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Assignment 1, Bootcamp #5 - Backlinks Basics

iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« on: April 01, 2013, 02:35:29 am »

Hello Bootcampers,

We are starting this week with Link Building Basics.

It's not an easy topic, so we'll take this week to educate ourselves on it. Next assignment will be listed next Monday, so this Bootcamp will be at a much slower pace than normal to accommodate people that don't have time for daily assignments. However, we could chat all week about this assignment to help you learn.

Your first assignment is to learn the basics, ask us questions and think what link building strategies would work for you.

1. Read this Beginners Guide to Link Building and any other resources you find online. Just google "Link Building".

2. Think how you'd use link building to promote your store and ask us questions, if you are not sure about something.

3. Since we have new people joining this Bootcamp, we need to know what online marketing you are doing right now.
Please list all Social media sites that you are using on the regular basis (list your accounts, so we could all follow you), list your blogs, forums and any other online communities that you belong to.

Please list your answers no later than this Friday, April 5th.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2013, 09:53:26 pm by iCraft Admin »
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2013, 09:10:56 am »

Ok I am here and ready to start!
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2013, 05:33:40 pm »

If this is the basics of link building I am in trouble.  I have read and re read and went on internet too.  The only thing I really understand is keywords,social networking and using your blog as a link.  The rest is not clear to me. Hope you make it easy to understand..........Kat
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2013, 05:38:26 pm »

Hi Kat,

Yes, I'll try to explain things in a more simple terms, but I'd like to ask you to post more specific questions.
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2013, 12:19:00 am »

Could everyone please check-in, so I know how many people are participating? Thanks!
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2013, 12:47:52 am »

Kat
Red Rock Designs


Posts: 173


« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2013, 08:10:43 am »

I am.....Bibi
Red Rock Designs


Posts: 173


« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2013, 09:19:41 am »

Not sure if # 3 is for new bootcampers only…but in any case here are my social media sites that I use (not daily but multiple times a week):

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Rock-Designs/213914158654539

Twitter: https://twitter.com/redrockdsgns

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/redrockdesigns1/

Blog - Tumblr: www.redrockdesigns.tumblr.com.  Also posting on iCraft blog about once a month or so.

Since our last bootcamp I’ve joined Instagram: redrockdsgns

Some sites that I’ve registered for but haven’t really used are Google+, Flickr and MAILLE which is a forum for chainmaille - sharing photos, tutorials, general discussions.

I initially started following other jewelry makers only, but have since expanded to any vendors who make handmade items, as well as DIY projects. I’ve seen a big difference in the amount of page views and reblogs. And I’m getting more followers more frequently than before.  The only site where I have trouble getting followers is Facebook.

I do have a question though….on photo sharing sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram, is it wise to post the same pictures on all 3 sites, or should we use different sites to show a different focus?  For example, on Pinterest I’ve been re-pinning other vendor’s products, food, travel; on Facebook the photos are more my jewelry, creative process, custom orders; and on Instagram there’s some jewelry, some day to day pics.   

Should we have a different focus for each site or keep it the same for all sites ie) if we promote handmade, then it’s handmade across the board, or if we promote DIY, then its DIY, or if we promote only paper products, then paper products across the board…and so on.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2013, 12:00:46 pm »

The short answer - it depends!
It's good to mix up things, but its also good to have somewhat focused conversations. You just need to monitor what your followers on different social media sites respond to better and where you get most comments (which probably leads to clicks) on your product photos, that's where you post them.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2013, 12:17:29 pm »

And yes, those instructions are for everyone to list all of your social media accounts and tell us what you've been doing to promote your store so far. We want to have all this info as part of this Bootcamp, so we don't have to search through old conversations. Thanks!
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2013, 01:18:30 pm »

I post to google and twitter bi weekly and pinterest when I make something new. Twitter posts to rebelmouse when I post to twitter.  When I post to listia it also posts on twitter and rebel mouse.  Listia is an auction site where I promote my store auction small jewelryand send business cards to the winners.  I still have craft fairs.  Here are my social sites:

http://twitter.com/jewelrybykat

http://plus.google.com/jewelrybykat

http://www.facebook.com/jewelryandmorebykat

http://www.rebelmouse.com/jewelrybykat

http://pinterest.com/jewelrybykat

http://jewelrybykat.net/blog/
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 01:49:28 pm by Jewelry by Kat »
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2013, 06:15:20 pm »

