Interlink Your Posts: aLinks Plugin

August 3rd, 2007, Author: Baz L, Categories: Blog, Technology

We all know that linking to your prior posts is a great idea. Google loves it and your new readers will love you for it. But knowing you lazy guys out there, you don’t really do it as much as you should. Well I’m going to help you out there. There one way you should know about already: the Related Posts plugin. I kind of prefer the Similar Posts plugin, but you guys already know that. But I got a great new way to help you out with your links.

Enter aLinks

I’m guessing that the “a” is short for “auto”. It basically helps create links without actually going through the tedious process. I mean I guess it’s not that bad, but I’m lazy, sorry. Now as with everything that helps us lazy people, there’s a bit of footwork involved. The way that aLinks works is off a set of key words or key phrases. You go to the administrator section and stick in some key words and when you use them in your posts, links and magically created. That’s it. Out of the box it helps you in three basic ways.

General Key Phrases

With these key phrases, you basically create a link once. When you need it in a post in the future (or past for that matter) you just type in the key phrase and it links. You specify the key phrase and the URL and everything is great. I’ve found that it’s very useful for linking to other bloggers or proper nouns and sites (eg, Clever Dude, Wordpress, Lava, etc). Now it’s best to use unique words or specific phrases for intended links. I guess you can see how this may get be misused in the wrong hands. It can also come in handy for affiliate referral links. Again, use with great care.

Amazon Basic Key Phrases

Speaking of affiliate links, it aLinks can also add automatic Amazon Affiliate links. You enter your Amazon affiliate give it some keywords (Harry Potter or iPod, for instance), then you just blog away. The links created would be Amazon searches for whatever the key words you entered are. You can even define the Amazon search separate from the key words.

Deeper Blog Key Phrases

Now this is where I think this plugin really shines. With the Deeper Blog Key Phrases you enter aLinks will link key words from your previous posts. Much like the Similar Post plugin. It places higher emphasis on key words in the title of posts, then it looks at exerts (if entered) , then it hits the post body. Let me see, what can I link to? Here are a few examples: Navy Shower, 1and1, iPhone, ING Direct, etc.

Here’s a great idea of how to use this. You get a list of your most popular posts. Either from some plugin you have or from your stats. Then scan the titles of these guys and use those key words. Then you can go a lil’ further down into the posts and get key phrases from there also. This way, if you just reference these in future posts you’ll automatically have a link to some of your better posts. Your readers will kiss your feet, trust me.

But Baz…

I can just hear you now:

“But Baz…won’t my posts just be filled with links all over even when I don’t want them? What if I use the same key words several times throughout one post?”.

First of all, you can specify how many times you want aLinks to link your key words. I think the default is one (1), so it will only link the first occurrence of the words. Also, you can specify how many days back it can go with the Deeper Blog Key Phrases. Also, it’s up to you pick key phrases. Key word is “key phrases”. You don’t go sticking words that you use everyday in there. Also, use phrases instead of just single words, unless you know that these words will be unique. Also, you can set your key phrases to be case sensitive if you prefer.

“But Baz…how is this going to help me? Who really cares anyway? And besides, it’s a lot of work!”

As I said, your readers are going to love you. You can’t downplay the benefit of links throughout your blog. Also, the less you have to concentrate on linking in your posts, the more time you’ll have to focus on putting out quality content. Now go forth and link away, just don’t over due it.

Popularity: 85%

10 Comments until now.

Sean + August 17th, 2007 (#):

That was a better write up of the plugin then I could have ever created.

Baz L + August 19th, 2007 (#):

ThanX Sean,

I really like this plugin. I takes the guesswork out of interlinking. When that’s done one can concentrate on just writing and you don’t have to stop and think “what have I blogged about before that relates to this?”

The Danger of Using The Link A Dink Plugin To Form Unnatural Links | Blogging Fingers + September 27th, 2007 (#):

[...] you really want to get into this sort of unnatural linking, there is a more flexible plugin called aLinks. This lets you chose how often you want that word to become a link to and it can make the links [...]

Matt Larson + January 9th, 2008 (#):

Looking forward to trying it - a word of warning to people looking to do more SEO on a already-successful site. Google has a nasty little filter going if your anchor text profile is too consistent (unnatural). That counts for internal links as well as external so be sure to use that limiter, and mix up the anchor text of your internal links as well.

links for 2008-01-26 | Stephan Miller + January 26th, 2008 (#):

[...] Interlink Your Posts: aLinks Plugin Great explanation on how to use the alinks plugin, including the deeper blog module. (tags: alinks wordpress plugin interlink) [...]

Golf Report + November 29th, 2008 (#):

Great plugin.
Thank you for your post.

bali villas + December 5th, 2008 (#):

will try this

Bali Accommodation + November 6th, 2009 (#):

well…i’ve been think of this before. Will try to make in link like you said above

Full Tilt Bonus + February 4th, 2010 (#):

Great plugin, I know nothing about interlinking!!

ebusinessmom + February 26th, 2010 (#):

I was going to purchase Affiliate Ninja plugin for $97. However, I ran into this page. What is the difference between Affiliate Ninja and Alinks? Thanks.

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