What The Heck Are Trackbacks & How Do I Use Them?

November 9, 2010  

Have you seen the section called Trackbacks on people’s blogs? Or maybe you’ve seen in a blog’s comment section, it lists links next to people’s names instead of an actual comment. I used to wonder what the heck that was. The more I visited others’ blogs, the more I saw the word “trackback“. Suddenly, my curiosity got the better of me and because I can’t stand not knowing something, I looked it up. I had to see what I was missing out on.

So what is a trackback? Susan, from 5MinutesforMom.com said it best, “A Trackback is like a remote comment.”

Well, lo and behold, I’ve learned trackbacks can be extremely useful in a number of ways.

1. For one, trackbacks can extend a conversation from one blog to another. If, for instance, on somebody else’s blog there is a great post with stimulating conversation and you think your followers would benefit from learning and chiming in, you essentially create a blog post about the same topic and link back to that blog post (as a trackback). That blog owner will be notified that you’ve linked back to their site which may prompt him/her to come over to your blog and see how you’ve extended the message and (hopefully) chime in as well.
2. It’s excellent promotion for both bloggers’ posts. Not only can it help your Link Juice (which search engines love by the way), but also the original owner’s Link Juice as well.
3. Just as you cite references to content works, using trackbacks is like “citing” a reference which happens to be a blog post. It’s like having another valuable and useful train of thought on the topic in addition to your own.

So, Kesha, how do I use trackbacks? Okay okay, I’m getting to it.  I found two great tutorials for you. Aren’t I so nice!

Resources:

• How to Use Trackbacks to Promote Your Blog
• How To Use Trackbacks Tutorial (Google Video)

I’m definitely gonna be using this tool more often, when necessary of course, and I urge you to do the same!

It’s so easy, a Caveman can do it! Go ahead and try it. It’s fun!

About Kesha Brown

Kesha is the Creative Director and Principal Web Designer at her company XD Web Solutions who specializes in helping small businesses and organizations maximize their online presence. Go ahead and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.