Indirect link requests

using a signature link in e-mail conversations

[Makaveli2007]

Hi,

I've been wondering how well the following approach worked to get links: Start conversations with people in your niche. Have a linkworthy site. Use a signature link at the bottom of your e-mail.

Is the part where you actually ask "Hi, please give me a link" something that significantly increases your chances of getting the link and is thus better than just having a signature link without asking?

(JUST IN CASE YOU CARE WHY I WOULD ASK THIS:

I'm in Germany, where it's not exactly allowed to e-mail people asking for a link (there are discussions about cases where people have actually gotten sued over this, here). Using the phone is allowed however...I dont remember all the details (read up about all this before exam time, which just ended ;))...However, if I just spoke to them through e-mail without asking to give a link to my site, it would technically not be a link request.)

[Shimrit]

I don't know anything about German law, but if it's indeed illegal to directly ask for a link by email, I don't think this would be such a great strategy.

You're unlikely to get many people linking to you just because of your signature, unless you drop some hints. Obviously, if you do, they might still get angry.

I think you're probably better off just phoning people, if that's still OK to do.

[wheel]

I have a link to my forum in my sig. I don't believe I've ever received a link as a result, but I have absolutely received traffic from it. People I correspond with see the link and go participate at the forum.

[Makaveli2007]

thanks for the input guys. I think I've found a way around the link requests. And for those I do, I'll probably use the phone.

On another note, in my niche there happen to be a bunch of sites where webmasters actively ask for "feedback" about their site and links, etc.. (sites are run mostly by professors, etc.). Still not easy to get on those pages with a wack site, but if you have good content at least you can contact them (if they have something like "submit" or "give us feedback", "make suggestions for this page", etc. its not considered illegal to contact them asking for a link)

@wheel: You mean signature links from forums, right? because I was referring to e-mails (and cant really see how you might get a lot of traffic that way?)

[wheel]

I was referring to the signature in all my outgoing emails, not forums. I've promoted in forums before, but never really with a cheesy sig line :).

I think in emails the sig line helps because I'm sending them something of interest that's ontopic. Everyone I email on a daily basis, in my niche or related, sees that sig line. Some see it and think 'Oh, a forum, let's go have a look' and I get some traffic.

I suspect it works partly because my emails are coming from me and my business, they're not some anonymous sig line on a forum. If they got the email, we've probably already spoken.

[Makaveli2007]

You must be sending out quite a few e-mails every day to make this work, I guess?lol

[nealrodriguez]

yeah, i've seen referrers from my signatures before for a lead generation site; i doubt it will work as link bait, unless your linking to some poke-out-your-eye material relevant to the email recipient. hotmail reportedly grew @ a viral magnitude by signing up users through the signature line; they had a call to action statement there though which you may want to consider adding.