Are broken links on your site having a negative impact on your SEO? One of the things that Google is very concerned about is user experience, and broken links create a bad user experience. In the Rankings Institute week two, I learned a few things about the impact of broken links on SEO and how to check them. I tell you all about it in this episode. I also talk about e-cigs and address a question from a listener about how to choose between promoting affiliate products versus Google AdSense
Hanging Out In Kuala Lumpur
Note: Publication of this episode was delayed about a month. This episode was recorded at the end of February 2014.
I've been spending some time in Asia as part of my day job responsibilities. As I mention in the show, there are lots of reasons to love Asia. Here is the picture I promised of the Petronas Towers in KLCC that I took with my iPhone from the executive lounge in my hotel across the way. Very cool. The colors at the bottom are colored lights in a fountain, and the base of the building is a giant shopping mall.
Are Broken Links Hurting Your Rankings?
Big topic this week are my learnings from the Rankings Institute this week. I referred to this as week 2, but actually this information is presented in week 3 of the institute. No matter. The bottom line is that Google cares that your site provides a great user experience for searchers. Why? Because Google “recommended your site” to a searcher. If that searcher has a bad experience, people will stop trusting Google for search. Broken links impact user experience, and they are easy to find programmatically. So, broken links are used by Google to determine the quality of your site (and therefore how highly it ranks).
So, if you have broken links on your site, you should fix them.
Links mentioned in this section include
- Integrity for the Mac
- Link Sleuth on the PC
- Broken Link Checker for WordPress
Other Topics In This Episode
I also spend some time talking about affiliate marketing opportunities in everyday life. The example I use is e-cigarettes.
Additionally, I handle a listener question about mixing AdSense and affiliate offers.
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Episode 073 Transcript
This week we take a look at week two of Rankings Institute and my big takeaway for the week, at least the big takeaway that I can tell you about. We talk a little bit about Kuala Lumpur, I’m having a great time there. All this and more on the Late Night Internet Marketing Podcast ….
Mark on the Road…
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, deep in Asia. How are you? I’m your host Mark Mason and I hope you are having an absolutely fantastic day. I certainly am. I just got back from my favorite restaurant in Asia – actually they’re available in the U.S. now – Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung is a restaurant that specializes in Dim Sum, and specifically they have dumplings that I really like, so called “juicy dumplings,” Xiao Long Bao. For those of you that speak Mandarin, my apologies for mispronouncing that, I know that’s incorrect but it’s as close as a podcaster for Dallas can get when traveling.
I’m on the road and the audio quality is still a little hinky because I’m in my handheld configuration here in the hotel room, which is very echoey. I appreciate you dealing with that.
Speaking of the hotel room, I’m staying right across from the Kuala Lumpur City Center where these two big towers. I’ve talked a little bit about this on the show. If you’re interested, I took a cool iPhone picture of them all lit up last night and you can find those on the show notes for this episode (73).
It’s really cool here, I really like Kuala Lumpur a lot. The part that we stay in is very clean, very safe, and the people are very friendly here in the City Center complex. There’s lots of shopping and good restaurants, just really neat. This whole area of Asia is really fantastic.
Of course, I just came from the wonderful country of the Philippines. The cool thing about the Philippines that I like there is one of the hotels that we stay in, the Manila Peninsula, is one of the nicest hotels that I ever get a chance to stay in. That’s really cool and I really enjoyed that, so I’m having a good trip in Asia.
One of the things that struck me as kind of interesting – two things on this trip – this room that I’m in is directly across from another skyscraper, it can’t be more than 50 or 75 yards away. That skyscraper is full of what you would call apartments. The apartments are in three sections, it’s very nice. On the left hand side there’s a dining room in every apartment, in the middle there’s a living area that goes all the way through with big floor to ceiling windows on both sides, and then on the right, typically where you can’t see, there’s the bedroom wing. It’s kind of 1-2-3 in sections there with balconies all around.
I’ve been watching these families living in these houses, a lot of times during the day they have their curtains open and I can see them and they can see me. You see them playing with their kids and getting ready for dinner last night I saw a mom showing a young child how to set the table, and they were eating together as a family. It’s just striking that when you look across this window on the other side of the world – at least for me this is the other side of the world – and the people fundamentally are the same. They have families, they love their kids, they pray to their God in many cases. In the end, they’re just people. It’s kind of humbling just to see that little slice and to see that that’s all the same kind of thing. It’s very interesting.