Here are mine:

www.pinterest.com/jajejems 
www.vimeo.com/jajejems - never used
www.twitter.com/jajejems
http://www.facebook.com/pages/JaJeJems/176831249094460?ref=hl
http://plus.google.com/jajejems

I signed up for Indiepublic but have never used it either.

I also belong to 3 jewellery groups on LinkedIn, subscribe to to Social media marketing and Rena Klingenberg's  jewellery newsletter.  I blog occasionally on icraft and on my Google blog spot which I can't find half the time myself.  I only have one follower there - not a great success!  I find that in general Google is very confusing.  My usual pattern is to add new items to Google plus, then pin them and tweet the pin which automatically goes on my Facebook page.  I am usually on Twitter and Facebook daily, Pinterest every few days, google plus occasionally other than posting items.

We now have a website of our own www.jajejems.com where I can blog and my goal is to start blogging there in addition to icraft.  Other promotions include craft shows, taking part in activities at bead shops in the area.

iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2013, 07:38:08 pm »

JaJeJems,

Sites that you don't use, don't count! Smiley
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2013, 08:19:34 pm »

Suppose you have a point!  Thought someone might encourage me to use them!
Fairy Cardmaker


Posts: 1115


« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2013, 09:59:50 pm »

I'm here.  I read the article.  It was hard to digest.

I will try to spend time on the weekend grafting the article on to my situation.

My promotional activity has ceased completely as I am too busy.  But, I have accounts with:
1. Blogger - still my prefferd medium so I have continued to post there.  Previously minimum of once a week, but now every other week.  I usually show what I've been working on, sometimes for personal use, sometimes for store, sometimes artistic charity work.
http://www.fairycardmaker.com/

2. Twitter - started for last bootcamp.  Not very fond of it.  Seems spammy.  I may use it just to post my blog posts.
@FairyCardmaker

3. Google + - started it ages ago, don't understand it at all.  Only use it because my blog auto posts to it.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102409086076143088255/posts

4. I have also used Project Wonderful in the past and seen some clicks over to my shops from it for very small advertising dollars.

5. I have a vimeo channel.  I like videos (love watching others) but I don't have oodles of time to make them and edit them.
https://vimeo.com/user10010154
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 10:14:31 pm by Fairy Cardmaker »
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2013, 10:13:32 pm »

Glad to hear from you, Fairy Cardmaker!  Grin

Auto posts are ok too, as they drive traffic and make your social media accounts look alive.

We use Project Wonderful too, most recently to promote Easter Treasure Hunt. Maybe you could share your tips on using Project Wonderful when you get a bit of time? I think others would benefit from this too.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2013, 02:06:01 am »

I am here too...I will try to follow along because this is awesome info to know...Thank you!

Alot of my traffic happens by word of mouth, or my customers will post listings  of my items, or threads about my work...on large forums to share with their friends.
I have also done physical craft fairs for years, so I have a following of people from this as well.

I had opened a shop on Etsy, and brought my customers there with me, as well as made more customer friends there.
And now leaving there and coming here? I bring my customers with me Smiley I send each customer an email, with the link to the new shop here, and ask them to come join me here...

I have never really done much promotion online....
Sometimes I Pin, but only on the Native Team Board...I do not do my own...
Now we have a fb page too, and I just figured out how to make a shop page, but know nothing about linking it to anything yet...
https://www.facebook.com/Silverdawnjewelry

Though we have two shops, this one where I list my metal jewelry, and another where we list seed beaded jewelry, leatherwork, smudge feathers, and things like this. We do not mix them (except the few  pairs of seed bead earrings), because they have completely different target audiences.
Eventually we would like to move our other shop to Icraft as well.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #17 on: April 03, 2013, 02:42:54 am »

Great! Welcome to Bootcamp, SilverDawnJewelry!  Grin
Just wondering why you left Etsy.In any case, I am glad you picked us.  Cheesy

I'll have to review your store and see if there is anything needs to be done in preparation for the link building assignments. (this group has done all page clean up already)

Have you done any blogging before? Are you a member of any forums? What about Twitter and Google+?

