Blog Tips Newsletter by Yaro Starak
Trackbacking as a traffic
technique is a lot like
leaving comments, however it
takes less effort, once you
get your head around it...
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Hi There,
When I first heard about blogs I struggled to get
my head around the whole concept. What made a blog
different from a normal website?
I quickly grasped the key differences - the diary
style articles, the comments and the easy
interface for adding new content. It all made
sense until I hit something called a "trackback".
"What the dickens is a trackback?!?" I thought.
I looked around for a definition and nobody could
provide an answer I quite understood.
When I really want to learn something I go ahead
and do it. I took action with my new blog and sent
some trackbacks to other bloggers. Later as my
blog become popular it was sent trackbacks. Having
experienced both receiving and giving a trackback
I understood what it was all about and felt much
better.
WHAT IS A TRACKBACK?
About now is the time to write a nice and simple
definition for you so you can get your head around
trackbacking. I'll try, but this is a concept that
is difficult to fully grasp until you actually do
it.
Here goes -
******
A trackback is a form of "blog conversation" that
links two or more relevant blog entries together.
One blogger writes an article that references or
is relevant to another blog's article and fills
out the trackback section. When the blogger
publishes the article the blog leaves a trackback
on the other blog's article, which usually appears
in the comments area as a truncated summary with a
link.
******
If you are still confused, and I suspect you
probably are, the only solution is to initiate a
trackback yourself. In the next blog article you
write be sure to reference another blogger and
send him or her some trackback lovin so you can
get your head around the concept.
HOW TO SEND A TRACKBACK
Each blogging software system handles trackbacks
differently. Bloggers can also choose to switch
trackbacks off or require every trackback be
approved before going live, so don't be surprised
when you send a trackback and it doesn't show up,
it may have nothing to do with you.
Some blogs will trackback automatically, or
attempt to, especially if they are the same
format. For example a WordPress blog trackbacking
a WordPress blog. In that case as long as you
include a link to the other blog's post your blog
will attempt a trackback (sometimes called a
"pingback").
Usually you have to manually enter a trackback URI
into the blog entry you are creating. You can find
the trackback URI at the end of most blog posts
(take a look at your blog posts for the term
"Trackback URI" or similar).
By the way -
URL = Uniform Resource Locator, a fancy name for 'Link'
URI = Uniform Resource Identifier, another fancy name for 'Link'
I use WordPress and for each blog post I make
there is a trackback input box section for
entering trackback URIs. I copy and paste the
trackback URI from the blog entry I want to link
to and when I click publish my blog will send the
trackback. My blog will also confirm when a
trackback has been sent after publishing my post.
HOW TO GET TRAFFIC FROM TRACKBACKS
If you trackback someone else's blog post you are
leaving a link that points back to your blog.
Someone who reads the blog article may click
through from the link and visit your blog.
In some cases, if they are not using the
"nofollow" tag, you get some PageRank juice (not
sure what PageRank is? Read this short
introduction -
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/275/pagerank-explained/)
which will help your search engine rankings.
DEFINITION: NOFOLLOW
The "nofollow" tag is a line of code that some
blogging systems, such as WordPress, implement
automatically. The tag is added to every link left
in comments and trackbacks so the search engines
don't follow the link (humans however view it like
a standard link so can follow it like normal).
Its supposed purpose is to stop people spamming
blog comments purely for links but it really
doesn't work that well as a deterrent.
You can read more about NoFollow here -
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/181/blog-trackback-lies/
If you are a WordPress blogger you can install a
plugin that removes the NoFollow tags for you. I
use it on all my blogs. You can read more about it
here -
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/236/no-more-nofollow/
TRACKBACKING FOR TRAFFIC
Trackbacks are good because they bring traffic to
your blog when you trackback other blogs. Being
the "victim" of a trackback is also good because
it means another blogger has read your blog and
deemed something you wrote worthy of including in
their blog. There is a good chance if they
trackbacked you that they also made a direct link
to your blog too.
This helps your social proofing because it provides
evidence that other people are reading and responding
to your blog articles. However the real power of
trackbacking is an awareness building tool to get
the attention of other bloggers.
When you first start blogging not many people will
know your blog exists. By trackbacking other
bloggers you demonstrate interest in their content
which is a surefire way to make them interested in
you and your blog.
It's very likely that the blogger you trackbacked
will follow the link and see what your blog is all
about. If you have been following my advice and
have written some pillar articles your new visitor
will like what they see, very likely subscribe to
your blog and if you are lucky may even trackback
you or mention your blog in a future entry on
their blog.
If nothing else, by trackbacking a blogger you
will forever occupy some of their mind-space,
which in the future may open up all kinds of doors
and opportunities for traffic.
TRACKBACKING ETIQUETTE
It's a fine art to use trackbacking as a traffic
building tool. Many bloggers make the mistake of
going trackback crazy before their blog has any
content. This may bring new readers in but they
won't stay long or bookmark you because you don't
give them a reason to.
It's also important to know your place in the blog
hierarchy. The really popular bloggers are
trackbacked constantly so you won't likely get
their attention by trackbacking because you will
be one of many. You need to carefully pick and
choose who you trackback and when you trackback if
you want to use it for building your blog traffic.
Trackback spam is also a big problem nowadays, so
when you receive a trackback to your blog, make
sure you check to see the blog that initiated it,
it could be a spam blog. You will know this
because the blog doesn't have any original
content, it just republishes the content of other
blogs.
I suggest you delete any trackback spam and only
let the real trackbacks from real blogs go through
live on to your blog.
Try some trackbacks today and see if it will open
doors to new relationships with other bloggers.
Here's to your blogging success,
Yaro Starak
Entrepreneurs-Journey.com
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