That’s the deep philosophical thought, that’s something you don’t usually get here on the Late Night Internet Marketing Podcast is deep philosophical meaning, so that’s your dose of that for the next little bit.
Great podcast Mark! I always look forward to hearing about your travels and it sounds like Kuala Lumpur was a great place to see. The photo is awesome – what a view! Thank you for taking the time out of your day when you’re away to podcast! I think I need to go check on my broken links – great tip!
I went to iTunes to try to comment there. But after arriving there I could not find where I could leave a comment. Please show me the path.
In this episode you suggested that electronic cigarettes maybe a desirable niche. As a non-smoker how can I be a “genuine” affiliate marketer for electronic cigarettes? My friends smoke electronic cigarettes but their comments are not genuine. Your advice would be appreciated.
Please refrain from commenting on the excellent cuisine in Southeast Asia. It is disturbing to me.
zeusdsk Really? Why?
zeusdsk Well, like most things in life, this is a matter of personal standards. If you care about being a “genuine marketer” and only promoting things that you care about and use yourself (or what your standard is), then you are choosing not to promote things that don’t meet your standards. That’s a choice you can make — I do it all the time.
Some people see affiliate marketing more like a job — just because they promote something does note mean that would buy it themselves.
My advice to people is to avoid building a business that you are uncomfortable with — because business is hard, and you need to stay motivated. Staying motivated about stuff you don’t believe in is possible — but very hard.
Hope that helps
M
zeusdsk You have to use the iTunes application. You can go to this link (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/late-night-internet-marketing/id323964382?mt=2) and then click view in iTunes. That will open your iTunes application, and then you can leave a review. Thanks for listening!
Crystal~Fine Art Mom Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed it. Getting good sound in a hotel room is a real challenge. How are things going with you? Tell me about your Art habit.
Spot on. I’ve been using broken link checker for a while. Don’t know what I’d do without it.
masonworld zeusdsk
Good Answer
masonworld zeusdsk
I am reluctant to post my response on the web. I can send you a PM if it does not leave your four walls if you provide a source.
masonworld zeusdsk
I did what you stated and I can not find where the application.
I would appreciate it if you could explain Google’s “Link Schemes” with examples in a podcast. [Webmaster Tools > Help> Follow guidelines>Quality guidelines>Link Schemes] I do not fully understand “Link Schemes.”
Quick Sprout has a blog and has made an attempt in “5 SEO Techniques You Should Stop Using Immediately” but it still does not fully clarify my understanding of “Link Schemes.”
Also, in your opinion how does “Rank Crew” survive “Link Schemes”
zeusdsk These are really good questions. I will tackle this in episode 75. I am planning on releasing episode 74 today or tomorrow, and releasing episode 75 on Thursday April 3rd I think. Thanks for the input.
mikalepisto Thanks Mike. I see a lot of “link rot” in comments — is that what you are seeing mostly?
zeusdsk LOL. You are certainly welcome to email me — mark at mason world dot com.
zeusdsk Do you have the iTunes application installed on your computer?
Mostly in the site content. The sites I use it on get a ton of spam comments so most links are removed. One site for example has a lot of content that links out to personal blogs and even government sites. I find a lot of the sites were changed and no redirects were put in place.
masonworld zeusdsk
yes, but where do I go to reply
masonworld Hi Mark! My Art habit keeps me very busy by day… like you I work full-time – I manage 19 art studios that teach about 2500 kids/adults each week how to draw and paint. I’m also a closet wantrepreneur who’s living your theme song everyday. I’m interested in building my personal blog and some niche sites on the side too :), oh yes and I have a family and a 6 year old daughter!
Thanks for that tip about Integrity for the Mac Mark. I’ve already found two broken links on one site I don’t use Broken Link Checker on.
e-cigarettes were on my list of niches when we started up Forever Affiliate, there’s definitely a lot of hype and chatter going on out there about them and a lot of really junky affiliate sites, unfortunately….
I actually use an e-cig from GreenSmoke and I had done a ton of research and tried two other types before I settled on that one, so I figured I could write the content. The affiliate programs I looked at for them seemed to pay well at the time, some were difficult to get into, some of the nicer e-cigs have private affiliate programs and some don’t have any affiliate program yet.