Oh, can you also please tell me which 3 products you'd like to promote? We choose only 3, so we focus our efforts on best pages that can convert visitors to buyers.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2013, 09:40:27 am by iCraft Admin »
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #18 on: April 03, 2013, 10:00:55 am »

Welcome To the group Silverdawn!  Admin, I have been doing my homework and I have a couple of questions:
Is there an easy way to identify spammy sites?  I tend to be suspicious of everyone-due to my age I guess!
Is it equally important to build links that attract people or search engines?  Should you do one before the other?
In the article it talks about finding sites that are relevant to your business but not directly competitive?  So would I be looking for sites that sell jewellery supplies or teach jewellery techniques as opposed to sites that sell jewellery.  Or could I look at sites that sell different types of jewellery from mine?

I am also having a bit of a struggle getting my head around this concept but I am looking forward to what comes next!
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2013, 10:19:38 am »

I still have the shops on Etsy for right now...and will most likely leave them through the summer (I have a notice up that I am changing venues, but it can take a few months for everyone to see it, and to notify hundreds of customers)
I am leaving there for many reasons...but to keep it short & sweet, *lack of professional admin, *allowing thousands of re-sellers and overseas labor camp work to not only be sold there, but it is applauded in unspoken ways, by supporting quick turnover marketing. (look up charm holders on Etsy, and then open a RoiGrande catalog...they buy premade, add a chain, and call it handmade) Etsy is now gearing their entire market towards the 20ish age bracket, planning to change their entire set up for listing pages to mainstream into what works best for mobile devices...
It is feeling more and more like Ebay. Their new CEO, seems to have VERY different ideas on this market than I do. All of their changes are good, for their business, but they are honestly not good for me, in what I do. There is alot more, but I know many artisans are leaving there for the same reasons.

They basically have people/kids running things there who seemingly have no clue about the retail selling of handcrafted artisans work.

So, that is the short reason for leaving...too fast paced for my style. I prefer a smaller strictly handcrafted environment, with other serious artisans.

I have dabbled in blogging, but am not always the best at writing and keeping up with it Sad
I have been a member of the Native Forum Team on Etsy for a couple of years...but no other forums. Twitter confuses me the few times I have looked at it, and we just began a G+, but not sure what to do with it yet. It is connected to the leather shop.

I would choose
https://icraftgifts.com/handmade/37303/handcrafted-free-form-sterling-charm-holder-pendant-large.php
https://icraftgifts.com/handmade/37355/chrysoprase-sterling-moon-catcher-tm-earrings.php
https://icraftgifts.com/handmade/37319/hair-pin-fork-nickel-silver-with-northern-lights.php

For three items to promote Smiley

Thanks JaJeJems ! Cheesy
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #20 on: April 03, 2013, 11:06:19 am »

Welcome to our boot camp group , Silver Dawn Jewelry and to Icraftgifts.  Your work is beautiful and I envy that you have loyal customers following you, something I desire but not gotten.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #21 on: April 03, 2013, 12:43:16 pm »

Thanks for the questions, JaJeJems! They are great!

There is no danger in losing customers for you if you align yourself with other jewelry makers. You could discuss cross-promotions and attract new jewelry lovers. I think relevancy to your business is the key, so choose the sites that complement yours.

Also, focus on building links for people, that will bring you referral traffic. Search engines will find and count those links anyway, if you do things right.

