by Lukas
8 replies
what am I to believe?

I have a report from one guy about putting in 3 self-serving links in your article yet the Author TOS says otherwise. I tried it and EZA denied me.
So, can I put 1 self-serving link in the body and not just the resource box?

Does confine mean restricted for them? maybe for some authors but not all.


Thanks

FROM Ezines below:

WEBSITE LINKS/URLS There is a total limit of (4) active or inactive links allowed in the article, which consists of both the BODY and the RESOURCE BOX.

1. Maximum of (2) "Self-Serving" active or inactive links/URLs to a website that you own, control, or have an interest in.
2. Maximum of (2) active or inactive non-self serving links/URLs to a website that you do not own, control, or have an interest in which adds value to the article.
3. Confine your self-serving links to your RESOURCE BOX.
4. We do not accept articles with active or inactive links in the first 1-3 paragraphs. Please put your active links in the resource box below the article body. The article BODY is your "GIVE" and the RESOURCE BOX is your "TAKE."

------------ But according to the excerpt below it can be in the body------------

We do not allow articles which have strategic keyword anchor text links in the body to your domain that do not add informational value to the article. Any use of anchored text links to websites that you own should add value to the article topic rather than stand out as an obvious abuse of anchored text link. The goal with this policy is to be a good net citizen by only allowing articles that add value with the anchored text links rather than for pure SEO reasons. Please limit your anchor text link length to 3 words.

Example: Within your article, you link the word "bird dog" to an article that you wrote about bird dogging. This is a good example
If you put both of the active self serving links that we allow in the body of your article, we will reject it.

Go to 1f in the editorial guidelines to review
#calling #experts #eza
  • Profile picture of the author captivereef
    no links in the body of the article, unless it is very useful to the article. Even then it is up to the editor so its hit or miss and i would recommend skipping it. If you tru it make sure it is not in the first two paragraphs.

    In the resource box you get two links, an anchor text link that an be no more the three words and a regular link.
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  • Profile picture of the author captivereef
    By informational you need to link to sites like wikepedia or other authoritative sites. This means its a good way to lose traffic from resource box clicks!
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      I don't know where you heard such rubbish but you are not allowed ANY
      self serving links in the body of your article.

      Heck, I put a link to somebody else's blog (a warrior here) in the first
      paragraph and they rejected the article. I either had to put it in the
      second paragraph (which would have made no sense given the article) or
      put it in as "xyzsite at domain dot com" which is what I ultimately ended up
      doing.

      EZA is very strict with ALL authors...no matter who they are.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lukas
    A EZA expert author said a self-serving link after the 1st 3 paragraphs and 2 in resource box is OK.
    I guess that has been revised to just 1 self-serving in the lower part of article body and 1 self-serve in the resource box along with 2 others that are purely informational (wikipedia type).
    If you want a higher CTR, the body link would work better.
    Another WF member mentioned EZA has so many distractions around your resource box links that your CTR stays low, so to stick the article body link in there only if provides information value then it is OK.
    I've gone through many discussions back and forth with their editors (or newbie editors) of what is acceptable and 50% or more of the time my dispute wins.

    I don't just want a text link, I want a high CTR and the same can be said of Ezines. They want people to click on their straight in your face ads too.

    If you get 5,000 views but have a low CTR (below 5), what good is it?
    Get it in the 20%+ range and you are golden. Isn't that the objective anyway w/ them?
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  • Profile picture of the author captivereef
    i have just under 600 live articles, have never had a link in the article body and have a average CTR of just under 20% which is easy to do and most are better then that.

    They give you a high PR place with authority to place content so you have to live with the adsense ads, after all its how they make their money. think of it as a trade off!
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  • Profile picture of the author tess47
    I have 655 articles on Ezine Articles with an average click thru rate of 26%. I have placed self serving links in my LAST paragraph many times, with no problems. I also sometimes place two text links in my resource box (if I don't place a link in last paragraph), and that works fine for me as well.

    Much of the time, it depends on who edits your article. There have been many times when I have had 5 or 6 words in my text link, and other times I had to limit it to 3.
    Signature

    Tess
    Ghostwriting Services - Exceptional Content With An SEO Twist!
    Internet Marketing Tips - Straight Talk Marketing! Is Success on YOUR Horizon?
    Content Writing Services - Great. Content. Period.

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  • Profile picture of the author Essence
    I've always found that if the self-serving links are in the last couple of paragraphs (such that you COULD have put those paragraphs in your resource box without exceeding the limit), the editors usually let that slide.

    I've always been nabbed on the 2-link limit and the 3-word limit, though.


    Essence
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    • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
      I've placed self-serving links in my last few paragraphs without any issues.
      Signature
      "Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out."
      - Jim Rohn
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  • Profile picture of the author Lukas
    Tess,

    That's what I thought is OK 1 in last paragraph and 1 (not 2) in the resource box. Also, congrats to all the other pros with 20%+ CTR's. I guess it depends on the niche too.

    Thanks
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