Questions about my comments on links from directories…
Posted on August 25, 2007
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I’m getting a few questions about my recent discussion about directories. Paul asks:
How does Google know if a link to your site is a paid link? I remember you saying Google is preventing page rank from being distributed to a site if it’s paid. Wouldn’t that make links from directories like Yahoo, which is paid, a bad choice? Just want your thoughts on this matter.
Good question! Google says it has identified many sites that are selling links. It may have pieced together entire link broker site networks – I’ve heard rumors about that but nothing confirmed. What it can do is identify sites that clearly say they have a ’sponsored’ links section or ‘advertisers’ text links section. It has also been asking the public to turn in sites that are advertising paid links.
What Google is looking for are sites that are selling links that typically are not directories and that people buying links from these sites are doing so solely for the purpose of building page rank and, thus, manipulating the search engine rankings. Let me give you a clear example. The site www.ketv.com (oddly a TV news site in my own home town) is selling text links on its PR6 site. You can see them in the lower left hand column on the home page. I’m using this site as my example because Matt Cutts (Google public spokesman) has publicly referred to it as a site that Google knows is selling paid text links and has neutralized any page rank transfer from those links.
Contrast those links to Yahoo Directory which is a paid directory that was formed with the purpose of listing legitimate companies. There is a reason for this directory that was not designed just to add page rank to a site. Google has publicly said that there is a valid business reason to have a listing on Yahoo’s Directory that goes beyond simple manipulation of page rank so they have said a link from Yahoo Directory is OK.
Is this arbitrary on Google’s part? Maybe. Probably. But it’s their call. We just need to understand their thinking and act accordingly. If you were going to buy a link you would want to find a site that integrated the link into it’s content and ideally was of similar content (theme) to your site and that would be nearly impossible for Google to find. I don’t think Google is too concerned about much of this activity going on as they know how difficult it would be to find many sites like that.
Here’s another question that I’ve gotten from more than one person:
Why doesn’t your directory list include DMOZ?
DMOZ.org (a.k.a. Open Directory Project) has been a prestigious directory to get into for many years. It’s free so it’s probably worth a few minutes to submit but I find that directory so full of subjectivity on which sites they let in that I’m not too fond of it. As an example, TheGolfCollection.com is not deemed worthy of making the directory despite it’s top search engine listings and popularity among vistors in making purchases. We have unique products our competitors do not offer. We have alot of products. We have a professional looking site. But we cannot get it in. I have submitted other sites that I am embarassed to identify that made it in no problem.
From an SEO perspective, the big attraction is that DMOZ was the source that Google used to populate its Google Directory. So getting into DMOZ meant that you got a Google Directory listing which was important. However, I have been hearing rumors that Google may not be getting updates for the Google Directory from DMOZ although when you get to Google Directory the ‘Submit a Site’ link takes you to DMOZ. I have seen individual cases where the two directories are out of sync and have been so for months on end so at this point I cannot conclusively tell you what the actual case is on this issue.
At the end of the day my list was compiled from Google backlinks that I compile from a large portfolio of sites. I’m not seeing DMOZ getting listed. That is not to say that getting a link from DMOZ doesn’t count but as TheGolfCollection.com proves, you sure don’t need a link from DMOZ to take and hold #1 listings on Google.
Keep the questions coming!
Nancy
Product Sourcing
Posted on August 19, 2007
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Dropship vs. Inventory
Recently we have received a flood of questions about how to go about sourcing products or finding wholsale suppliers.
First of all, If you are new to the hard-goods e-commerce business you need to make a decision Inventory or Dropship. Starting out it’s not much of a decision; do yourself a favor and Dropship before committing your cash and time in inventory.
While it’s true, the margins are slimmer in a dropship situation, what you give up in margin you more than make up in having lower startup costs, and you don’t face the risk of having inventory you cannot move…
A good Dropshipper handles order fulfillment for you and uses your packing slip, so when the package arrives it appears as though the shipment came from “your warehouse” or at the very least as though you have made a special arrangement to ship “factory direct”.
Be sure to do a little research before using any drop shipper. Check against the Better Business database, check their prices against retail prices on the Internet (Don’t be scammed by companies claiming to be dropshipper, but really selling retail), and search the Internet for any forum entries, or past law-suits.
- TheWholesaleForums.co.uk won’t
necessarily tell you if a dropshipper or wholesaler is reliable, but they have
no problem jumping on vendors who
aren’t, and despite the URL extension, have plenty of US retailers that are
members. - Worldwide Brands is
a reliable one-stop shop for finding Dropship sources. When we started it
was the first source we used to find Dropshippers.
Worldwide brands has since expanded to include wholesalers, and liquidators. While the $299 membership fee isn’t cheap, it is a lifetime membership. While some dropshippers are better than others, to date we have never been scammed by a dropshipper we have found in their database. Click
here for a preview of Worldwide Brands - If you have already selected your market, look for a retail association for
your particular line of products. Often retail assocations will have lists
of suppliers, and if nothing else, you can get advice and tips from retailers
in the same line as you are. Always invaluable!
I hope that gives you a starting point. Once you’re up, running, and have a few decent positions in the search engines; product sourcing becomes a whole lot easier. You’ll find the suppliers will seek you out 
Quality vs. Quantity
Posted on August 13, 2007
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I’m getting a lot of email these days and most of it I’m answering privately but a few trends are showing up in the question asking that I’d like to address. Today I’ll talk about one of these.
I hear you talking about going out and getting one-way links, but not paid links. How would a beginner like myself go about getting a ton on incoming links, without wasting money on paid links?
In the not so distant past, there was a lot of focus on building up tons of backlinks. Heck, I was one of those really good at it and built up hundreds of thousand of backlinks. But then I dropped hundreds of thousands of backlinks which should serve as proof that it’s link quality that’s more important than link quantity.
You see if you want to rank on Google – the traffic king of the search engines – quality is the important factor. It takes far less links than you think to rank well when you do it right. So what makes for a high quality link?
Preferably the link is coming from a site with complimentary subject matter. So if you are selling slippers, a link from a site that talks about shoes is complimentary. But so is a link from a site about clothing. Now a complimentary themed site is best but nearly as good can be a complimentary page from a high authority, high page rank site.
The link should be in content (words) and the page should be as close a content (theme) match as possible. That should be a one way link rather than a reciprocal link trade. And before you start wondering where to buy one, realize that Google is looking for sites selling paid links and says it will neutralize it’s ability to pass on any page rank. So paid links are out.
Now I know these aren’t easy to find in volume but that’s my point. A vote from one site for another, given without any expectation of reciprocation in the form of a link back or payment is exactly what Google wants. And Google values them so you don’t need as many.
So the question should have been:
Where can I get some high quality one way links that will get my site rankings?
And before you all email me with that very question, let me say stay tuned there will be more coming.
Take care, we’ll chat soon!
Nancy
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