I'll have to put together a longer response on your question about spammy sites. Great question!
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #22 on: April 03, 2013, 12:47:35 pm »

Thanks for the feedback, SilverDawnJewelry! 
Luckily, we don't have those issues.  Grin

I'll review your pages today and provide your with my feedback later today.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2013, 10:22:09 pm »

Thank you Smiley

I will try to read about the link building, and go over the questions already asked  Wink
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #24 on: April 04, 2013, 02:13:10 am »

Hi JaJeJems,

I posted the answer to your previous question here:  Link Building: How to separate Good Sites from the Bad? Let me know if it answers your question.
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #25 on: April 04, 2013, 07:55:26 am »

Thanks admin, that's great info and clears up some of my confusion.  You have a nice clear way of explaining things.  I find that some of the articles that I have been looking at aren't written for beginners!  Thanks!
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #26 on: April 04, 2013, 02:57:52 pm »

Bootcampers,

Pls post your questions! I want to see that you are researching this topic and read on your own.
I'll summarize main points and takeaways on this topic at the end of the week.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #27 on: April 04, 2013, 03:08:38 pm »

I have been reading some, and it makes sense...so far. But I will be getting into it deeper, and try to come back with questions tonight.

Aside from the shops, I keep a 40 hour job too, so working right now...
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #28 on: April 04, 2013, 03:19:30 pm »

No problem!  Smiley we are going at a much slower pace this time because some people are busy at work. It's a tax season right now.  Roll Eyes
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #29 on: April 04, 2013, 08:31:54 pm »

I have a silly queation, but one I have wondered about.  Can you link to a private site if agreeable to both?  Or is the following too small.  For example...I have a shop where I get my awesome pendants and I make necklaces with them.  Is this something we could do or not worth it?  We compliment  each other's sites.  I do use their store name but not the link.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2013, 08:54:59 pm by Jewelry by Kat »
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #30 on: April 05, 2013, 01:57:15 am »

Hi Kat,

When we talk about link building, we usually refer to backlinks - links on other sites pointing to yours. I don't recommend reciprocal links when you both agree to link to each other.
And no, that site where you buy jewelry supplies is not too small. It's related to your business and not a spammy site, so it would be a good site to get at list one link from.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #31 on: April 05, 2013, 04:10:51 am »

Hello Smiley Okay, so 64 pages later, and talking with Nyai (my husband), and our 16 year old...we now have a Twitter started, and our daughter led us also to Tumblr.com.
http://silverdawnjewelry.tumblr.com/

I like Tumblr so far, as a blog space where you can network and others can follow the links to your Twitter, FB, Pin, etc...really almost any link is available, so it seems to be a good HUB for links...I will see if I can link it to the blog here as well. (once I get the blog started)
The Tumbler page will also give a live feed of your Twitter if you choose the correct layout...We found the "Fluid Neue" theme is set up for Twitter, and to add about 24 links, with an easy access button right on the page. You will see the three on ours, but not only are the other 21 link spaces available, as well as pre-set (just add link and save, and magic link button appears)...but above that, we can learn what the other 21 are at some point.

I am assuming that these would primarily be called social links...but, It is a start at least...so now we need to figure out Using these platforms correctly...then work on the actual linkbacks..
Going back to re-read some. That is an awesome write-up you linked to, aise (thank you)

I guess one question would be, 'how would you approach a site to ask them to add your link?' Who would you speak with?

Or, getting places like RioGrande to re-pin items, or re-post tweets...that would bring many site views most likely, yes?
 
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #32 on: April 05, 2013, 01:14:11 pm »

Hi SilverDawnJewelry,

Twitter & Tumbler - wow, you've been busy! Nice to see that your whole family is so supportive.  Smiley

Yes, links from Twitter & Tumbler would be considered social links, but they are still good. We covered some of those in the previous Bootcamp # 4. You can still browse those assignments on our Sellers' Bootcamp page.

We'll cover how to approach site owners and what links to ask for in the upcoming assignments.
Actually, Kat already touched on this topic in her last post.  Wink
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #33 on: April 05, 2013, 02:52:55 pm »

SilverDawnJewelry,

Also wanted to mention, since you have Twitter account now, another thing you can do with Twitter, Tumblr and other social media sites is to setup auto feed of your products to those sites. Basically, any time you post new items to your iCraft store or update your products, you could feed those updates to all or some of your sites.

