Tracking Traffic Sources vs. SEO
I have been providing article syndication services for more than ten years.
In that time, I have had a number of clients, who were hell-bent on tracking clicks from their articles.
I am not saying that is a bad thing. They should be able to see that the service I am providing them is providing them tangible results, but many later realize that in getting their tracking data, they have squandered a solid opportunity for building SEO value to their websites.
See the problem is that Tracking Software utilizing Tracking URL's that redirect traffic back to another page on a website. Those Tracking URL's are necessary to be able to track results efficiently.
But Google seldom allows the links pointing to a redirect page to carry the possible link popularity to the final landing page, unless you are domain-management savvy enough to establish all 301-redirects in conjunction with your tracking software.
Those who do not use 301-redirects are sending their external link popularity to a redirect page that does not pass any SEO value to the landing page.
So unless you are tech-savvy, it is advised to choose Tracking Traffic Sources or SEO Link Building, before you engage your link building campaigns.
I figure the SEO Link Building makes more sense, because one who is willing to dig through their on-site statistical data or Google Analytics will be able to determine -- albeit with much less precision -- the effectiveness of one traffic source over another.
Is this something you have thought about before?
And if so, which side of the equation did you come down on, and why?
In that time, I have had a number of clients, who were hell-bent on tracking clicks from their articles.
I am not saying that is a bad thing. They should be able to see that the service I am providing them is providing them tangible results, but many later realize that in getting their tracking data, they have squandered a solid opportunity for building SEO value to their websites.
See the problem is that Tracking Software utilizing Tracking URL's that redirect traffic back to another page on a website. Those Tracking URL's are necessary to be able to track results efficiently.
But Google seldom allows the links pointing to a redirect page to carry the possible link popularity to the final landing page, unless you are domain-management savvy enough to establish all 301-redirects in conjunction with your tracking software.
Those who do not use 301-redirects are sending their external link popularity to a redirect page that does not pass any SEO value to the landing page.
So unless you are tech-savvy, it is advised to choose Tracking Traffic Sources or SEO Link Building, before you engage your link building campaigns.
I figure the SEO Link Building makes more sense, because one who is willing to dig through their on-site statistical data or Google Analytics will be able to determine -- albeit with much less precision -- the effectiveness of one traffic source over another.
Is this something you have thought about before?
And if so, which side of the equation did you come down on, and why?