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Hey Internet Novices! Do you know what a link on your homepage is worth?

I'm new to activerain, and overall I think it is a great site.

However, I was FLOORED when I saw how many people were putting that graphic and city specific text link on their homepage for a lousy 600 points!

If you do an archive search, Active Rain was a completley different website May 2006 and wasn't even established until early 2004. They started out as a idx solution and lead capture provider. The fact that they did a major change, and aren't that old of a website are some obstacles they have in getting a decent SERP rank.

If your website is established and has considerable tenure online, you are pretty much being used! Google and other search engines take that text link as a "vote" from your site for that keyword being pertient to ActiveRain. Considering your site is related to that keyword ("your city here" Real Estate) it gives them even more weight! Because the links are coming from older and established sites, the search engine algorithims are willing to ignore the fact that ActiveRain is NOT! You also need to know that people are willing to pay $10-$100 a month for a text link on an established site's home page!

If you fall under this category, I suggest you remove your link and demand FAIR CONSIDERATION!

It's not fair if you have a site that Google deems as "established", and someone else has a brand new site, and you both get the same points. If points is your thing.. thats fine.. just demand a lot more! Your site is doing a lot for Activerain, therefore they should do something for you. What is that 600 points doing for you exactly?

Posted by David Kyle, Charlotte SEO on 01/02/2007 04:02 PM

Comments (18)

seo, backlinks, active rain points

18 Comments on Hey Internet Novices! Do you know what a link on your homepage is worth?

JAN

2007

David~ For me personally, I get alot more out of ActiveRain than points! Friendships, mentorships, knowledge, and even some good ol' networking. It all depends what your out to get. What are you out to get out of AR...? Stick around awhile:)

Hey thats great.

You can get all of that by participation and contributing to the community. I plan to get out what I put in.

THE POINT however:

Asking members to put a text link on the main page of their well established websites for points is wrong!

They didn't insist for me to place it on my site, I just wanted to do it because I believe there is a lot of information here. I am not really worried about the points...

Gary

David, the point of us being here is to help ActiveRain grow. The growth of this site is advantageous to all the members that participate. By blogging here your SEO is going to skyrocket, it's the power of many, working together. Most of us that have been around here for a while have made $10,000s of real money from this site, I don't think a lost $100 a month means anything.

Gary,

I know AR does not insist. But the fact that they offer it for a fixed point compensation is what I have a problem with. If you're not worried about the points, fine... it still doesn't negate the fact that it's NOT A FAIR EXCHANGE.

Bryant

What leads you to believe that blogging here will make my SEO skyrocket? No offense, but at the last SEM conference I attended, "blogging on AR" was not one of the discussed strategies. Thats great that you want to help AR grow, more power to you! Been here awhile? How long is awhile? This version of the site is not even 7 months old! Please share details how you've made 10's of thousands from this site in such a short time.

I'm on YOUR SIDE people! I'm not saying AR is out to get us, or that nothing can be gained here. I feel that offering 600 points for a homepage text link is deceiptful. The average subscriber here probably doesn't know what a text link on their homepage is worth. AR is acting like it's no big deal, when it really is! It's also not fair that a member with a brand new web page, gets the same consideration as someone who has an established and powerful site. The person who has the powerful site is giving a lot more, and there is no recognition of that!

I understand the value of online community, so you are preaching to the choir there. We the users is what makes AR a valuable place. I feel however that a sense of fairness is important, and this is something I believe to be unfair.

Actually, some of us do understand the value of the links from our established web sites to Active Rain and we do it anyway.

Well Lenn, if you would have ACTUALLY read my post.. you will notice i said the "average" user probably doesn't.

You don't have link on the main page of your site.. so who exactly are you referring to?

And if you really did understand, you wouldn't make a kiss-ass comment like that.

JAN

2007

What's a kiss-ass comment?

"Hey sweeties, turn your cheek" :^)

David,

I am trying to figure out what "compensation" your referring to, the points to me is not compensation, it is just a yard stick. To me, the compensation I get out of AR is the same that I get out of RT which is knowledge. I firmly believe that today, knowledge is one of the most valuable commodity that we have. That is what I get out of places like AR and RT.