You can also control  frequency of updates and add filters to your posts. Autofeeds are not ideal, but at least timely updates to all your social media sites. Saves you time and still creates good referral traffic.

Try twitterfeed.com  where you can manage your updates on multiple sites. To use that service you will need to copy your store RSS Feed which is located beside "Contact Seller" link in the left side of your store page.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #34 on: April 05, 2013, 03:03:43 pm »

Yes, we are busy...actually, we are all over this, and cannot tell you how much we appreciate the effort everyone has put into it!
I am very fortunate to have my family working with me...they like me to be home, so they have jumped right in over the years, and help me with just about everything. In a sense we are a family business, because they are learning the metalwork, beadwork, leatherwork, and help with all the other aspects as well Smiley We have alot of fun this way...

We have started reading back too, beginning at the first bootcamp thread...and now also have an application in with CraftJuice, and a Stumble account.
I am using keywords and categories in the different sites, to broaden the views as well. The best example is my hair pins. While the description and the linkback to Icraft is the same, and I always focus on Dance as the overall theme for keywords, in some places I may list them under Tribal Fusion as the category, and in others Yoga, or Ballet...I have found that it reaches the individual target audiences, within the main target audience...bringing in a wider range of viewers, and more sales in the end. I am not sure how, or if, this works for others, but I have found it works well for my items.

So, we are working through bootcamp #1...but I Will catch up, I will... Wink
Thank you very much for the link to the twitterfeed. That sounds like a good project for tonight. I had noticed that, but had no clue how to go about it. 

I know some, or many, of my photos will need to be redone to fit the Icraft format well...some are a bit cropped, and it looks a little hodge-podge. So I will take a few days just for photos as soon as the world here turns greener.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #35 on: April 05, 2013, 10:47:02 pm »

Hi,
The twitter account we started is linked to our leather shop, however we also linked the twitter feed from the iCraft SilverDawn shop to it... So the question we have is will this work when we open the leather shop on iCraft to link a second RSS feed to the same twitter account or should we open a second twitter account?

iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #36 on: April 06, 2013, 01:15:30 am »

You are very lucky to have family like yours, SilverDawnJewelry!

Can you please tell us how you use CraftJuice.com? I am not familiar with that site.

To answer your Twitter question. If you have 2 identical stores on different marketplaces, you probably shouldn't feed the same updates from 2 sites at the same time.

As for the second Twitter account, I'd separate Jewelry updates from your Leather shop updates, but I wouldn't create 2 Twitter account for the same  Leather shop updates, but from 2 different sites.

One solution could be to make different product updates at different times on 2 sites, but still feed updates from both places to the same Twitter account.

As a side note, two identical sites can create duplicate content issue for your pages. I suggest you do some reading on this topic. We actually mark products that could be considered duplicates on our site, but we can't compare them to other sites.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2013, 01:24:13 am by iCraft Admin »
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #37 on: April 06, 2013, 02:39:32 am »

This is one of our articles "Explaining Backlinks". I'd suggest you check it out as well.
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #38 on: April 06, 2013, 08:46:07 pm »

Here is a good video from Google's Matt Cutts "What are some effective techniques for building links?"

Please share good articles and resources that you found during this week's research on the Link Building topic.

There should be more questions too, if you are doing your homework. Bring them on! We need to keep this conversation going, if you guys want to learn something new.

Next week we'll have more practical assignments, so use this week to learn as much as you can!
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #39 on: April 06, 2013, 10:21:21 pm »

This article is easy reading, divided into sections so you can take your time          

 http://nickstraffictricks.com/5637_how-to-build-backlinks/
« Last Edit: April 06, 2013, 10:25:55 pm by Jewelry by Kat »
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #40 on: April 06, 2013, 10:59:16 pm »

That's a great article Kat! Just read it. I think it will help others to get many questions answered. It also has a lot of good references for future reading. Bookmarking this site! Smiley
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #41 on: April 07, 2013, 11:31:40 am »

