As you might have already seen in the blogosphere, there are several techniques bloggers do to increase their links and PRs, they are called Viral Tags. You may have seen them in several forms, such as Viral Ads, Viral Text, Viral Reviews, etc. There are so many versions of these that they are everywhere, and you can tell if a blog is fairly new or the blogger has any knowledge in the Internet Marketing field (especially if his niche is how to make money).
Usually they involve exchanging within a Matrix or a small review rotation. They vary but they all serve one purpose to increase your linkbacks for SEO. It is a form of link building, but even simpler and more easier. Since the blogosphere is all about helping one another and communication. We as bloggers see this as an easy way out, easy way to get noticed, easy way to build links.
One person, has done another great job where he or can earn some money from it, where he sells small ad blocks on his page. Similar to selling ad space on your blog but you import an image that is real small; do you remember the one million pixel website?
Jon from Smart Wealthy Rich disagrees with this technique and says:
I don’t feel like I wanna turn my blog into some myspace-ish thing.
My readers, visitors and advertisers wouldn’t appreciate that, and I don’t think viral-whatever helps with anything anyway.
This type of technique or strategy is not a good way to get the attention of readers as it may draw them away since it is pointless information to them within your blog. Also what about duplicate content? The intro of each viral tagging is always the same; a small introduction, and then a description of how this can be beneficial. Below that it has copy here.
Do you really want to provide your readers this?
What if someone is just starting off? Wants to find information on how to become a better surfer and he reads this viral tag on your website, do you think there is a high probability that he may search your website?
That reader is exposed to a non related content to a niche he enjoyed but will never revisit your site again because he saw a pointless entry about viral tagging.
Now, for those internet marketers who have a grasp of the basics, this is still a pointless attribute to add to your website or blog. Why because you are destroying your brand. Branding on the internet is important; you visit a website because it provided you with something useful. Why do you think every techy geek knows Cnet? They provide a wealthof information!
Lets say you have a good amount of visits coming to your webpage, 100 a day. Since you are a beginner on your site you saw a viral technique, viral tagging. You decide to put this on your blog because it makes sense and you became enticed that you can increase your SEO and PR etc.
Readers view your RSS or stumbled on your blog, and read this. They would then think to themselves, is this really a strategy. Well to those newies that read your blog they may do it. But what is the use if their blog is not getting any traffic; their blog has no PR, etc. Also viral tagging has tons of links. Who would click your link let alone find it?
Why would you let your reader think of you otherwise? They are reading your website or blog because they are finding information that you know over another. You know something that no one else does or that does it better. Adding this piece of post into your blogs just looks pathetic in essence that you do not know too much about how to market online and optimizing your website.
Imagine a blog, how to make money online. The web is very saturated with these but only the good ones survive. You can easily tell if a blog is a newie by just seeing if they have a post about viral tags, which they copied from another website. Would you want to get information from this person if he just copied and paste information to just get a small viral affect? Would you even come back to the website to see what he has to say about other topics? This just makes the author look weak in this specific niche, again acting in desperation.
You need to give your readers a reason to come back to your blog/website. If the first thing they see is a viral tagging technique, they would just leave thus increasing your bounce rate. Content is King and I have written several post on it as well. Give the readers something to come back to!
This viral tagging is just an act of desperation to get linkbacks and a PR, maybe even some traffic if any. You as an author should not be in the acts of desperation to get traffic, to get a PR, to increase SERP, etc. It takes time and effort. Online marketing should be a working effort a job and in the end you will be rewarded for the hard work.
There are many form of this viral tagging ranging from viral images, viral stars, viral ad blocks, viral review rotation, viral carousel, there are just so many of them you can't miss it in the blogosphere especially in the make more money online or viral marketing niche.
This strategy is pointless in my opinion because it ruins the brand which is YOU! If you think otherwise let me know why this strategy is beneficial and how it doesn't ruin your online brand or does not seem to act in desperation. To me this is just an easy way out.
