Stop Marketers From Pissing On Your Blog
Pssst...I've got a secret for you.
You may not know this, but marketers...they need us bloggers.
Yes, they need US.
Some WILL respect us enough to own up to it and either pay us or supply us with something that we could genuinely benefit from in return for our time and a link from our blog.
Some will respect us bloggers.
And some, the SLEAZEBALLS, will try to use and abuse us for their own gain. They will send us silly emails, pretending they’ve read our blogs, pretending they’d like to “partner” with us and in return, they’ll give us free articles to post on our blogs, to ya’ know, help us maximize our time. A new twist is, they’ll give us free plugins for our blogs too. Plugins that are widgets that we’d add to the sidebar of our blogs to benefit our readers. “FOR FREE”.
Now let me share with you a little something about those articles and free widgets. Every single bloody article and widget will have a link back to that marketer’s client’s site. A DoFollow link. Will the link go to a reputable site, that you as a blogger, would be willing to endorse? Not always. Most likely not. But by putting that link on your blog, you will be endorsing that site. YOU will be telling Google, Bing and Yahoo that you vouch for this site. And ya know what happens when your site vouches for another site that Google one day finds to be crap, you’ll devalue your own site’s ranking. Why do I say those sites will most likely be crap?
1. Sites with good content can build backlinks naturally.
2. Big brands have the money to rank in Google search engine results and pay for backlinks and endorsements as needed.
But these sleazeballs that come to you offering to “help” you out and “partner” with you, have recently found themselves screwed by Google’s latest Panda and Penguin updates, and are scrambling for a way to keep their client’s cost low and their overhead low. They MUST keep their prices competitive and they MUST make a profit. They don’t want to compromise.
So they look for bloggers that they can “partner” with.
Here’s a recent example that inspired this post and bloody pissed me off no hell. You can click on the pic for the full screenshot of the email.
I reviewed your site and it seems we could complement your current content. Let me start by saying great job you’ve obviously put a lot of handwork and long hours into producing your website! I know producing high quality content on a daily basis can be time consuming and I believe I have a solution that can help you on slow news days. First Impression Interactive has a team of house writers that can provide you with unique custom written content covering the following topics: choosing the right school and p rogram, benefits of advancing your education, how to balance work and continuing education, and more. I’m certain we could provide some valuable unique articles that would engage your users and expand your site. This is provided completely and entirely free of charge to our partners.
We also have some degree search and job search widgets that allow users to search degree options and local jobs. We aggregate all the active jobs on the internet into one. For placing these we would be able compensate you for each user that clicks creating a new incremental revenue stream for your website. Please let me know with whom I could talk to about this.
Obviously this sleazeball didn’t really look at my site. If he had he would have known better than to send me this email. Notice how they will pay me for each user that clicks on the widget? Guess what, not one of my readers would click on those stupid widgets, so he will not have to worry about paying me and even so it could be 5 cents a click. He doesn’t care if anyone clicks on it. It’s the backlinks to his clients that’s important. And guess what, the backlink doesn’t even have to be visible. But it will be within your blog and I’ll show you that shortly.
Let’s move on to my response, which i wrote at 1 am. I usually ignore these or send a one sentence response of how much i charge per backlink per month. But after reading this whole thing to find it was a bloody scam, it just pissed me off.
Oh my bloody God. Did u really think this bullshit would work on bloggers? How bloody stupid do you think we are. Doing your homework, stop sending out these one-size-fits-all bullshit emails and stop being so bloody cheap and just pay for backlinks instead of trying to hide it in posts and Widgets.
Vanita Cyril
Okay, true I was pissy. But what the hell ever. He’s response really ticked me off. I’m not even going to copy and paste it, I’m just going to show you the proof right here:
I’m sorry, did he just say that 200 bloggers fell for his bullshit? and WTF was this remark about the days getting better for me and my blogs?
Here’s the deal. This blog and http://vanitacyril.com (which has no posts on it at the moment) both use similar keyword to the sleazeball’s site.
this blog’s alexa: 186k
the other blog’s alexa: 521k
his site’s alexa: 723,384. now the lower the alexa the better.
here’s what alexa.com has to say about his site: There are 723,384 sites with a better three-month global Alexa traffic rank than Fii-inc. Visitors to the site spend about 54 seconds on each pageview and a total of three minutes on the site during each visit. Approximately 46% of visits to Fii-inc.com are bounces (one pageview only).
