Pingbacks and Trackbacks – What Do They Do For Your Blog?

Pingbacks and Trackbacks – What To Do?

The question came up on the last post on SEO Kindergarten – the AZ SEO list. Lauren asked what are these and what do they do. I’ve heard of them, read about them many times and accept them here but did not realize I was not letting others know of the mentions I’ve been giving without sending them a tweet or an email.

Pingbacks Are Automatic

Pingbacks do NOT send back any content. It is a remote procedure call (XLM)  to encode and uses HTTP to transport it from Site A to Site B when an author at Site A writes a link to Site B. It does require a hyperlink. When site B receives the signal it goes back to Site A to check the incoming link.  If is links correctly the pingback is recorded successfully. This makes Pingbacks less spammy than trackbacks. Pingbacks are automatically sent via software.

• Only approve the pingbacks you want linking to your website or blog.
• You can turn them off in your settings under discussion.

Trackbacks Are Manual

Trackbacks are like acknowledgements. They send a PING from one website to another manually. They are used mainly to communicate in blogs, letting authors know you may have referenced them in your own post. Many companies have used these to send spam links that they can generate money from. Because of the many spam links some blogs and websites have stopped using them because of the amount of spam that need to be checked. Others use a software to stop the spammy type of trackbacks or eliminate them all completely.  In WordPress, on each post you have the option to check off Send Trackbacks. I just started doing this on mine recently and I like that you can edit them just like comments of course with CommentLuv premium. The Gasp function in CommentLuv premium must be checked off. It’s an anti-spam bot plugin within CommentLuv. (If I find too much spam they will be turned off.)

• Remember if you do approve these they will show up in your comment section of your post or page.
• If you do not want any you can also go to your settings in WordPress – Discussion and check them off.

Most people either love or hate trackbacks. They have value if they are not spam but if they are all spam there is NO value in them. No one wants to deal with spam on a daily basis. We have enough spammers to deal with on Twitter and other places online each day. I will provide a follow up in my newsletter on the results of using Trackbacks in a few weeks.

Listen to Matt Cutts on Receiving Links From Sites You Don’t Want An Association With

How are you handling your pingbacks and trackbacks today? 

Image courtesy of bplanet at FreeDigitalPhotos.net