Planning to read the article that Kat suggested this afternoon - sounds perfect for me!  Anyway, I have been wondering all week what exactly these links look like?  Is it like an ad on someone elses page or a reference to you that someone has made in their page or blog which they have linked back to you.  I hope that doesn't sound too silly!  I know that the process involves approaching others and requesting a link.  I belong to a jewellery group in Linkedin where most people share their websites so for me I think that is a place tomstart.  Maybe I should read the article first, though!  Still doing my research.  I have signed up for twitter feed, got my Indiepublic account updated and started a blog so I haven't been idle all week!  Getting inspiration from everyone elses hard work.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #42 on: April 07, 2013, 02:29:38 pm »

Thank you Smiley
It would be two shops on Icraft, each with an individual RSS feed (we plan on opening a second shop here for our leatherwork, beadwork and related)...And the other places, like stumble, and craftjuice, only show listings From the Icraft shops...but I understand, and am absorbing your answer.
Icraft will be the only venue where I am linking the RSS feed through twitter.

I am being careful not to make duplicate listings, altering the titles and descriptions...and as we move along, I will be removing the listings we currently have on Etsy. I am in the process of emailing all of our customers, so we do not loose them in the shuffle...They are beginning to follow us here, which is great! I know at least one of our customers has already purchased from another shop here as well, and many are thanking me for sharing Icraft, because as customers, they too are tired of having to weed through the re-sellers on Etsy. It is not a fast process, but it is happening.

I am not completely sure yet, for CraftJuice, I am waiting to hear back from them. As it seems so far, they are an independent site, where you can submit listings from your shop, and they will display and promote them (as a listing from your shop, not as a separate new listing, they do not sell there). It is lobbied, so you have to apply, but they seem to have a large following. I will let you know more, as soon as I find out Smiley

Thank you both for the linkback write-ups too...tonights project Smiley
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #43 on: April 07, 2013, 06:07:36 pm »

Thanks Kat for the great link!  has already answered some of my questions and I actually understood most of what I read.  Bonus!
iCraft Admin


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« Reply #44 on: April 07, 2013, 10:10:32 pm »

SilverDawnJewelry,

You sound like a knowledgeable seller already. Duplicate content, rss feeds and backlinks are not the easiest things to grasp. Good for you!  Grin Let us know if you have any specific questions about using iCraft system etc.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #45 on: April 07, 2013, 10:18:02 pm »

JaJeJems and others,

So what did you learn about Link Building this week? What were your questions that were answered in the article that Kat shared? What surprised you? Did you start thinking how you could use Link Building for promoting your business? Please share your thoughts! Others will benefit from it too. Thanks!
Jewelry by Kat


Posts: 182


« Reply #46 on: April 07, 2013, 11:22:16 pm »

 Here is some of what I learned.  Blog titles are so important because some are retweeted because of an awesome title even without being read.  Checking keywords in a blog with google keyword tool just like our sentences in our product descriptions for popularity.  Comment on others blogs correctly to get a backlink.  I guess you figured out I am working on the blog backlink.
iCraft Admin


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Posts: 1695


« Reply #47 on: April 07, 2013, 11:35:38 pm »

That's pretty good Kat!  Grin

Choose a couple of Keywords for each blog post and focus on that topic. Use variations of those keywords, but still stay focused. Awesome content is the Key, as the article author suggested. If it's great, it might attract people & backlinks without you doing much work promoting it. So sharpen your blogging (writing skills!).  Wink

It's a good idea to promote all of your web properties (blog, store, social media sites, ass you want all of them to be popular and feed traffic into each other). Variety is good, but monitor where you get most referral traffic and most sales (ask people or notice timing of sales - after twit, pin etc.), and focus more on those sites.
JaJeJems


Posts: 174


« Reply #48 on: April 07, 2013, 11:42:38 pm »

well there was so much in the article that Kat submitted that I want  to read it over and over, however, I did learn today that:
- I need to get backlinks from sites with high PageRanks not just anyone's website (so much for approaching just anyone who has a webpage about jewellery)
-  as Kat said, selecting good blog titles is important, also including keywords in blogs - just finished one before I read that!
- also blog content has to be readable and interesting
- saw what a backlink looks like
-  understand a bit better about nofollow and dofollow
- should have anchor text on my website and not just on the home page
- very important that all of this looks natural to the search engines
- still not sure if Click here is desirable or not??