Anyway, now that you see what inspired this rant, I want to share something with you about adding freebies to your site.
I personally love plugins. About 20 of the plugins on this blog are freebies from the directory. These are all plugins this site benefits from using. If you have All in One SEO, I want you to take a look at the settings page.
Each one of those links are backlinks to the developer’s site or a program it’s affiliated with. Backlinks from my blog. DoFollow links (i’ve checked). I like All In One SEO and I find the free version beneficial to my site. So I keep the plugin installed. What I want you to see is, you do not have to create the link nor does it need to be visible to readers to be noted as a dofollow link (a link saying you vouch for the site it’s going to). So I want you to be very careful with what’s on your backend and what plugins and widgets you install. As you can see, the sleazeball could have listed a links for hundreds of his clients from my blog. And my little bit of pagerank would go flying out the window.
Now the MOST IMPORTANT THING I want you to take away from this post:
You are NOT TO BE USED.
I don’t give a rats ass what you blog about. Your words are important and your time is important and time is fuggin money.
Don’t let marketers take you for granted.
If all bloggers would stop letting marketers get away with this crap, we would be better respected and compensated properly for our time.
p.s. have you entered the giveaway for the one year scholarship to retrofit? one week left. $3100 value. Banish your Big Blogger Butt Blues.
art credit: © coramax – Fotolia.com
No wonder why I’ve been hit by so many more “guest post” offers recently. I haven’t heard a single thing back when I say I only take guest blog posts from other bloggers and that I will gladly send them my advertising rates. That I realize they are getting paid to write and promote the article/link and it’s only fair in business that I do as well. Not a single reply back. Weird.
Then I get the straight up offers to place an ad & we get the transaction completed quickly. BUT, I still only take offers that look beneficial to my readers.
Val recently posted..Three Powerful Ways To Turn Ideas Into Action
girl with blog networks and many networks article directories down, these guys need somewhere else to place their backlinks. plugins are being sold now with MRRs so you can rebrand, add your links and do whatever you want with it for a one time price of $47. they’re all trying to find their way around google.
Good on you Vanita, for telling that chap exactly what you thought!
Sadly, there are bloggers who WILL fall for this crap. Which is why people like him are still in business and still sending out emails like those.
Thanks for the PSA, truly!
Alison, the sad thing is, since i’ve been blogging again these two years, i’ve learned bloggers who want to monetize their blogs (including me) have been taught by the “pro mom bloggers” to start small and do stuff for free to get noticed. We’ve been told that in a sea of so many blogs, it’s what we have to do to compete. I let go of that mind set over a year ago and the blog flourished financially. I feel when you give up your time for free to just get “noticed” you devalue your blog and the time you put into it.
i usually just spam these emails but i wanted bloggers to KNOW and I hope enough bloggers see this post to KNOW that their time should be valued.
When I’m halfway through your post, I just stared at “I reviewed your site and it seems we could complement your current content.” line
Then I just went back straight to my inbox and see if it was same as the email I’ve got in my inbox most recently. Same as here, I’ve got an email most recently and THAT LINE was common in both emails but content was different. It doesn’t even match with my blog niche but they assert that my blog is a PERFECT match. I’m not Cal Lightman in Lie to Me but I can see when they lying at first phase 
However I just send them a response. Hmmm… more politely.
My last words were ~ “I think it would be productive if you seek for relevant niche to display your advertisement or promote your product
”
Marketers just freak out of Panda and Penguin… Oh why?
How cute and innocent they are 
BTW I’ve never heard of anyone so freaked out of ‘em 
Great post Van
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Post Your Facebook Updates on Twitter
Mayura, thanks for the comment dear. I’m not surprised you’ve received a similar email. This emails are actually referred to as “swipe copy” by internet marketers. They are bought from copy writers as a bundle and reworded to fit their target audience.
The Marketers and the SEO agencies that promise clients thousands of backlinks to their site are freaking because the sites that they’ve built to put these links on, all have shallow content and are all losing value by being kicked by pandas and penguins. lol
Wow. i must be one heck of a lucky s***.
I hardly receive emails like that. Ok. I lied. I once got a proposal to write a blog post about a silicon penis ring because they thought my blog was the perfect fit for the product. 
