How may blog posts.....?

[razor]

.... do I realistically need before I submit my blog to directories and start trading links?

[sunfunbill]

I've seen some with as little as 8 post trying to trade links. The mindset today is that if it's a blog with just a few post, it's a finished product.

I'm not getting into what I think about all that, just that I see many "blogs" pumped out with a set amount of maybe 20 post, then they automatically send links to the directories.

[balls_deep]

Originally posted by razor
.... do I realistically need before I submit my blog to directories and start trading links?

10-15

[Cozy Monica]

I agree on the minimum of ten. Some people are pickier and won't trade with you until you have more. But, most directories will accept you quite early in the game from my experience.

[Hammer]

It depends on the quality of the blog. If it's a splog, I doubt 10 is enough to be taken seriously. On the other hand, if it's a quality blog, 10 would be plenty. Of course I'd suggest predating most of them so it doesn't look like they were all posted on the same day or even over a few days.

What I just said was in reference to the idea of trading links with quality blogs. Most of the blog directories I've seen don't have minimums, they just want you to put their link on your site. TBH, the only reason I ever add a blog to a directory is when it's new and I'm looking to get a decent PR on my first shot, other than that, they're worthless and putting up links to them is sure not worth what you get in return so be sure to put them on a links page.

[mynameisjim]

With a new blog, your not going to get any decent trades. So like Hammer said, use the directories to gain PR, then you can trade links that might actually help.

For the directories there is no point to wait so 6-10 posts is fine. As long as they are posts and not just a a picture and a link.

[phuckbunny]

Yeah I agree with all. You can do with as little as 10-15 posts to start dumping your site to directories for PR... BUT, I have been noticing that this tactic is not working that well lately either for PR or traffic or whateverthephuck.

Also I seem to find most of the directories I would submit to apart from Twan's are either kaput, give you no traffic or both.

Maybe someone can post a list of directories that are still functioning well and that give some nominal PR and traffic at least at the beginning.

[mynameisjim]

Yes, the directories don't work as well. Many of the outbound links have been discounted and me thinks it's because it looks like a linking scheme with every blog launching with the same 15 recips and then linking to each other. If you looked at all the adult blogs on a giant map it would look like one big linking scheme.

Just have to be smart about it

[phuckbunny]

You hit the nail on the head, Jim.

In fact, I put up a new blog recently with no submissions to directories and was doing rather well on goog. Just a few directory links later and my SE traffic went down and I seriously don't think this has anything to do with "being in the sandbox"; I think this is recent and something that we should be looking at and addressing.

On a related note, will a text-only TGP end up picking up SE hits?

[balls_deep]

Originally posted by phuckbunny
On a related note, will a text-only TGP end up picking up SE hits?

yes

[phuckbunny]

Originally posted by balls_deep
yes

My next project!

I actually have been thinking of some ideas along those lines but wasn't sure how to proceed. I don;t think I really even need to ask for submissions or whatever.... Hmm.. Can't give away my brainstorm yet but I will once I put it together. Simple HTML will do the trick I think...

[sunfunbill]

That thing about directory linking has me thinking. My damn new site is still not ranking for any words after it had got over 900 search strings the first 3 weeks.

I notice that the time my seo links disappeared is when I linked to directories and a bunch of very low grade crossdresser blogs. I wonder If I should toss them out??

[phuckbunny]

Originally posted by sunfunbill
That thing about directory linking has me thinking. My damn new site is still not ranking for any words after it had got over 900 search strings the first 3 weeks.

I notice that the time my seo links disappeared is when I linked to directories and a bunch of very low grade crossdresser blogs. I wonder If I should toss them out??

In the same boat, Billy Boy!!!

But don't do anything drastic yet.

My drop in SE traffic actually seemed to coincide with when I got listed on Indienudes which is a terrific site but has very poorly converting traffic but great PR; similar to getting a plug on Fleshbot.

BUT, usually a new site that I add to directories will get me a little boost of sales pretty quick; which then disappear.

In short, no straight answer to this one from me. My best gay/bi sites convert at around 1:400. Now I'm looking at my stats and I'm getting 0:2000 - from that traffic boost from Indie and no sales. What could it be?

Teh first time I got listed on Indie, over a year ago with a now abandoned site, I was getting 15K uniques a day and no sales.

So once again, as we all know, SE traffic is what we all need. But to get the SE traffic you have to look somehow more or less legit to the Google bitches brew and I have a feeling that lately especially the directories seem to be having a negative effect! So NOW what do we do?

[mynameisjim]

Billinda, I know you traded with me and thought my blog was a bit sploggy, but it ranks well. In case you were thinking of deleting my link.

[sunfunbill]

LOL, no Jim I was not thinking of you. I traded with a guy that had me link to about 10 of his. They all are splogs, don't know why I did that.

But I do get traffic from them. However I thought maybe all those at once, all linked and all splogs might have done something.

[mynameisjim]

Linking to 10 sites may have caused a problem, depending on the arrangement. But could just be because of the blog being new.

It's been said many times here but most blogs will rank pretty good at first then fall into a slump. If you happen to do anything right before that slump it's human nature to think that's what caused it.

As for those directories, linking with them won't cause you any problems, they just don't have the same beneficial effect they use to have. 99% of the time when rankings drop, it's not a penalty but instead a link or links being devalued.

Most of the algo changes are simply changes in the way inbound links are valued.

If you look, most of the directories appear to be in good standing with Google, so linking to them is not bad, it's just the outbound value has been lowered a bit.

[sunfunbill]

Well I've started a new crossdress blog that will be a feeder for my first. I'm not going to link to one damn thing, except my other blog.

If the seo hits on it get and stay good, I'll add on to it and make THAT one my main blog.

Actually, like I asked on another board, why not make all your blogs several pages deep anyways? Add a dating, webcam, review, sex store and stuff like that to them all.

They are just sitting there, why not use them to the full potential? It only takes maybe a day or two to make them twice as big, twice the key words.

Having a one page blog seems like opening a store and putting one item out when you have 50 in the back, just does not make sense.

[Cozy Monica]

I pay very little attention to Google these days... but when I start a new blog, I tend to submit it to a few directories just to get the ball rolling and get some links pointing back to my site.

When I have a little traffic, and hopefully some PR, I start trading links with other webmasters.

The plan is, when the PR gets a little higher, and the traffic is better quality, to start pruning the links on my site, including the links to directories.

[SteveHardeman]

Originally posted by Cozy Monica


When I have a little traffic,

What does a little mean? I started a blog that I'm afraid to have roasted by you guys. It's been around about a month. I don't even want to say what the traffic count looks like for fear of embarassment but I was just wondering what you guys consider a successful blog. 100 hits/ day after a month? 500? 1000? 10,000 after a year? Just curious.

Thanks.

Steve

[sunfunbill]

Every blog is different Luvin. My mainstream blog about transgenders has been out there 6 months and gets about 300 uniques a day, which most would think is slow.

But there is only so much transgender traffic. Now, my new crossdresser porn blog I started, at the end of 3 weeks I was already getting about 400 a day!

BUT, then I went off the google radar and am holding at about 50 a day. The past week I got traffic from a crossdresser community site and shot up to 400 a day before my profile went off the front page.

So now I'm getting about 70 a day after 2 months, pretty slow. I could link more to directories, but what's the point in getting crapping traffic that does not convert.

The key to CD sign ups is getting the seo traffic. It's hard to find it anywhere else.