One of the most valuable contributors for both areas is Lenn Harley. Lenn is a wealth of information, she has a highly successful website, and most importantly; willing to share with others the knowledge she has. Lenn also doesnt waste words, she tells it straight out, then moves on. One thing I do know about Lenn, she doesnt kiss anyones ass. :)

Gary

JAN

2007

David - I think you may have some anger issues. If you are so unhappy with everyone here -then just choose to spread your anger somewhere else -I'm sure there is a " I hate ..." site somewhere on the web that will welcome your negativity.

Otherwise. please choose to respect people regardless of your personal views.

Hey Gary

I admit I could have worded this blog a bit better, but I wrote it before I really had investigated who and how this place was operated. I came across it just the other day, and when I saw the depth of it I thought, "Why have I never heard of this". I did a quick archive search and saw that until mid 2006, this site had been something completely different. That made my "spider sense" tingle, if you catch my mean.

Please understand I was only trying to educate the Realtors. There are so many businesses out there that take advantage of the "average" Realtor's lack of IT knowledge. At the time, I was under the assumption that this might be one of them. (you know what they say about assumption) The previous day I had been helping a friend deal with the scammers at HouseValues.com, so I was already a bit sensetive to the subject.

I agree with you about the knowledge, but you should get that benefit from just participating. If you feel that the benefits you receive outweigh your participation, and you want to put a homepage link on your own... that is fine and you have every right.

What I wrote was intended for the new user who may feel they have to do whatever possible to get points.

I'm glad you think Lenn is a "wealth of information". From the things I've seen her post in other communities and here, I'll just say I respectfully disagree. I felt it was a "kiss-ass" comment because she alluded to the fact she gave a homepage link, but as of this moment there is not one.

Brian: I don't have anger issues, and I don't appreciate you insinuating that I am "unhappy with everyone here". I do respect other people, and my personal views weren't the issue. A solid fact was the issue.
Not everyone has an A type personality, and I'm sorry you interpreted me as someone who "hates the world."

SO WHAT HAVE I LEARNED???

Active Rain is a great community, and the people in charge have honest intentions. How do I know the latter? Because this critical blog wasn't deleted.

I have decided I will tone down the title of this blog because I agree it is a bit inflammatory, and I don't really think that any more.

FEB

2007

Most folk's homepage doesn't have any significant pagerank anyway...so bleeding a little pagerank to AR is no big deal. It's good to point out to "novices" they are bleeding pagerank to AR for little to no immediate or direct "compensation"...

but honestly, how many "novices" have a home page with a PR of 7? and that's what it would have to be to earn $100 a month...

And if I guy could build a site with a PR of 7...he wouldn't need to be on AR in the first place...he'd be getting a ton of traffic, leads, and paid advertising...he probably wouldn't even be the real estate biz anymore if he could build sites that popular. He'd start building more sites, grow the popularity, sell advertising and make his living that way.

Friendly advise: think through your posts...the premise of this was ill conceived.

RKB

MAR

2007

This is an odd post considering your website is not working and yet you managed to get 15,000 points for linking.

MAR

2007

Rob

Like I told Gary, I wrote that my first day here. I wasn't familiar at all with AR. I have seen so many companies out there that take advantage of the average Realtor's lack of "net knowledge". The day before I wrote this, I had spent the better part of my day helping a friend who had been scammed by HouseValues.com. So I was very quick to jump the gun and think, "oh great, another site taking advantage of Realtors."

I agree with your comments about PR, but that was not my main point. I'm not one to chase the "green tail" anyways. You're entitled to your opinion, but I don't think "ill conceived" is accurate.

Greg -

You just think my website is not working. :) There is a reason I have it the way it is. People can own more than one website. I own over 1000.

Wow I thought I had alot of websites with 5, I guess that is nothing compared to David

MAR

2007

Thats not quite true. I launched my first www site in late 1995. 99% of them are not real estate related. Most are forums with topics ranging from Rap Music to Quantum Computers. So please don't think you need to have 1000 sites that describe your services as a real estate professional. That would do more harm than good.

MAR

2007

What is ActiveRain doing for you ?

It's providing you with blogs where you can link back to your sites and has great weight, 100's of people on here comment how their posts are being found in the top 10 results for their keywords.

So here's the real key to this. If you have more than one site, link back from the least important and build links into the important ones.

I link to activertain form my blog site and get the points and link back to my main site.

Voila thats what activerain does for me and at least 40 of my clients.

Toronto Search Engine Optimization specialist Rob Parker

JUL

2007

David,

Anything to help this blogger site out helps all of its members. I recently did several key word searches on Google and my site was listed in the top 10. My site is only 3 months old.

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