Earn Money Online with Brandon Hopkins

I couldn’t really figure out a way to title this post without using the word “spamming” in the title, but here you go.

This morning I experimented with a grey hat method of getting links and traffic. The basic premise is changing your referrer to always show a link you want instead of the page you’re actually coming from.

Then when a website owner views their logs/stats, they see your link. Generally you want this link to be something important like your site or a money making site.

Here is my secret tip. Set up your referrer that targets a specific demographic, then start browsing those sites. Click all the links in the comments, the blogroll, the in-post links, etc.

I don’t know how well it will work, but I set up a specific test page and will keep you posted! If it works, I’ll give you the exact method I used and the tools to make it work.

2 comments

Yesterday I talked about whether or not you should work on pages that are already making money.  That is a decision that you must make on your own.  When you start building additional links and marketing those pages, there is a chance that you might upset the delicate balance that put you in the top 20 in the first place.

But, if you’re willing to take that risk, here are a few tips that I’ve found to help move you up a few spots in a competitive niche.

1. Add a blog.

If your site is currently a static html site, try adding a blog either in a subdomain or in a folder off the root.  blog.example.com or example.com/blog will both work.  In that blog, make a lot of semantically related posts.  If your site is about making money online, your posts should be related to “money”, but not always “making money online”.  Example posts could be, “Your Money and the Dollar”, “How Inflation Changes Your Money”, “How to Make Money in a Slow Economy”, etc.  If you notice, you’re using your keywords, just not your exact key phrase.  Whenever you make those posts, make sure and link back to your money pages with appropriate keywords.

Those links should always have varied anchor text and the anchor text should be relevant to the post, not to the money page.

2. Add content.

This one might be a little controversial as many people don’t like to touch a page that is already starting to rank.  I feel a little differently and my feelings are based on actual tests.  I have had a few pages ranking for a variety of keywords and have added content including additional adsense blocks, links, pictures and more text without losing my rankings.  I have never tried to make that page rank for additional keywords, but sometimes that happens naturally.

3. Buy some links.

If you have the skills to buy links without being detected, this is a great time to buy them.  If you do buy links, make sure and vary your anchor text heavily, and think like a newb.  When rookie webmasters want to link to a cool site, they don’t always use good anchor text.  That will keep you from looking like you’re buying links and make it look like those people just like your site.

Those are a few things that I’ve done with pages that are already ranking decently to make them rank really well for their keywords.  Keep in mind that these are also great places to start with a site that isn’t ranking for anything yet.

5 comments

Buying links has long been debated, especially when Google slapped so many blogs in the last year. Personally I haven’t had many issues with Google, but many people had. With that disclaimer, be careful where you buy your links. Most places that sell links have a “footprint”, or an easy way to track which websites are selling links. For example of a footprint, search for “powered by WordPress” in Google. It’s an easy way to find a lot of blogs that are running WordPress. That’s just a simple footprint, but there is a footprint to just about everything.

One place that I’ve found that sells quality links and doesn’t leave a trail is LinkWorth. If you haven’t bought many links then this won’t matter to you, but if you’re in the game to make money, links are vitally important. LinkWorth has some really big blogs on their network for driving traffic, then they have a lot of 2nd and 3rd tier blogs that are great for just snagging a link.

Personally, I like to get one link and go. I think a single link on one domain is just as beneficial as a site-wide link, and possibly even better. Depending on the quality of where the link is posted, you can see beneficial traffic from links that you’ve earned naturally or purchased.

Either way, LinkWorth doesn’t seem to leave any footprints which means it is nearly impossible to find out if the links are natural or paid.

12 comments

Recently, Brandon explained why he uses articles for gaining links and traffic. However, some people were wondering exactly where they should be submitting their articles. Yes, there is article submission software available, but it best to do this discriminately and by hand. Don’t get discouraged when wading through the increasing number of article submission sites. Just like site directories, you have to separate the good from the useless.

Below are the top five places to submit articles for links and traffic. If you are wondering how I determined this list, I merely narrowed down the most popular sites that allow bylines and backlinks by checking each article directory’s Google PageRank and Alexa rating.

1. EzineArticles (PR: 6, Alexa: 426)

EzineArticles is widely regarded as the best free article submission site. Content on this site is ranked well in Google, as you’ve probably already discovered just through casual use of the search engine. EzineArticles currently has over 50,000 RSS feeds, as well, which means you can get some massive exposure through the site.

2. SelfGrowth.com (PR: 6, Alexa: 7,699)

This is a unique place to make yourself known. Touting itself as a “self improvement encyclopedia,” SelfGrowth.com currently receives over 1 million visitors a month and accepts articles from the public. If you have an article that encourages any kind of self-improvement, then this is a great place to submit it.

3. Buzzle (PR: 5, Alexa: 4,914)

Buzzle once had a higher PageRank, but its traffic is still steadily growing. Articles on Buzzle are fast competing with the search engine ranking of EzineArticles, so keep this site high on your list. Buzzle authors also receive added exposure when they are randomly featured throughout the directory.

4. ArticleCity (PR: 6, Alexa: 34, 723)

Offering free articles for reprint, this a great place to both submit your work and acquire free content for your site or newsletter. There are many niche categories on this site to fit your various needs.

5. ArticleBiz (PR: 6, Alexa: 61, 404)

This growing site also offers both exposure for writers and reprintable content for Web developers. If you are smart, you will take advantage of both opportunities. While ArticleBiz may not have the clout of other sites on this list, it is steadily growing in popularity and is definitely worth your time.

There are many more article directories across the Web, but you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin by tracking down every last one. Instead, focus on making yourself known on the most highly ranked article sites. Not all directories were created equal and article submission is only one of many ways to market your site and obtain backlinks.

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, a freelance writer as well as a regular commentator on the topic of airline miles card. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.

11 comments