Link Request Personas Part 2

Should You Choose Sensible or Flirty?

[martinibuster]

Sensible Names
Amy, Catherine, Elizabeth, Judith, Jessica, Andrea, Christina

Flirty Names
Lola, Lulu, Candy, Kitty, Jezabel, Jenna, Alexis, Jewel, Brandy

I've noticed some linkers using flirty names in their link requests, but it seems like sensible names are what most people use. I prefer sensible names but that's not a product of A/B Testing, just my gut feeling.

Yet I wonder, is it possible that a sexy or flirty name will bring in more links?

What is your experience? What are your thoughts on this?

[Shanee]

i got too that kind of reciprocal link request via email. but i simply reject it

[leonidas333]

This is the weirdest question I have heard put forward in any forum.

what I want to know is why stop at flirty names?
Why not just have outright porn names.

Mmm lets see, if I take my street name and my pets name that would make me
Hardcourt Pinky.

Do you think that would give me more links?

[sugarrae]

I'm more interested in the content of the link or partnership request than the name of the person signing it. I've had people include pictures [webmasterworld.com] before. Bottomline is I don't care if the request comes from Sally, Pandora, Bunny or Margaret - the only thing that will prevent a delete is the request itself. :-)

[Terabytes]

have to agree with sugarrae

The content is what works...if is sounds like it's been mailed to hundreds (thousands/millions) of people and they just stick your name on it...a reputable site, or people that have been in this for a long time will see thru that type of request immediately.

personally, I've never given a link to the thousands that have emailed me in the last 8 years.

I'm from the school of "make a great site and people will just naturally link to you"

I've also noticed that if your site ranks well, people will attempt to cash in on that by adding your link to their website in the hopes that it will help them achieve some type of boost in ranking.

Sending thousands of emails to people that have off-topic websites is a fruitless endevour (IMHO).

I could be wrong, it's just how I see it...

Thanks!
Tera

[Car_Guy]

It's never been important to me whether the person who was assigned the task of sending out the "As you know, there are many benefits to trading links..." messages to strangers is impersonating a librarian or a bopper chick.

I look at the URL that the link request points to, and if it's of interest, I take a look. What matters is the quality of the site and the credibility and integrity of the people who run it.

[martinibuster]

As a receiver of link requests, I care about the name of the person sending the links. The name communicates to me something about the sender. Wrong or right, it can either leave a good or bad impression.

The name you use can have an effect on the image projected. There's a reason why the Customer Service agent with a heavy Indian accent answers your call as Billy.

I prefer a link from a real person interested in a link partnership. I do not like mass requests from someone like one my own link monkeys who is pounding them out all day long. The name is an element in forming positive or negative connotations in the respondent. Image counts.

Influence the response rate through the image you project
The question about the name you use, sensible or flirty, has to do with how you're positioning your request in order to influence the response.

A request from Vlad may not do as well as a request from Elizabeth. What images does Vlad raise in your mind, compared to a request from Elizabeth.

[edited by: martinibuster at 7:50 pm (utc) on Sep. 15, 2006]

[Car_Guy]

Of course it will (unless it turns out to be forged!). And anybody with a Yahoo mail address could well be a flake (and violating Yahoo's spam policy).

[Crush]

We take any links. Just forward it to the monkeys and they hammer it out with 'Lulu"

yes, it is lame but we send pics too of a sort of girl-next-door, no supermodel that would be suspicious. Most webmasters are fat old clueless jabbas, so IMO why not give them some fantasy :)

[Car_Guy]

I wonder what Webmasters think when they receive mass emails from monkeys named Lulu.

[mister charlie]

I never get to the name. If link requests make it through my spam filters, the second I smell it out, I delete it. Never bothering to actually read the email, let alone notice the signature.

[MrStitch]

Speaking of 'Street Name + Pet Name'...

I guess mine would be 'Cherry Pepper'.

I wonder how many link requests I can get with that one? ;)

[graywolf]

Some names have the equivalent of a brand associated with them. Don't believe me ... would dropping your child off at a school where the principal was named Adolf Hitler, the teacher was named Charles Manson make you feel even slightly weird. Sure we're all smart enough to realize that that Charles Manson isn't the Charles Manson but that name still has a primal reaction.

So the question is can you leverage the brand associated with a name to gain an advantage, however small, to help you reach your goal.

For an excellent video on "getting" the non traditional brand concept, try searching for [zefrank brand video].