Head is spinning now!  see you all in the morning!
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #49 on: April 08, 2013, 12:05:33 am »

Hi JaJeJems,

Just wanted to comment on 2 of your points.

Page Rank is important, but not as important, as people think. Even Google recommends not to focus on it, as it's not super accurate how authoritative the site is and it's updated something like once or twice a year. And with the introduction of social media signals into Google scoring, it seems that more comes into play that merely website's Page Rank. I'll try to find video from Matt Cutts where he talks about the importance of Page Rank.

So I would still go by your gut feeling - if you find site's content engaging and relevant to your business - that's the site you want to get backlinks from!

As for the "Click here", I personally don't think its a user-friendly anchor text, as it doesn't tell a person what to expect when they click on such link. However, I saw a few recommendations from SEOs to use "Click here" on the links once in a while to diversify your Link Profile and make them look less optimizes and more natural.

I know, it's a bit confusing, but Google is trying to crack down on overly optimized sites with its latest updates and allow good, but not optimized sites, a chance to rank well too, so we now have to be careful not to overdo it!  Roll Eyes
Fairy Cardmaker


Posts: 1115


« Reply #50 on: April 08, 2013, 12:14:24 am »

My best take-away understanding:
- quality over quantity of links
- quality means the right keywords on your backlink and the right contextual content.
- content is key - but needs to be tailored to your target audience (which I have not very sharply narrowed)
- key part of content is the title
- teaching something tends to cause people to refer to your knowledge - I once did an guest article on someone else's blog (which was largely geared towards Etsy shop improvements) on one aspect of an Etsy store where a bunch of guest writers were assigned one aspect. I got a lot of traffic from that article for a long time after it was published.  Good traffic builder, although likely the wrong target audience.  The point is, though, show your expertise.  It builds trust, which is a component of a good backlink.
- spread it out.  I frequently donate cards to charity.  I have gotten links from the charity event organizers.

What it means for my activities:
- Try to define my target audience again.
- Add more tips and tutorials to my blog
- I offer free card verses (read: cheesy poetry!) on my blog to go with my cards from time to time as a "freebie" in a way.  I need to begin doing that again  (If I could promise it to a fixed schedule, that would be even better.)
- keep actively donating.  It's real, in the community, makes me feel good, and spreads my name
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #51 on: April 08, 2013, 12:20:20 am »

That's a great summary and a take-away, Fairy Cardmaker!
You are absolutely right on all points and thanks for sharing a great example of Guest Blogging that will bring you links for years to come.  Kiss
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #52 on: April 08, 2013, 02:11:31 am »

Delightful Suds & Red Rock Designs,
How did you do this week? Any Questions? Lessons learned? Please try to keep up. I don't want to lose you half way.  Cry
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #53 on: April 08, 2013, 02:24:22 am »

Just a reminder for everyone - you can also read all our Bootcamp posts (current and 1 previous) in a chronological order on our Sellers' Bootcamp page.
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #54 on: April 08, 2013, 11:18:55 am »

hehe...if I sound knowledgeable, the kudos go to everyone here...I had honestly never heard of duplicate listings until I began listing items here, and then the AHA experiences began Cheesy

It all does make sense though, and thank you so much to everyone here!

I am still going over the backlinks though...
SilverDawnJewelry


Posts: 22


« Reply #55 on: April 08, 2013, 12:38:31 pm »

CraftJuice approved me, so I have their short Bio;

Craftjuice gives you a place to save and share your crafts links. Join our community of authors and make use of all of the great features including...

Submit your own stories
Vote on stories that interest you
Join and create interest groups
Share stories with groups and friends
Save stories to your personal profile.
View your voting and comment activity from your profile

 I will let you know more as it unfolds...
iCraft Admin


Administrator
Posts: 1695


« Reply #56 on: April 08, 2013, 01:23:53 pm »

Ha ha, you fooled me, silverdawnjewelry!  Wink
Yes, please, let us know how you are liking Craftjuice.
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