Adding a Link Cloud Directory to your Build a Niche Store

March 26, 2008

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to complete the Build a Niche Store Link Cloud MOD. Well… it’s done! I am going to write the basic installation directions in this post and Rochelle has been kind enough to help with the first install and write more detailed instructions over at her Niche Store Strategies blog. BTW - If you have not been to her site and looked at all of the very detailed instructions she has for almost everything you can do with BANS, I suggest setting aside an hour or so and going over to read…

Now for the Build a Niche Store Link Cloud

Note: If you prefer Video, it is being uploaded now and will be linked at the bottom of this post. (LONG Video, 42 Minutes) Installation of this MOD takes about 30-45 Minutes…

What Does the Link Cloud Do?
The Build a Niche Store link cloud can be seen in action at the GetaRaceCar Racing Directory. Essentially, it is a script that allows you to set a number of keyword phrases that will appear in your directory as one way links to other websites. Much like a directory with a small twist… you can charge a fee (or not) to have the sites listed. As we all know, 1-way linking is a great way to increase both the traffic (visitors clicking your link) your website gets, as well as the page rank it achieves over a period of time.

Do I Need It?
No! It is not required to make money with your BANS site… it can however be another source of revenue as your site gains rank and starts attracting webmasters. Like I mentioned above, inbound links are a valuable resource. One-Way, Keyword Rich links are even better! This link mod is completely up to you as far as whether you want it or not… I have the directory installed in a few places and have earned a bit of money from it already - nothing spectacular, but every penny eventually makes a dollar! :-)

I heard Selling Links was Bad!
So did I! In fact, there is a VERY heated debate that started in 2005 over on Matt Cutts blog (click- nofollow of course) about his very subject. In the world of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) the general consensus is… your not supposed to do it… but the impact is so good, its hard to live without it! Go Figure! We wont even get into the fact that Google itself is a HUGE seller of links… So, how do you do it on your Niche Site? Simple… you don’t charge for them! That’s right… don’t charge for them, even list them as FREE One-Way Links! But Mark, didn’t you say we could earn a bit with this? Yes! Don’t charge a thing for basic listings… set the amount to $0.00. If however the user wants to add certain features like BOLD TEXT or a larger sized font, or maybe even a word that is not listed on the page, well… that’s where the fee comes into play.

Keeping the Directory Relevant!
This one is easy… if your site is about Hybrid Golf Clubs - don’t allow links to sites about Chevy Malibu’s… keep it relevant and focused on your niche market. Period.

Now for the installation….

1. Downloadthe WordCloud link Directory and extract the zip file into a NEW folder within your website. I like to add a folder named something like: “myniche-links”. In the case of installing it on the Hybrid Golf site, I created a folder called: “golf-links”
2. Once you have it unzipped and in the correct folder, upload the new folder to your niche site.
3. Login to your cPanel and navigate to the MySQL link. Create a new database and name it something you wont get confused with others. In my case, “hybridgolflinks”.
4. Open the /config/ folder and find the file named: /mysql.config.php and complete the database information with what you just created.
5. In cPanel, click on the new folders for “/admin/parsed/” and “/upload/” writable by clicking on top of the folders and choosing permissions on the right side menu. When the permission menu appears, you want to chmod the directories to ‘777′
6. Open your website in your browser and navigate to the setup file. In my case, it is located at: www. hybrid-golf-club .com/golf-links/setup/setup.php (Your setup file location will depend on where you uploaded the site and the folder name you chose during the initial stages.
7. Follow the onscreen instructions… the script will self install all tables to the database.
8. Once setup is complete - DELETE the entire setup folder!

Now that the script is installed - you can login to your new one-way link directory and set it up for your specific needs. Login at: mysite .com/my-directory-folder/admin/ In my case, it is hybrid-golf-club .com/golf-sites/admin/ . The default username and password are: UN: admin PW: pass . You cannot change the unsername, but I suggest changing the password immediately after your initial login. It is done from the settings link across the top.

Once you have it installed - how do you make it look JUST LIKE your Niche Site?
The method of making this directory look just like your niche site can be used for almost ANY add-on you add to your site, including wordpress! (Just to be clear - modifying a WordPress template is a detailed and lengthy task - not to be taken lightly, but the premise is the same)

1. Login to your niche store admin and go to the templates section.
2. Go to the VERY BOTTOMof your header file and insert the following code: <!– endofheader –> (No letter spaces on purpose) Click on Save.
3. Go to the VERY TOPof your footer.php file and insert the following code: <!– startoffooter –> (No letter spaces on purpose) Click on Save.
4. Open your website home page in a browser and from the top menu of your web broswer, choose “View/Source” (IE) or “View/Page Source” (FF)
5. Choose “Edit/Find” (or press the control and F key simultaneously - Ctrl-F) and search for: endofheader
6. Copy ALLtext from the <!– endof header –> UP to and includingthe <body> (May be <body id=…>) tag. Paste this text into a NEW notepad file and save it as: headercopy.txt (Do not close your original source file)
7. Scrolling a bit further up this source file, you should see a reference to your stylesheet inside your head section. In my case, it is shown as:

   <link rel=”stylesheet” href=”http://www.hybrid-golf-club.com/themes/green/styles.css” type=”text/css” media=”screen” />

8. Copy the entire line of text from <link rel… to the closing tag …/> and paste it into a new text file and save it as: stylelink.txt
9. Return back to your original view/source code document and click anywhere in the screen to remove the blue highlighting from your previous copy command.
10. Choose “Edit/Find” (or press the control and F key simultaneously - Ctrl-F) and search for: startoffooter
11. Copy ALL text from the <!– startoffooter –> DOWN to and includingthe </body> tag. Paste this text into a NEW notepad file and save it as: footercopy.txt

You are now done with this section of the process and we need to edit the word cloud header and footer files to match your site.

1. In your web browser or in your local html editor, navigate and open the header.tpl.php file inside your: /niche-links/template/ folder. In my case, it is at: hybrid-golf-club .com/golf-links/template/.
2. Open the headercopy.txt text file you just created and highlight/copy ALL text.
3. In your header.tpl.php file, replace EVERYTHING from the <body> tag DOWN, including the body tag itself.
4. Scroll up near the top of the file and locate the <link href… tag for the stylesheet. At the END of the line of code, directly AFTER the type=”text/css” />Press enter one time and paste the content of your stylelink.txt file. This is done to call your stylesheet from BANS and make everything look pretty! :-)
5. Save your header.tpl.php file and close it.
7. In your web browser or in your local html editor, navigate and open the footer.tpl.php file inside your: /niche-links/template/ folder. In my case, it is at: hybrid-golf-club .com/golf-links/template/.
8. Copy the first three lines, giving credit to the original developer and paste them into a separate file for future use named: credits.txt

   <p><center>Script Provided by <a href=”http://www.tareeinternet.comInternet</a></center><br>
   <br>

9. Open the footercopy.txt text file you created in step 11 above and highlight/copy ALL text.
10. In your footer.tpl.php file, replace EVERYTHING from the <p> tag DOWN, including the body tag itself.
11. Open your credits.txt file you just created and paste the credits text JUST ABOVE your last </div> tag.
12. Save the footer.tpl.php file and close it.

At this point, if you have used a local html editor on your own system to make these code changes, you need to upload the files to your web server. (Hosting account) If you edited and saved them through the text editor on the server itself, your changes are done. You should be able to browse to your link cloud… and see the script in action, albeit, empty!

IMPORTANT NOTE
ANYTIME yes, ANY time, you make changes to your site structure… ie: add new MAIN page categories, add new banners, add ANYTHING that modifies the look of your website, you MUST update your header and footer files in your new link directory, otherwise, the two wont match in appearance.

Configuring the Link Cloud in the Administration

Login to your link cloud administration and configure the script to your hearts desire! First stop, the “Settings” link!

1. Add your paypal information (its how you get paid!)
2. Add your admin email address
3. If you have not already done so, change the password. (The login will always be “admin” but you can change the password as you see fit.)
4. Open links in new window? Your choice…
5. Base Price - $0
6. Words Limit - Purely your own preference. On some sites I have used 100, on others , 450, etc. I wouldn’t suggest anything higher than 500 words or phrases.
7. Options: Set the font size and decoration options to your own preference. Don’t get too crazy with $50 or $100 costs, they wont sell!
8. Suggested Words - This is where you can start making it worthwhile for buyers… add a $5 fee for including a word you don’t have in your list!
9. Link Title - This is the alt text or hover text you see when you mouse-over a link. It helps SEO… so why not attach a small fee to have it? $5 is fair, and if you prefer to charge per letter, you can set this to $0, and add .25 per letter or something like that. If you have a flat fee for custom words, make sure you choose $0 for the per character option.
10. Click submit… walk away!

You also have the ability to pre-populate the directory with words and phrases that you want. Go to the “Words Inventory” link and start adding words to your directory. You can add as many as you want… its your directory! Once you have them added, they will appear as available for linking on your link cloud! If the user doesn’t find the word or phrase they want, well… they are always welcome to suggest one! ($)

A last word about the phrases you allow… make sure you input or allow ONLY long tail phrases! This will make your directory much more attractive to prospects wanting to obtain a one-way link. I try to limit my own sites to 3 words max (although exceptions have been made).

disallow: /niche-sites/buy/

Video of this install…

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