on, even though they might say it is something else, is restricted to mainly link building, which is a good one but not the best one.
What we mean by that is if all you are focusing on is using these site to get a link back to your site then you are missing about 90% of the power that these social networks offer.
For us there are essentailly four component we look at and try to keep front and center in our minds when using online social networks. These four components are:
1. Multiple Search Engine Listings: The majority of these sites offer publicly accessible pages that you can optimize for and the search engines love them. By doing this correct, you can not only dominate one top spot for a keyword in Google but you (and we do this often) can own the majority (if not all) of the top 10 spots for that one term. Of course you repeat this over and over to own multiple terms.
2. Repeat traffic: We all know that RSS Subscribers and Mailing Lists are good for being able to stay in touch with your audience which allows you to also market to them. Social Network sites are built with this very thing in mind, well maybe not always the selling part. These sites allow you to get subscribers, followers, fans, communities and more, which means more repeat traffic from people who know you and are interested in what you have to say.
3. Viral Traffic: Have you ever browsed around profiles of people you follow within differnt online social networks? Chances are you have and you have probably requested friends or followed people you found while doing that. This is an extremely powerful part of using these sites and happens more often then people realize.
4. Worthwhile Backlinks: Getting links from popular sites is good but it is also important to get links from different IPs and these social networks are both respected by Google but also provide variety into your backlinks which help boast your sites rankings in the search engines 
Together these 4 components focus in on the “purpose” of increasing traffic to our site. By breaking it down we are able to focus on taking advantage of all the features and benefits these sites offer and do not pigeon hole ourselves into just one, such as linkbuilding.
Tomorrow we are going to talk about the “Social Network Mini Net”, which uses these 4 compenents and allows us to dominate the search engines
Questions:
- Do you use online social networks?
- If not, why not?
- What has been your main purpose in using them?
- What are your favorites to use?
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Web 3.0. Sigh.
The only social networking site I really know so far is Youtube, but the most important thing I’ve learned is that you do have to “practice” using a site before you can get the hang of using it to your advantage.
You make the internet interesting, John.
in our place, friendster is the most popular social networking site but I’m not fond of it. Maybe because I don’t know yet how could I take advantage of its use both for my social and internet life.
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Interesting post. I haven’t yet utilised the social network sites myself anywhere near as much as I know I should. You are right that they are a fantastic way of getting indexed through Google, it loves these sites beacuase they ahve new a fresh content. It is becoming more and more the case I think that having an old site that has been around for years and has scored very well in Googles ‘ site age’ score is perhaps not going to be as important in the future. Perhaps? What we do know is that Google and opther search engines love vibrant and regularly updated content that is in thick of things and social netwroking sites are certainly that.
I am just beginning to get involved with them - I use Stumble Upon - Must love Wine - Blogher - and I would like to figure out the whole Twitter thing next. I think they drive traffic to your site if you use them effectively and consistently. One of the best things is Google Reader as I have made that my own personal social networking site by linking to multiple blogs so that I can check in and comment almost daily.
Cheers
Cathy
http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com
I use most of the online social networks, the purpose of using them for me was to get my site/page index quickly and maybe some traffic (which is crap traffic)
I submit to Digg, Reddit and Propeller…there are a few more but I’m brain dead right now…
I use the social networks for all the reasons you list above. I am a stats junkie and love seeing the traffic and backlinks that these sites generate for me.
Although those are nice the real reason I use these sites is because I want to be where my readers are. I may not use Plaxo or Bebo or any of those sites for anything but if my readers are on those sites I want to be too. If they can’t see me then odds are they won’t come to my site and buy something.
Chriss last blog post..Building a Business not a Blog
I use Stumbleupon mainly for finding interesting stuff and if I like it I thumb it up. If I want to use the post for further reference, I bookmark it through del.icio.us.
As for Twitter and Friendfeed, I don’t participate much on them. I just usually snoop around with RSS subscription with certain keywords, to spy on conversations which is related to my interest.
I’ve been using Yuwie for over a year now and carved out a strong position in the Top 10 for total page views with over 40,000 in my referral tree and made thousands of friends that are also interested in earning online. I love adding to my Blog and seeing results immediatly, so I feel my efforts have been rewarded many times over.
I Use some of them like Blogcatalog, mix ( i build a group at mix that related to my blog niche to know more site that related so i have more referrence to read) , and Stumbleupon. I try to get all of them to bring more traffic and readers to my blogs. And To learn something new from the blogs that i found interesting, like yours here.
Happy Blogging Everyone
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No offense to the three previous posts, but none of you have heard of myspace, or facebook.com ? How about twitter.com ? If done correctly, you can link facebook to twitter so one will update the other!
Click on my name when I post, and it will take you to my myspace homepage.
If you search, in quotes, “kevin puls” you will see that I am listed twice (#3 & #4) in the top four search results, with my facebook being number four. In fact, last month my myspace homepage was #2, but now it’s not…
And, #9 is a link to a John Cow post I submitted!
The two I previosly mentioned are great tools to grow a “friend network”. Since, like I previously stated, I am a newbie with no list, no websites ,but 100+ domain names just dying to be built.
