SEMMYS.org

Let’s skip the corny, canned jokes and the awkward moments at the podium and just open the envelope, shall we? Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2008 SEMMY Award in the Link Building category is … drum-roll, please …

Help! I’m New, I Need Links, What Can I Do?
Debra Mastaler, The Link Spiel | 9/29/07

Congratulations to our winner! Here’s a choice bit from the winning post:

- Locate the prominent bloggers in your niche and start adding to the industry by commenting on their views. Don’t be obnoxious and don’t do it everyday. Join their community and they’ll join yours. (cost - free)

- Be sure to incorporate an incentive-to-link program in all your external correspondence such as autoresponders, confirmation emails, reminders etc. (cost free)

- Create a corporate blog and invite bloggers, journalists, and your customers to contribute. Continually promote the site and it’s writers and in turn, they’ll support your site by linking to it. Don’t forget to add an RSS feed as well. (cost free to low)

Runners-Up

The top two runners-up in public voting were:

1. Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and Social Media Marketing
   Andy Hagans, Tropical SEO | 2/5/07
2. Revealing your Competitor’s FULL External Relevance Profile – One of my best kept secrets
   Hamlet Batista | 10/17/07

The winner and runners-up are welcome to grab the appropriate badge — we have a badge for both winners and runners-up.

How the Voting Ended

Here’s a look at how each finalist fared in the public voting:

Thanks to all who voted, and congrats again to the winner, runners-up, finalists, and all nominees. We look forward to reading your acceptance speech soon!

The judges have made their choices, and the finalists in the Link Building category for the 2008 SEMMY Awards are:

The Finalists

• Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and Social Media Marketing
  Andy Hagans, Tropical SEO | 2/5/07
• The Paid Links Economy
  Philipp Lenssen, Google Blogoscoped | 4/19/07
• The relevant link myth
  Michael Martinez, SEO Theory | 6/18/07
• Revisiting your linking strategies for a link health check
  Jennifer Slegg | 9/25/07
• Help! I’m New, I Need Links, What Can I Do?
  Debra Mastaler, The Link Spiel | 9/29/07
• Revealing your Competitor’s FULL External Relevance Profile – One of my best kept secrets
  Hamlet Batista | 10/17/07

Congratulations to each finalist! Please grab a finalist badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists has begun.

Here’s How to Vote

Now it’s your turn to choose a winner! Please read each article above and decide which one you feel is the best. When you click below, you’ll be able to vote in this category only. To vote in other categories, please visit the pages listing those finalists. Voting is open now, and will close at end-of-day on January 30, 2008.

VOTE NOW IN THIS CATEGORY (link will open in a new window)

The following are the nominees in the Link Building category for the 2008 SEMMY Awards. Our judge(s) will narrow this group down to 5-6 finalists. Congratulations to all nominees! Please grab a nominee badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists is coming soon.

• Building Links Using Netscape Video
  Chris Winfield, 10e20 | 1/3/07
• Link Building As Relationship Building - A Great Example
  Jennifer Laycock, Search Engine Guide | 1/11/07
• The Link Baiting Playbook: Hooks Revisited
  Todd Malicoat, Stuntdubl | 1/12/07
• 2007 Guide to Linkbaiting: The Year of Widgetbait?
  Nick Wilson, Search Engine Land | 1/18/07
• Criteria & Time Period for Link Effectiveness
  Shimon Sandler | 1/26/07
• Creating Authority and Link Development
  Roger Montti, Martinibuster | 1/31/07
• Andy Hagans’ Ultimate Guide to Linkbaiting and Social Media Marketing
  Andy Hagans, Tropical SEO | 2/5/07
• Guide to Link Buying: Directories, Ads, and Reviews
  Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal | 2/12/07
• Online Publicity and Link Building in 2007: An Eric Ward Webcast
  Tamar Weinberg, 10e20 | 2/15/07
• The Rising Tide Lifts All Ships
  Rand Fishkin, SEOmoz | 3/8/07
• Five Link Development Experts: A Group Interview
  Sugarrae | 3/14/07
• What exactly qualifies as a quality link?
  Jennifer Slegg | 4/5/07
• Why Google Shouldn’t Penalize Us for Their Incompetence
  Sugarrae | 4/15/07
• The Paid Links Economy
  Philipp Lenssen, Google Blogoscoped | 4/19/07
• Can Google Find and Spank your Paid Links?
  Jim Boykin | 4/25/07
• Ethical Link Building Incentives
  Tamar Weinberg, Search Engine Roundtable | 5/9/07
• The relevant link myth
  Michael Martinez, SEO Theory | 6/18/07
• A Portrait of the Perfect Link Builder
  Eric Ward, Search Engine Land | 6/18/07
• 5 crafty outside the box link-building tricks & tips
  Tom Critchlow, MediaWhiz | 7/2/07
• Newspaper Links Means No Ink On Your Fingers
  Debra Mastaler, The Link Spiel | 8/2/07
• The Art of Buying Links Under the Radar
  Rand Fishkin, SEOmoz | 8/16/07
• The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Link Builders
  Debra Mastaler, Search Engine Land | 9/3/07
• SES Interviews: SEOmoz’ Matt Inman on Linkbaiting
  Joe Whyte, Search Marketing Standard | 9/18/07
• Revisiting your linking strategies for a link health check
  Jennifer Slegg | 9/25/07
• Help! I’m New, I Need Links, What Can I Do?
  Debra Mastaler, The Link Spiel | 9/29/07
• The Necessary Evolution of Linkbait
  Eric Lander, Search Engine Journal | 10/5/07
• Michael Gray Interview: Advanced Link Strategies
  Peter Da Vanzo, Link Juicy | 10/8/07
• Mastering Both Kinds Of Link Building - Authority & Reputation
  Dan Thies, SEO Fast Start | 10/9/07
• 11 Considerations When Hiring a Link Building Service
  Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal | 10/11/07
• Revealing your Competitor’s FULL External Relevance Profile – One of my best kept secrets
  Hamlet Batista | 10/17/07
• How To Buy Blog Reviews for Effective Link Building
  Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal | 10/22/07