Today’s Quick Blogging Tip Thursday involves one way link building quickly and effectively by just being generous. This link building technique is far from being a new concept but I do think it’s underused.I’m suggesting you share original images that you have already taken (photos) or created (images) in exchange for a one way back link to your blog. It’s the simplest thing in the world to setup and won’t cost you a dime. Here are a couple of examples;
Example One – Flickr
I’ve been using Flickr for years and below each photo I include the following statement after the description,
Feel free to use this photo for your website or blog as long as you include photo credit with a clickable (hyperlinked) and do-follow link toHotBlogTips.com
As you can see, I even set an active hyperlink back to my blog with every photo. Other than being a link in its self and even sending a little traffic my way, the big picture is the one way link building. I’ve been building one way links like this for years with various blogs. As a quick example, I had a personal photo blog and all the photos were uploaded on Flickr as well. One day Boing Boing used one of my pictures on their website and that photo credit link sent my blog from a PR0 to a PR3 even though it was only a few months old.
Flickr is the perfect place to use this link build method, not only because the incredible volume of traffic they get, but also because the site can be search for Creative Commons-licensed images. Be sure to set the proper license for each photo; I use Attribution Creative Commons.
Example Two – Tumblr
I am very new to Tumblr, only a few days, but the concept is the same; allow other websites to use my great photos in exchange for a one way link to my blog in the form of image credit. That’s only fair, right? So now every time someone reblogs or uses one of my images it should generate a one way back link, if the other site is playing fair, like HelloFriends.org.
Final Tips
A couple other things before I turn it over to you. The better, more interesting and common the photo is the better luck you will have with your one way link building attempt. Use great photos and don’t forget to use descriptive titles, good descriptions and use the tags so people can find your work.
Another thing to consider is this will probably mean letting go of the leash and forgoing a watermark or other form of copyright protection. Let’s face it, we’rebloggers and it’s not like we are protecting national art work that’s going to feed our families. Another fact to consider is that people WILL take your photos and use them without linking back or they’ll add the no-follow tag. Personally, I don’t let that kind of thing wreck my day.
Also, it should go without saying but I’m going to bring it up anyway. When I say original, I mean your photos and images that you own outright and own all rights to. Please don’t take other people’s works or content as your own.
Your Thoughts?
Do you allow your images and photos to be used by others? Have you built one way back links in this manner? Do you think it’s better to keep photos protected than to use them as link building tools? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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