While the article I shared last Friday was all about the nitty gritty of growing links, this SEOmoz Article is all about targeting content that is meant to be linked to — or targeting the “linkerati,” as they are dubbed.
Using some hiliariously illustrated examples of the Googlebot and HotBot monster, Rand discusses the difference between your qualified customers, random web surfers and a group of people who are often ignored by the less-savvy developers — the bloggers, web site owners, and generally tech-friendly who do the vast majority of linking on the Internet. They’re not looking to buy your product, but they might find a story about a facet of your industry interesting, or some of your cutting commentary worth sharing with their friends. With Web 2.0 rolling very strongly, it is vital to the long-term success of a website that it be comprised of content worthy of being shared with the Internet-savvy audience.
It may seem an ironic situation, having to target people other than your actual sales prospects, but the importance of being popular in the web’s social circle is only bound to increase, especially as Google and MSN look towards personalized search as the next landscape for relevancy.