trik blogging

Links shall light the path

Yes, links are still important.  No, you shouldn't buy links.  Yes, you can guest blog your way to quality links. Yes, we ignore links if we think they are sketchy.  So where's the mystery?  It lies in the misconception that links are so important that their signals trump all others.  So many SEOs still think links are the holy grail.  True link building experts will tell you that getting an organic link is one of the hardest things to accomplish online these days.  Gone are the days of simply asking for one from a site.  Today, you need to be subversive about it all.  You need to create such compelling content that people share it freely.  Your social programs need to be so well focused, tested and refined that you know exactly which hooks get action from your followers.  In the end, though, it all starts with quality, unique content.  If you wow your visitors with your content, and prove yourself useful, they will share you with their friends.  After all, everyone wants to impress their friends being the first to share the next coolest, most useful thing.  If you're that thing, links shall follow.

All I need is UGC

Common thinking among too many bloggers is that getting some User Generated Content (UGC) below your post will make your page unique.  This then opens up the idea that the blog post needn't be unique (enter article sharing sites) , and that you can get others to effectively create your content for you.  Let's get real about this.  There is very little unique about content sourced from an article sharing site, so that won't help.  We can understand the difference between the content created by the website and comments added by visitors.  And while an active, vibrant comunity can go  along way to helping your site rank better for all kinds of reasons, its tough to grow to this level.  If you want to leverage others to create content, hire a writer to create unique content for your site.  You'll fare better in the log run.

Auto-followers to the rescue

Don't fall for this one folks.  If you think big numbers of followers will point us in your direction, be careful.  If we see you've got the same number of people that you follow, you effectively net a zero.  This was touched on above, and yeah, there can be exceptions.  Before you set out to become one of those exceptions, though, better do a gut check.  What about your situation tells us you are an authority besides just these social signals? The recommendation here is to avoid using auto-follow services to grow your following.  Do it the old fashioned way: share useful content.  Your followers will appreciate it and recommend you to others.
In most cases, these myths, and others, persist because people are constantly seeking short cuts.  But they spend as much time looking for short cuts as they would if they just invested in producing quality content from the start.  If you want to be seen as quality, it helps - a lot - if you actually are quality.  Think back to the '70's, '80's and even earlier.  Before the Internt existed for us to populate with kittehs, notes about what we ate for lunch and online commerce, business followed a standard idea: produce a business plan and follow it.  A 5 year plan was often standard. 
So why, oh why, do today's online business owners not treat their online endevours in this manner?  So many more would succeed if they just treated their business like a business, and stopped seeking shortcuts.  Don't be sucked in by the myths.  It still takes work to succeed.