Hosted by website traffic expert Brad Gosse, moderator of the previous traffic panel, "Traffic: Sourcing & Acquiring Profitable Customers," this solo-event revealed the latest advanced link-building techniques, among other traffic-boosting strategies.
Gosse provided a downloadable resource kit for attendees (BradGosse.com/xbiz.zip), as well as a Twitter feed to solicit questions from the audience.
Accompanied by a slideshow presentation, Gosse began his session by outlining the steps required when building and promoting a network of feeder blogs, following a few simple procedures including obtaining content; grabbing a domain name; setting up accounts at Flickr, Digg, Twitter and Feedburner; publishing an automatically updating WordPress-powered blog; then uploading content to Flickr and promoting the site.
It was a lot to take in and provided attendees with a unique strategy that will work with both mainstream and adult websites — although a solo site served as the example.
Gosse focused on the value of user participation and promotions, feeding the illusion that the model is available and accessible — and hoping that illusion results in gifts, such as a premium Flickr "Pro" account, which allows for unlimited uploads.
Flickr is an essential element of the strategy, with new image uploads automatically tweeted, and a Google-powered email list receiving instant updates via Feedburner.
Flickr also reads image meta-data and Gosse recommends adding content tags for this purpose and using the "socialize" features of these services — including a code chicklet that contains social media buttons and an email subscription box in the blog's sidebar.
"Google still loves Digg, so I love Digg," Gosse replied when questioned about the current popularity of some of these services. He followed up another query about Flickr's use of "no follow" link codes, by commenting that his outlined strategy is simply a traffic pump that is not reliant upon SEO — although search engine optimization can play a role in the process.
Other tips included the use of softcore images for broader acceptance; not using any watermarks on images; adding your account to every group that invites you; starting your own group; and commenting on other images, using the account's profile to drive traffic.
When asked about the most important thing that attendees should take away from the session, Gosse replied succinctly, "Scale up and automate."
"The Holy Grail is to build 30 such blogs," Gosse said. "A-B-C link them together and watch your main site rise to the top of Google search results for your selected niche."
Gosse also noted that the blogs should run across various webhosts and IP addresses, perhaps clustered among half a dozen hosting companies.
Prior to the event, Gosse told XBIZ that attendees would receive the knowledge they need to build a blog that updates automatically every day for a full year, and to be able to rank it on Google for their desired niche.
With the event now concluded, it is clear that attendees received a whole lot more.