The True Value of Blogging on WA
A quick recap...
I'd originally blogged here about taking advantage of the ability to create a PR3 backlink from Wealthy Affiliate back to a page or post on your website. It seemed to be a reasonable thing to do, as it would both promote your site and possibly help educate others in your niche. You could also get your site reviewed, and you could get comments on new pages to help with the promotion of your site. Beauty, right?
Not so fast!
Technically, it's correct that all those benefits are possible - but Robert (boomergp08)* commented that however beautiful it may be, it's against the rules here at WA. Take a look at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/wealthy-a...for more background on those rules. A quick summary of the rules (as it relates to creating a backlink to your site) is:
Da Rules
Don't place a link from Wealthy Affiliiate back to your site unless it's in an approved location:
- You can link to your site(s) in your profile, at the bottom of the right sidebar.
- You can leave a link to your site in one of the threads Kyle created to solicit a review of your site.
- You can leave a link to your site in one of the threads Kyle created to solicit comments for one of your pages or posts.
Requesting a review of your site
You can request website reviews (or review a website yourself) in a section of WA specially set up for site reviews - at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/website-feedback Once in that section of WA, you can offer to review someone's site (and receive 1 credit for doing so), or you can request a review of your own site (at a cost of 2 credits).
It's also legal to get reviews of your site within the thread at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/getting-started/pl... Keep in mind the give and take of the thread (make two website reviews yourself before requesting a review of your own site).
Requesting comments on your pages or posts
If your site is hosted here on WA, you'll find that same opportunity to solicit comments at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/websites/comment Keep in mind that you need to provide two comments for others before you can request a comment for your own site.
If your site isn't hosted on Wealthy Affiliate servers, you can legally solicit comments at other links sprinkled around the site in different threads here at WA. For example, you can request comments at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/authoring-writing-... , at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/authoring-writing-... , or at https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/wa-affiliate-progr... There are other, similar threads where you can solicit or provide comments on pages or posts. Keep an eye out, WA is a big place! The take-away here is that you can only request comments in those specific threads. These give-and-take comment threads require that you make comments on three sites before requesting a comment on one of your own pages or posts.
Now go forth and promote your site... - just don't do it here on Wealthy Affiliate!
Recent Comments
78
Sorry to rain on your parade Dennis but your suggestions are not advisable.
First off we should NOT be posting links to our websites in our blogs. I know you have seen others doing it but that is considered spamming. Kyle has said so on many occasions.
Secondly, Alexa Ranking is not accurate nor does it have anything to do with or any effect on SEO. It is mostly a generalized rating of where your website ranks with website visitors that have the Alexa toolbar. Nothing more.
Thanks for chiming in Robert. Your thoughts on the revised version above?
Gracias! - and apologies for having created confusion :\
Dennis
I give up. I've Googled and YouTubed and I still can't find out how to show PageRank and Alexis Rank. Please tell me how :)
Just a few short years ago you'd get some weird looks for Googling and YouTubing, and now here you are doing it in public!! :-)
I have a toolbar called WebRank SEO Toolbar, but there are others that will do the job as well. You can Google it and find varieties for Firefox and for Chrome - and perhaps others.
Just avoid downloading it from CNET Download. CNET has spent time, money, and effort to build up its brand, but insists on packing every download from its site with adware and borderline malware.
Dennis
Google is officially a verb and I'm not sure if YouTubing is YET. Wikipedia says 'the name "Google" had found its way into everyday language, causing the verb "google" to be added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, denoted as "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet"'
Apparently my original blog here was just a wee bit off center with regard to the rules here - about 180 degrees off center!
Please see the above and ignore my initial post!
- and apologies for creating confusion :\
Dennis
The technical bits of the blog that was above were correct. There was just the minor matter of violating the rules here at WA. Take another read through the blog above to see when backlinks to your site are correct.
Apologies for causing any confusion!
Dennis
You bet Bishop. I may have created more confusion than clarity. Take a quick look through the comments to see what I mean. Hopefully the clarity will follow, given a bit of time and reflection.
Hope springs eternal!
Dennis
The bits about getting PR3 backlinks to your site and the other technical bits of the blog that was above were correct. Unfortunately, there was the minor matter of violating the rules here at WA by doing so. Take another read through the blog above to see when backling to your site is legal.
Apologies for the confusion caused my my first blog post!
Dennis
Hi Prestones. I'd love to have people look at my ski instruction and how to build an orchestra posts. Problem is the website is still in a blog roll and there's no place to leave comments on them. I will be working on comment sections tonight. Sometimes they show up and then they disappear.
It sounds like you have a gremin in the works somewhere, Kirk.
Your blogroll should have links (Read more...) that take your visitor to the actual post itself. Once they've reached (and read) the post, they should see place to enter a comment at the bottom of the post.
Best of luck with the gremlin!