That really got me thinking. Really? I thought. They offered me $10 for this. When I didn’t reply, they thought I was trying to silently negotiate and also offered me a free sample of the product. Ah well, nice soul that I am, I politely declined. This was a few years ago. I do get emails from webmasters inviting me to write for their sites. For free. And what’s in it for me? Exposure, I believe. 
Good for you that you wrote the schmuck back telling him off, Vanita. Oh, the things people will do for backlinks!
Vidya Sury recently posted..The Re-Awakening
I too would have loved to see your silicon penis ring post Vidya
niamh recently posted..I Hate Marketing…Marketing
He he he – So tempting to write that post you know. Many people have said they’d like to see it.
But I tell you – the photo of the product was fascinating. A kind of phosphorescent yellow colored ring. So very thoughtful.
Vidya Sury recently posted..The Re-Awakening
Vidya! girl! i got an email the other day where my “blog fit perfectly as a link partner” so they would put my link on their sex blog if i added a link to their sex toys site. lol.
it’s great that you’re guest posting. i know you are one wicked smart lady and will research any site before you guest post. and guest posting is an excellent way to get exposure. hell, firepole marketing traffic went through the roof just from guest posts. you are one entertaining lady and your posts would be a compliment to any site
Vani (May I call you that?) I meant I receive emails from totally unrelated sites that are just desperate to add to their own audience. I generally don’t guest post unless a friend asks.
. I am not about the numbers, baby. I am all about the joy of blogging, however that sounds. Mwah!
Vidya Sury recently posted..Scenes In Serenity
well darlin i think you’re just marvelous and don’t need to think about the numbers.
That would have been quite the article.
Jack recently posted..A Letter To My Children-2012
What a joke! His response “I hope the days get better for you and your blogs” … what is he on?????
I’m sorry, but how is he going to supply content if he can’t even write a coherent sentence??? Also a quick check would tell him that your Alexa rank is 186k … that means the “days” dont need to get better for your “blogs” as it is already doing very well and getting loads of traffic….no wonder he wants a linkback from your site (although he probably just blasted this and doesn’t even know what a great site it is.
I really hate these assholes giving marketers a bad name. Like anyone else, he should work on his content, and ask if you’d be open to a guest post. Obviously an email that references actual posts from your blog would also go a long way.
This is the “spray and pray” marketing method that sucks. True connections built over time are the only thing that will build any of us a real sustainable online business.
-rant over-
You rock Vanita!!!!!
niamh recently posted..I Hate Marketing…Marketing
lol thanks niamh. like i said, only some marketers. it’s really the cheap ass losers who want to not raise their overhead and keep their prices competitive. offering any type of seo service means you must raise your prices. there’s a lot of work to be done and considering that now google wants real content, it can’t be done on autopilot anymore.
i enjoyed your rant! feel free to anytime!
Amazing that they think bloggers would fall for it. A mass email – one size fits all. How outdated is that? And then to say hope your days and blogs better like he knew how your day or blog was….LOL!
Great advice on the do follow links and the quality of them Vanita. You rock!
Lisa recently posted..What’s In Your Blog Emergency Kit?
thanks girl. when it comes to mind i try to share what i know hoping it will help my fellow blogging peeps. having a foot in internet marketing, i know a lot of the goings on. it’s just business but this guy really pissed me off when he said that there are 200 blogs with their widgets on it. instead of defending their widget, no doubt because it’s crap, he defended his sales letter. jerk.
Ha ha ..
and they serisly think that people will fall in that trap… but this confidence must be coming from somewhere….
Jas recently posted..Cricket Vs Biwi
sadly people do fall for it Jas. i mean the letter is pretty convincing if you’re a newbie. thanks for stopping by. looking forward to reading your cricket vs biwi post!
I’ve been blogging for 3 years and yes, I do know about scams and whatnot, but I’m still somewhat ‘new’ when it comes to the SEO of the blogging world, so thank you for educating me on hidden back links and the fact that Google can knock you down because of someone else’s content!
kayla! thanks for stopping by girl! as things come to mind, i’ll definitely share in my ranting kinda way. lol
Thanks Vanita! You are helping us all so much!!!
Ann recently posted..Look What I Found…
my pleasure Ann. really and honestly.
I can’t believe how much I am learning from you in just the week or so I’ve been following you. So much still to learn…
Artchoo recently posted..A Little Graphic Design Lesson for Your Kid
lol. happy to be of service girl.
