3 Steps You Must Follow When Posting to Blogs & Forums

Social media is definitely on the rise. We hear a lot about the importance of blogs, forums and other social platforms such as MySpace.com, Facebook, YouTube, and many more.

When it comes to promoting your website, social media is not a channel you can afford to skip.

In this post, I will try to address the key points you need to address when posting to other people's blogs and forums.

1: Identify quality blogs and forums related to your niche

Here are some useful ways to build a quality list:

1. Search for "your keyword" + "blog".
2. Use Technorati or Google Blog Search.
3. Ensure a Google Page Rank (PR) of 3 or higher and that the blog has been properly indexed by Google.
4. Check the number of posts, or registered members - the more the merrier.
5. Ensure that the blog is open for public comments or posts (sometimes you will be required to become a registered user first).
6. Ensure that the blog/forum allows adding Html links within the text body .

2: Don't be a stranger and don't Sell!

Respect the blog/forum you crave a link from. Remember that your post will most likely be reviewed by the moderator and you are probably not the first one (nor the last) who tries to post something just for the sake of a getting a link to your website.

Make sure you add a RELEVANT and UNIQUE post to the blog/forum. That means you might need to actually read previous posts and response in an intelligent manner.

Address other members by name, relate to their stories, questions & answers. Don't try to sell anything, be objective in your recommendations and get personal with other members. It may be wiser to become an active member and add a few "innocent" posts before adding a link to your website.

3: Use your backlinks wisely

1. When including a back link to your website, make sure it uses the proper anchor text (the keyword you are trying to promote).
2. Don't overuse your link. One link per one blog/forum is all you need.

Happy posting!