Dennis
Got the comments to work Prestones. Yay. Now don't know how to divide up, (for lack of a better word) the site. If you get a chance could you look at it and give me some advice. www.selfemployedaffiliate.com. Only a few posts are filled with content.
Not a problem Kirk. If you would, take a look in your admin area to see how many pages and posts you have. Click on Pages, then on Posts - and in each case the number you've completed and published will be shown at the top.
Let me know, and we'll go from there!
Dennis
Hi Kirk,
I've updated the blog above. It turns out that while it was technically correct, following the advice given in the blog was against the rules here at WA.
If you create any links back to your site from WA, be sure to follow the guidelines above.
Apologies for any confusion created when I published the original blog!
Dennis
You make some excellent points. We should not feel self conscious about being selfish. We all want our rankings to go up.
Yes, there are a lot of hours invested here my Kyle, Carson, and the membership at Wealthy Affiliate. It seems to make sense to take advantage of that investment from time to time.
Dennis
Excellent points... well - yes and no. Technically correct, but unfortunately, it turns out those points are against the rules here at WA. Bummer.
Apologies for creating any confusion. Please re-read the above and act accordingly. Thanks!
Dennis
Hey I'm the one with no Internet speak remember? You'll have to dumb it down for me......But I like, and I sent you to facebook....and like.....
I feel as though I've been sternly lectured! Two comments from Shirley, and not a single blessing!
There are a lot of things you can do to make your site attractive to the search engines. In broad strokes of the brush, you can try to keep people on your site longer with on-page techniques. Some include:
- focusing on a keyword that is the subject of many searches already. Your goal is to try and divert some of that search traffic to your site. See my (long) comment at New posts - can I get some feedback please? - link the pages within your site to each other, to give your visitor more related material on your site and keep them engaged on-site longer. The search engines like this. You can also embed videos on your site to help with engagement.
- enticing others to leave comments is another way to show the search engines that your page or post is relevant and interesting to the visitor, and is another way to raise you on-page Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
As you may have suspected, you can also do some off-page SEO optimization. Among other things, the search engines like to see that your page or post is regarded highly by others. One way they make that determination is to see if others in your niche have linked back to your site - with rare exception, backlinking is good! This is particularly good if you have a Barbie and Ken web site, and someone else with an antique doll website links back to your site. It's OK if someone links to your site from a site promoting back yard pools - but not nearly as good. Caution: there are some out there who will sell backlinks to your site - but don't be tempted!
Backlinks have greater weight if they come from a high authority website. For example, if I have a site about scopes for hunting rifles, and I get a backlink from a site with a high page rank (say Nikon, a lense maker with a page rank of 5) I'm a happy camper. That's why getting a backlink from WA (with a page rank of 3) is great!
Hopefully things make a bit more sense. My apologies for making everything clear as mud earlier!
Dennis
Now that makes it all better! NOT!
I said Dumb it Down! Not Geek it up further. Now I have to spend the next 20 hours to make sense out of this muddle.
I'm going to spend the said 20 hours BLESSING you non-stop dear boy, and you'll see.... starting now....God bless.......................
Shirley
Nuts. I guess I'll wait to find out what questions come out the other side of your 20 hour marathon and go from there.
In the meanwhile, I'll take comfort in being blessed!
Dennis
One last comment in this thread Shirley. The blog I originally wrote was technically correct and a great way to promote your site - but it turns out doing so is against the rules here at WA. Take a look above at the re-written blog to see what the limitations are on linking back to your site from WA.
Apologies for creating this additional bit of confusion!
Dennis
Thanks a lot!!! Now I'll have to go more than 20 hours......you're going to get it!!!! (more blessings)............
Shirley
Just keep nibbling around the edges, as you described you like to do Shirley. Ultimately you'll get it all under control!
Dennis
I have always wondered this about the WA blogs. I see many people writing blogs that then link back to their site. I was under the impression that might be considered spam, but I don't really know. This is why I have not written many blogs (just a few thank you ones when I first got started). I know a few people who have had their write access revoked because of a blog post.
My niche has nothing to do with affiliate marketing or an online business so this is also why I hesitate to write a blog on WA about it. I have no idea if anyone cares to read about child development.
If someone can let me know if it is ok for me to write blogs on her about my niche with a link back to my site, I would appreciate that.
Thanks
Joking aside, there are hundreds of folks here on WA who you'll expose to your thoughts about child development, and some may find your site refreshing or helpful.
By the way, do you know what may have caused someone here to lose their write access? I know that violating the rules Kyle spelled out at Spam is a NO NO! can lead to such a ban. Is there some other rule you're concerned about violating?
Dennis
I have read the spam info several times and #8 on the list is why I have never blogged about my niche on here.
8. Do not post content that is irrelevant to the online business world or your respective journey through the online world. Anything that is "niche" specific should be posted on your external websites.
