Are blogroll links hard links?

[sunfunbill]

Hey everyone! I added a resource page to my blog, adding a few more things to my side bars to break up the banners. I am ready to start adding links.

One thing I don't understand is, if you use the blogroll function, are those links hard links or dynamic? I tried to just use a text widget to hard link sites, but I get a big space in between them. Since I can't see where they are I assume blogroll links are dynamic?

I know a lot want hard links. I will have a section in my resource page for hardlinks, but the big ones I want a lot of traffic from I want on my front page. So, are blogroll links hard links? Thank you.

[Titmowse]

To be perfectly honest Bill, I don't know. I do know that I use my blogroll in WP for linking to stuff within my site. As for my "blogroll", I just made a sidebar table and put them in the old-fashioned way.

I'm super new to WP and I jest do what's easy for me.

[razor]

I reckon they are - its not like you are linking through a trade script.

How does one insert ads into your sidebars?

[sunfunbill]

How does one insert ads into your sidebars?

I just use the text widgets, paste the code and that's it. I even have my adsense in a text widget.

[Cozy Monica]

There is a better sidebar widget you can use for adding lists of links, let me go find the name of it for you...

It's called BDP List Widget. It let's you add up to 10 new sidebar thingies to your site, and you can use it to list links. It's really good... try it.

[sunfunbill]

Thanks Monica, that looks good. I see more stuff on that page I may try to.

[razor]

How does one know if a plugin or a widget is any good ? There seems to be so many of them doing the same thing?

[Hammer]

I don't use a blogroll, I don't like using them at all. I hard code every trade link. However, a link in a blogroll would still be a hard link since, as razor said, you're not linking using a redirect or script generated link.

[Cozy Monica]

To check if something is hard linked, can't you just "view source" when looking at the page in your browser and the links should show up in the code?

[sunfunbill]

Well Monica I got the BDP List Widget installed. However there is two drawbacks about it.

1. you can't seem to add target="blank" so it will open in a new window. I really want all links to open in a new window.

2. you can't put aff. code in it, so I can't use it for anything I'm pushing.

The text links do look nice, just really want to open a new window. I think I'll try to learn how to hard link them in my sidebar. What's the worst that could happen??

(Don't worry, I'll try it in my test blog)

[balls_deep]

bill, anything that you can make money from should open in the same window in order to trap the surfer. Only target=_blank outbound links that you can not make money on, ie trades.

[sunfunbill]

I don't get it balls, if you want to trap the surfer you want your page kept open. If it opens in the same window they no longer are on your page and you have lost them.

By opening a new window if they click off your page is still there. How is the surfer trapped if he is no longer on your page and maybe has no idea after a few clicks how to get back? I see all the big boys do this.

[balls_deep]

I just assume that the surfer knows how to use a back button.

[sunfunbill]

Well sometimes if they click once, see something, browse a few items, click another link, go to another store, by that time they have clicked a dozen times and don't know how to get back.

So if they click off, your own page is still there underneath. I guess some think each way is the best, I'll keep your way in mind and go browsing and see what I find.

If you have a quick small page and just want to get the surfer off and into your page your pushing I can see in the same window. But if you hope they come back and keep visiting your page I think you want a new window.

[Hammer]

You have a valid point, Bill, and if someone clicks a few links in the new window it means they'll have to click the back button a few times to get back, or better yet, just click on "history" to get back to the page, but far more new surfers know to use the back button than how to close a new window. When a new window opens that is full screen, to the inexperienced surfer it appears that the back button won't work. I like to open offsite links in new windows too, but I always use javascript to keep the new window smaller than the main window so it's obvious that a new window opened. If the surfer wants to view that page they can always maximize the window but at least they will know to close it if they want to got back.

[Think Big]

sunfunbill and hammer you make both make very good points on something i never gave much thought to.

I read on several different boards that you never want a page to open into a new window. you just want a click through. that you just want to spit the surfer through your site to your sponsors site as fast and as much as possible and hope they bite. that you should do your best on the SEO part of it to make sure the traffic is targeted traffic, which should increases your sales to visits ratio. Which makes alot of sense for tpgs, freesites, slpogs.

But when trying to build a fan base then you want to approch things a little differently i think. and 1 big difference is I would want to keep the surfer on my site or at the very lest, other than a bookmark, have him be able to find his way back. because on my site i offer quality entertainment, information, products, services, ect..... I want the surfer to enjoy and get something from my site even if they don't buy anything. and for a "real" blog I'd say that's the way to go.

as a webmasters and businessman if i had to chose between having a surfer click through my site and convert or chose having a surfer actualy read my blog and not make a sale, I'd chose to convert.

if you ask me the same question as an artist I'd chose that they say and read my blog and not convert.

i looked at stevepavlina.com and his site has pages that open to new windows. some of the new windows open to a page on his blog and others open to a page not on his blog. and thats definitely a site i would want to find my way back to. just an example.

Hammer great solution to the problem. I think it addressed both concerns perfectly.

I have to learn javascript. I'm going to learn javascript. just putting it out to the universe......

[balls_deep]

Think Big, please do not bump theads that are almost a year old.

[Think Big]

what does it matter how old a thread is? am i missing something?

[balls_deep]

Originally posted by Think Big
what does it matter how old a thread is? am i missing something?

This industry changes daily and what may have been relevant this time last year is not necessarily true for today.

If you want to discuss a topic you've seen on cozy start a new thread, don't try to weasel in on an old potentially inaccurate thread.

[Think Big]

weasel in?

Relax Dude....

Which 1 of these approaches have been proven to be right in a year. Please let me know because i see both strategies being used today, by all kinds of different blogs and websites. so if you can show me where one way is better than another, I promise I won't "weasel" in on any more old threads. If you can't, than I'll say your reasoning is mute to me, and i'll "weasel" in on any thread i feel like.