Trackbacking For Traffic And Links

A very simple strategy for building more inbound links and getting new traffic to your blog is a thing called trackback. A trackback is a blog post that you actually make on your blog. But instead of just writing a post and publishing it in a vacuum, you trackback to another blog, which causes your blog post to appear as a comment on the other blog and links back to your blog.

Usually, your trackback comment on the other blog will appear as a paragraph or three or four lines of text. If readers want to read the entire comment then they have to click on the link to visit your blog. Then they can read your entire blog post. The other blogger benefits because the trackback links to their blog from yours and they get additional content on their page, giving them – and you – SEO benefits.

I like trackbacking because it usually drives additional traffic to your blog. These are readers you likely will not get any other way. But you have to keep a few things in mind about trackbacking before you do it:

• Don’t do it too often
• Make sure your comments are relevant to the blog you trackback to
• Make useful comments that will prove valuable to others
• Be interesting
• Don’t just do it for the link

How Often Is Too Often?

If you trackback to the same blog every day then that’s too often. I’d say don’t trackback to the same blog more than you have to. If you constantly trackback then people will get tired of seeing your posts and just ignore them. Moderation is in order here.

Make Relevant Trackback Comments

Don’t trackback to a blog about mechanics from a blog about flower arrangements unless your blog post is specifically relevant to the specific blog post at the mechanic’s blog. In other words, as a for instance, if the mechanic posted a blog about sending his wife flowers for her birthday by having the florist deliver them to the mechanic’s shop and place them in the driver’s seat so she would not miss them then you can trackback from your florist’s blog. Otherwise, don’t just make a bunch of irrelevant trackbacks.

Use And Valuable Trackback Comments

What is a useful and valuable comment? It’s one that others can benefit from. The benefit can be emotional or serious. It can make them laugh or cry (good tears). But it must convey some information that they would find useful. Otherwise, it will be considered spam and might get deleted by the other blogger.

Be Interesting

In other words, don’t be boring. Make interesting comments that people will respect. They want to like you. Give them good reasons to.

Don’t Just Trackback For The Link

Link juice is good. But link juice for the sake of link juice is spam. It annoys people. If you make useful, valuable, and interesting comments then your trackbacks will be received more cheerily. People will like you and they’ll return the favor.