What exactly are trackback URLs?

[Alan Mater]

Hi everyone,

I am curious to learn what trackbacks and trackback URLs are. If someone could give me any information on this that would be great.

For instance: "Send trackbacks to (Separate multiple URLs with spaces)," or "You can add or change the trackback URL if it has been detected automatically."

What all does this stuff mean?

Thanks,

Alan

[Stephen Meyer]

Trackbacks are links pointing to a page you have quoted. If you quoted a paragraph or an entire post from my blog you would want to place a trackback to the blog post you quoted. It's a way to give credit to the website/person via a link where you got your idea or information.

[Alan Mater]

Originally Posted by Stephen Meyer

Trackbacks are links pointing to a page you have quoted. If you quoted a paragraph or an entire post from my blog you would want to place a trackback to the blog post you quoted. It's a way to give credit to the website/person via a link where you got your idea or information.

Thanks, Stephen. I get it now.

I guess I was expecting it to be more complicated than that lol.

Alan

[GT]

Thanks for the question, Alan, and thanks for the answer, Steve.

But I'm not clear on why there is a special spot below the message box where you have to key in your "Trackbacks" URLs? Don't we include that in with the message text? (I always do.) Why is there a special place for it; why is that necessary?

And how does it work? So I quote something from your blog; then I key in your blog URL in the Trackbacks location bar. What then?

As far as I remember, when you open a topic thread, there is no mention or reference to Trackbacks. You only see it when you are in the "message drafting" mode.

So what do trackbacks do? What is the value and purpose and who benefits?

GT

[write-stuff]

Good question and observation GT. I'm curious to hear the answer because I wondered it, too. - Russ

[Stephen Meyer]

GT, first off it is not mandatory. I believe the forum automaticall gives a trackback when you post a link. I kind of just answered your "what does it do" question. It gives a link back to the site where you have quoted from. I get trackback comments to my blog daily. When I click on the link to see where it is coming from it always goes to a page where someone has posted one of my blog post. Usually the entire post.

It really works two ways. When someone quotes you and gives you a trackback they are placing a link on their site pointing to your site and the page where they got the quote. The second benefit is recipricol where you accept the comment and give them a return link. You can see return links on several of my blog post.

If done correctly and you give a trackback to a blog post that has a high PR and they in turn reciprocate with a link back and you have gained a high PR link. It doesn't work this way very well because most high PR blog owners do not post trackbacks.

Just think of them as tracks back to where the quote originated.

[leb123z]

Hi Alan,

I wrote an article a while called Making Money From Home With Blog Trackback Links,
inspired by the great Jack Humphrey of Friday Traffic Report

Have a read if you like, and I hope it helps:

Making Money From Home With Blog Trackback Links - HonestMoneyMaking.com's Home Business Blog

Liane

[Alan Mater]

Stephen, thanks for the explanation. My latest blog post included a link to Ben's one blog post about "do-follow" forums. Would that automatically create a trackback, or would I have to manually enter the URL to the post in the trackback section when writing the post? I'm not quoting or using any of the post, only linking to the post.

Liane, thanks for the link to your article. I will take a look at it.

Thanks,

Alan

[Stephen Meyer]

Alan, you could put it in the trackbacks but it isn't needed if you already provided a link and if you're not quoting. Linking is basically what it is all about.

[Alan Mater]

Okay, I gotcha, Stephen. Thanks!

Alan

[GT]

Originally Posted by Stephen Meyer

... I get trackback comments to my blog daily. When I click on the link to see where it is coming from it always goes to a page where someone has posted one of my blog post...

Thanks for the extra info, Steve. It's all Greek to me ... and I'm not Greek, so I have to ask another question:

In your quote above, you say you get "trackback comments to..." your blog. Where do you see those trackback comments?

Some people have StatCounter: is it in your StatCounter logs that you see trackback comments?

Another question: are "Trackbacks" just another term for "backlinks"?

In this industry, every site seems to have its own terms for the same things. (The reason why writers are coached not to use "jargon.")

Thanks!

GT