Link Party – Is it For You?
If you’re like many others and are serious about taking your ideas to the next level, there’s a little-known secret in the blogging community called link parties or blog hops (or dozens of other code names), and they can help you grow your blog.
Essentially, the idea revolves around a group of bloggers coming together from around the world to engage in a form of social sharing by posting their content to other online media spaces. They are called a link party.
The projects are then promoted to increase page views, comments, shares and linkbacks, and participants are more or less rewarded with an increased level of activity and traffic to their site. So why haven’t more people heard about the concept?
Well, it’s a practice that isn’t as reliant upon using SEO as an effective strategy. It also tends to be much more beneficial to those who are entering the lucrative world of blogging for the first time.
A Short Guide to Getting Started for a Link Party
So if it’s something you think you might like to try, here are a few considerations you’ll need to take into account:
- Learn What to Look For: If you don’t feel like searching for link party-specific blogs via Google, you can usually find a collated link party directory that takes the hard work out of the equation. For the most part, you’ll be looking for any blog that features an invite somewhere on its site – usually on the homepage of the blog itself.
- Select the Perfect Feature Picture: During the party, your links will appear as a hyperlinked thumbnail consisting of the article’s title, URL and cropped photo from the post. Make sure these elements are on point.
- Observe the Rules of Etiquette: Most websites that are hosting a link party will provide a few guidelines for their guests to follow on the day or throughout the week. This can include anything from achieving a quota for commenting to restrictions on the type of content. Most often they will ask for you to follow the bloggers who are hosting the link party on a social site and also use their link party button on the URL you shared or blog sidebar.
- Forget About Fronting Up Late: Check the time and date of the link party to give your blog the best chance of getting noticed. Some of the larger blog hops can attract hundreds of links and you’ll want yours to be near the top of the list.
Things may seem a little daunting at first, but don’t worry; you’ll soon get the hang of it. You might even feel the urge to co-host or even host your own. Fortunately, there are a number of programs like the InLinkz Linkup Tool that are designed help you out.
One Last and Important Thing to Consider
Instead of focusing on quantity, evaluate which link parties would have the most relevant audience that would send readers to your site that actually will come back in the future. Every month you can try a few new link parties to see which ones drive the most traffic and shares.
All in all, they’re a great way to network with other bloggers, find inspiration for potential topics, attract a more loyal following and acquire new subscribers. Whether you’re in it for business or for your own enjoyment, link parties are the way to go.
Do you use any link parties to connect with other bloggers and/or for social shares?
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Alicia Lawrence
Ali is a content specialist for a tech company and enjoys cooking in her apple-red kitchen, binge reading fantasy books, and playing tennis in her free time.
Latest posts by Alicia Lawrence (see all)
- Are You Coming to the Social Link Party? - May 29, 2015
- 5 Ways to Use Other Bloggers to Boost Readership - July 10, 2014
