How To Get On Someone's Blogroll

How many requests a day do you get from other Bloggers requesting you to put their Blog on your Blogroll?

I get it a lot. And, I’m fascinated by them.

First off, what is a Blogroll? (for those currently not curating their own Blog). If you look on the left-hand side of the Six Pixels of Separation Blog, you’ll see a permanent section (which appears on every page) that reads, Check Out These Blogs. That is a Blogroll. It’s a Bloggers list of what other Blogs they read and follow to get inspired. I’m constantly asked, "how do we know which Blogs are good and should be followed?" My answer is always the same, "find just one or two that interest you, and then look at their Blogroll." My guess is, you’ll fall so far down the rabbit hole that your Google Reader will overheat with the barrage of additions.

Getting on someone’s Blogroll (mine, or anybody else’s) – in my opinion – is the highest praise and compliment. The Blogs (and Podcasts) you can check out on my Blogroll are my "must-reads." They’re the Blogs that I can’t wait to check out, and the ones that put a smile on my face when I see a new posting. If I am putting my "stamp of approval" on it, you can be sure that it’s because I am vested in the content and community as well.

Even from a pure Search Engine Optimization perspective, it’s a huge hat-tip. Imagine there being a permanent link on a Blog for every single page that ever gets served. That’s some good link love.

I think that’s where a lot of these requests come from (though, I can tell that some are very sincere). People are looking for a quick and easy way to build PageRank and links – and, yes, visibility in the search engines (Google Juice is an important thing).

There are many Bloggers who are much more liberal with their Blogroll and linking strategy. To each their own.

There is one simple way to get on my Blogroll: blow my mind.

The only way to do that is to constantly (and consistently) deliver quality and insights (like the people on the left).

I’m not saying "no" to anyone asking to be placed on my Blogroll. And, I’m not saying "yes" either. There’s no magical formula, and each Blogger decides how (and why) someone gets that ultimate compliment. I treat my Blogroll much in the say way I treat my closest friends. Those relationships take time and trust to build. And, most importantly, they need to be mutually beneficial where both parties are getting equal value and satisfaction.