I have just begun to use social networks since the Cowpetition and have seen some positive results. I have interacted with Squidoo, Twitter, Facebook, and have posted to several relevant blogs. But you are right, Cow, I am flying by the seat of my pants right now, not really knowing what I am doing. I am much looking forward to tomorrows post and those that might follow.
Question: Should I be using my URL as a user name with most of these networks? — or perhaps at least a keyword rich pseudonym? I have noticed within Google webmaster tools under “What Googlebot sees” that Google has begun to recognize variations of user names I have used in order to post at various social networks recently. Google associates these user names with my URL. Is this significant? By using a none-relevant user name am I missing an opportunity for greater impact?
Thanks again for “Building a Business Not a Blog,” Cow!
I recently started using the Media as well. I loved Digg before but Mixx seems more regulated. StumbleUpon is great and Facebook has brought me loyal readers.
Thanks Cow for the nice article. I have been using some of these sites but have pretty much being flying by the seat of my pants. Thanks for helping realize what I needed to focus on. I knew I needed to focus, just wasn’t sure on what!
Thanks.
Web 3.0? What a joke. Just another marketing ploy so a “wannabe” can distinguish a so-called “new” product or service from what is already available. Web 2.0 was technically inaccurate - Web 3.0 borders on the ridiculous.
Great article, by the way
Google really seems to like Stumbleupon, a site I believe was originally built to make to demonstrate Firefox’s capabilities and make it more “fun”. Stumble has provided me with more traffic than any other site. I’m just starting to experiment with Twitter. (Mr. Cow, are you using Twitter Tools?)
I still don’t “get” Squidoo and the other “Hub” sites. So many of them are so shallow and faddish, I really wonder how many are actually visited. Does anyone *really* get traffic from Squidoo?
To be completely honest, I currently do not use any social networks really. I’m working on learning how to use them though.
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I like Kaboodle. It has brought quite a bit of traffic to my sites….and Qassia
Good post, I think that using social media to get an online identity is really important. With that, you can even get some killer results on search engines for your name that really help with SERPs
I like using StumbleUpon and seem to have been getting a lot of traffic from here. I also use the Yoono sidebar to keep updated on things that my friends are doing and get information on the happenings at cool sites like this one. I mostly use social bookmarking sites to gain traffic and in return gain readers.
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yes I do , I like it but then I use it mainly for business
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I wonder who the first person is going to be who will admit the possibility that the traffic from social networks isn’t crap. That maybe, just maybe, its their product, copy, or huge number of things that affect how engaged that traffic can possibly be when they hit the site?
Would be like someone going on Oprah saying, “You know, my parents were great and I was given every opportunity in life. I’m just an a-hole!”
Jack Humphreys last blog post..Instant Slide Up: Definite improvement in ABB downloads…
ohh dont get me started on those idiots blaming everything on everyone else… arghh!
Thanks for stopping by Jack
I’ll say it. My first site has only been published for 1-1/2 months. Thus far I have had in the neighborhood of 75 unique visits. I am just beginning to use Social Networks and have seen some results, not a single conversion however. With a huge learning curve to overcome the reason for this may be: 1) my product; 2) my copy; 3) a variaton of many different things; 4) or the traffic I get from the Social Networks is crap. I guess the only way for me to know for sure is to test, tweek, test and tweek some more. If it doesn’t get any better soon that would be my fault. No one is going to make it better for me!
Things happen in everyone’s life that effect them — even horrible parents. But the choice is ours whether we will take charge of ourselves to rise above our circumstances or not. So what will you be?…a victim or a victor.
BTW, when listening to anyone that is telling us that they have the “easy” way toward a rise to the top, hold on to your wallet. You are about to become a victim. Blame yourself for that. Success only comes through effort…and in direct proportion to that effort.
Hey Jack Humphrey, or John Cow, or anybody. I’d love someone to produce one example of an actual useful product that is being sold by using MSpace or Facebook or Twitter. Not some ebook on how to use those sites, or how to get lots of friends…….some non-marketing PRODUCT.
And the excuse of “I can’t because then everyone will copy me” is just a cop out.
We are a little confused as to what the heck you are asking for here and why the attitude?
Your request has nothing to do with our post, for example we do not talk about using twitter specifically for selling a product. Twitter is just a way to stay in touch with people that are following you and if you do not think that non-imers are using it… then you are sadly mistaken. Twitter was huge before the IM world started figuring out how to use it.
The strategy we talk about is using these sites tied in together and you need to read the next post http://www.johncow.com/build-a-mini-net-in-2008/ as it will explain what this is.
As for the cop out remark… P..L..E..A..S..E.. give us a break with these type of stupid…
“show me your stuff or i will not believe you”
We share so much freakin things on this blog it is not even funny and remarks like that are a complete joke.
John, what social networks work better? youtube, digg, twitter,stumbleupon, squidoo, facebook or others?
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They are all a little different and depending onhow you use them they are better then others. For example…
1. Digg and Stumble are great and better then the others for when you create a link bait page
2. Face book and twitter are great once you have a lot of fans and followers, so this one takes a bit.
3. Squidoo is fast for getting your content in front of people and in the search engines
So you see, I cant really say which is better. One thing though is that for this blog stumble and twitter send the most traffic next to google.