Quick fix:
IF you decide to use one of theirs plugins or widgets because they are really really good, try editing them in an ASCII editor. Cut away the link in the php file. Go to Plugins – Editor and select the widget code you want to edit. Search for ‘their’ link (http://blodyasswidget.com or something like that). Backup before changing, just saying.
But Jan, wouldn’t that be stealing? ;-P i mean, the plugin IS being given away at a cost. backlinks. also, sometimes, so they can put advertisements in your face. you don’t have to pay for the plugin with cash, but by using it you are agreeing to the arrangement. if you remove their links, then you’re not keeping up your end of the bargain. i think it’s only fair to either use it and pay by the conditions presented or don’t use it at all. however, i do believe it would be better if the user were presented with a list of the outgoing links before they agreed to install. this way they could check it out for themselves.
Vanita,
I wish more people, er bloggers would look more carefully at the opportunities that they are being presented with. It would be better for all of us.
Jack recently posted..A Letter To My Children-2012
Jack,
Many bloggers don’t know or have just been lead to believe that they are 1 in a bazillion blogs so they have to put up with crap to get somewhere. the fact is, if you won’t rent out your spare bedroom to a stranger for free, why do something as time consuming as write a blog post and post it on your blog for free? your blog is your home. and i know there are a bazillion blogs, but that doesn’t mean “your” blog and “your” voice won’t stand out. That’s why i write these posts. not all bloggers know.
I do agree with you. Blogs with good content can get back links naturally. they need not do all such stupid work to get back links. Some marketers really send crap mails like the one you said. Even i keep getting such mails. But i ignore them. We should never spam other people’s blogs. Work hard and you will see the results.
thanks Kimberly for stopping by. good content really will win the day.
Vanita
Clearly, you’re pretty passionate about this stuff 
I kinda see it as a good thing, because since the net’s really come into it’s own, we’ve been establishing a link-economy, and part of that is being aware that you can vote with your links, vote with your dollars, etc. — and doing this with awareness is key.
For example, Sonia over at logallot volunteered to promote my ebook because she really loves Ryze’s message wants it to spread.
Now THAT’S a quality link that touches my heart, and I aim not to give too much attention to the rest…
Know what I mean?
Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca recently posted..I Just Wanna Be F-ckin’ Happy
awareness is key!
every time you link to someone, whether it be from you adding their link manually or from it being placed within a plugin you’re using, you’re vouching for that person/biz and it reflects on you as a person/blogger.
and hello? i linked to you in a post too!
ebook? i kinda do remember you mentioning it somewhere…gotta look into that! been busy making shit happen
Exactly – I fully agree
Yes, you did and you’re on my Buzz About Ryze Page because of it. http://ryzeonline.com/buzz
As for the e-book, it’s offered on the new sexy Ryze home page and also here: http://ryzeonline.com/jumpstart – more and more people are feelin’ it and promoting it. Soon I’ll raise the price and setup an affiliate system
OMG I feel like I just won something
got my copy!
You kinda did. This week I turned down 1 guest poster, who wanted to GIVE my blog content, and I turned down 1 coaching client who wanted to GIVE me $500.00 to learn.
In this same week, I was blessed to be interviewed on Logallot, scheduled for an interview on Alden-Tan.com, and was offered a great opportunity I’m not going to speak about just yet.
What I’m getting at is, the connections we make in life are all “wins”, know what I mean? As for the value contained in the Ryze Jumpstart… well… it’s pure, fun, wisdom.
I’m here to connect with the people who are a right fit, and I always feel like a winner when I connect with any of ‘em – you included
Thanks for letting me ramble about winning the connections game
Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca recently posted..I Just Wanna Be F-ckin’ Happy
Jason you don’t ramble at all. you enlighten and entertain. it’s my pleasure to host a bit of your insight and good vibes.
oh this has been an extremely informative post.
i was clueless about many a things mentioned here …..hmm
sujatha sathya recently posted..What would I want to change about him?
Sujatha, hey girl! i’m glad i can help.
Thank you! I get so many of these types of emails and now I am FINALLY understanding what they are all about so I shall delete them!
PragmaticMom recently posted..Friday Find: Pedometer to Teach Kids Math and Fitness
my pleasure. i can’t blame bloggers for not knowing which is why i write these posts. having been on the internet marketer side and being privvy to all the greatest, latest crap they come out with, i’ve learned to spot these emails