The incident that caused a member's write access to be revoked is not on this list which has me really confused.
I have definitely read that before too, but I do see people doing it. But the online business or our respective journey would be our niche blog in my opinion. So the statement is a bit confusing all the way around...
I completely agree with you! I would love to share my love for child language development with the WA community, and I know there are probably many people that could benefit from what I share, but I have not done so because I don't want people to think I am spamming.
Understood. My suggestion relates to writing to the membership here, letting them know of your blogging efforts on your own site (giving them the general drift of your content), and including a link to the site so they can read more, so they'll perhaps include a comment on your site (to enhance your rankings in the search engines), to solicit comments back here on WA regarding possible site enhancements, etc.
WA also benefits with the added member interaction, as the search engines watch the ebb and flow of that interaction. The dramatic improvements in Alexa ranking testify to their interest in site interaction.
That's my take. There is a *lot* of content on the blogs now that falls afoul of regulation 8. I don't think that soliciting comments or reviews is outside that scope - but if it's of concern shoot Kyle a PM. If you do so, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know how it shakes out.
Thanks much!!
Dennis
Yes, maybe I will send Kyle a PM. I don't agree with the fact that people who have WA promoting websites or online business building websites can share their content via WA blogs and then direct members to "read more" on their actual site, while those of us doing other niche sites cannot do this without it being considered spam.
I will let you know what Kyle says.
One other thought Tanja. I don't think Kyle or Carson (or any of the other powers that be here on WA) want to grind you into the dust by revoking your write privileges, or by banning you outright.
I have to believe if you're just percolating along, trying to build your business (getting reviews & comments), and they feel you've crossed a line they'd just give you a warning to knock it off.
I don't think they'd give you the "Alice in Wonderland" treatment...
"Off with Her Head!!"
Dennis
Tanya, Linking back to your website from a WA blog IS considered spamming as Kyle and I have discussed.
My first blog post to WA was about how a 9 volt battery can short out and generate enough heat to cause a fire. I got criticized for an off topic post and hung around WA for almost a year before I started blogging. If I posted the article to my website's blog and then wrote a blog here on WA about how I promoted my article in social media that would be a legit post, because we can link to our blog if the link is illustrating some aspect of internet marketing.
We are also encouraged to ask members to review and critique our website. This is a learning process, but it also introduces WA members to our niche. With a little imagination, you will figure out ways to use your site to illustrate effective internet marketing. Then use your site to illustrate your marketing blog here at WA.
Thanks for clarifying! I see a few members doing this on a regular basis. I thought maybe it was ok since they are promoting WA or "make money from home niche". Which would obviously not be right if people with unrelated niches can't do the same.
Thanks for the insight. That makes sense. I have asked for comments on the give and take thread but not via a blog on WA
Thanks for the insight. That makes sense. I have asked for comments on the give and take thread but not via a blog on WA
Your caution was well advised, Tanja. It turns out that any backlinks from WA to your blog (no matter what the blog relates to) are illegal - unless they are made under one of the three exceptions called off in the newly re-written blog above.
Apologies for creating confusion!
Dennis
No response necessary Dennis, just wishing a happy Monday is all ... Oxymoron was built in your head by society
:)
Eric
No head games
......stop thinking so much and relax .... There is no hidden meaning or an oxy anything
I enjoyed your post Dennis ....
And what would the song be?
E
Oh my, I feel like I'm on a game show...
Head Games by Foreigner - and that's my Final Answer!
Dennis
Happy Monday let to Tumultuous Tuesday Eric!
It turns out that while what I wrote was technically correct, it was Ban Bait. If you would, take just a moment and re-read the revised blog post.
Apologies for the confusion!
Dennis
No problem Dennis ... Thank you for the update and I'm certain the sincere attempt to help others.
I wonder what Wednesday shall bring us - lol
Eric
See more comments
Wow! Lots of information on this post. The comment thread was most enlightening. It would be great to see Kyle or Carson weigh in with their thoughts, especially for TanjaRita's peace of mind. One of those, "inquiring minds want to know," sort of things. To Blog, or Not to Blog... ok, filing that one away for the future ;)
Weren't the days much simpler when Spam came in a can and was served with eggs?
Thanks for raising some great questions, Tanja, I'm following just to hear what the verdict might be.
Dennis, you are definitely thought provoking... THAT is the true value of your Blog.
Kim
Thanks for the comment Kim. You're right... given its history, this blog has been thought provoking... and mind altering!
Dennis
Kim, from what I have gathered you cannot post the same blog on WA as is on your site either the whole text or a segment of it followed by a link to your site for those who want to "read more". It does not matter what niche you are in.
You also cannot write a blog on WA and then post that same blog on your website as that would be duplicate content.
You can basically blog about anything you want here as long as you don't do what I mentioned above.