One of the many features of Xagio is our Link Manager which does all sorts of amazing and handy things when it comes to building & using internal or external links from any of your domains.
In this post, I want to outline a few benefits of the PSv3 Link Manager that you may or may not have even thought of when it comes to working with links. In the video at the end of the post, I'll demo all the features of the PSv3 Link Manager and a few more unique things that it does!
So let's start with the obvious one and work down to the more creative ways that you can use the Xagio Link Manager.
Pretty Links
Affiliate links, webinar registration links, and all kinds of other links are typically quite ugly by nature. For example a typical hosting affiliate link can look like this:
http://partners.hostgator.com/c/214830/177309/3094
It's long, it's not easy to remember, and just plain hard to work with in general. But a link that looks like this has tons of advantages;
https://yourdomain.com/?go=hostgator
This link is easy to remember in a pinch, and just aesthetically looks better which is great for you and your end users.
SEO Your Links
With Xagio, you'll get 3 options whenever you set up a pretty link that as an SEO I'm sure you will appreciate.
- 1Open In New Window.
This will set a command to open a new browser tab/window when your link is clicked. This will help increase the dwell time (and reduce the bounce time) of visitors who are essentially leaving your site by keeping your page open in their browser while they visit the other page. It also prevents the user from actually leaving your site, so that when they close the new window, they are back at your site instead of gone for good! - 2Set Link With NOFOLLOW Attribute.
Anyone who builds links to their pages knows the value of keeping that link juice on their page and not losing it to links. Setting a NOFOLLOW attribute tells Google, not to bother following that link so you you won't have to worry about siphoning off valuable link juice to an affiliate or other type of link. - 3Mask URL.
Neither your visitors or Google are a fan of affiliate links. When a visitor hovers over any type of link, typically their browser will reveal the URL that the link points to in the bottom of their browser. If it an obvious affiliate link that may discourage the visitor from clicking on it as you are being compensated for your work. However, with a maskURL in place, it turns an obvious affiliate link into a branded internal link! The user will see your domain name instead of something else, and guess what...so will google!
Redirects & Branding
You may not have thought of doing things this way but if you send emails via auto-responders or messages via Chatbots, it's a good idea to use one of your masked URL's instead of a direct link in your messages! Why?
- 1Redirect Email Links Even After They Are Sent.
Imagine you send an email with a direct affiliate link and then the affiliate company changes affiliate programs and asks you to update your links. Well all those emails that are out there still getting clicks are losing you potential commissions. But if you use a masked redirect link, you can simply update the link inside of PSv3 and all your links already sent in old emails now redirect to the new URL! You literally solve that problem with 10 seconds of work.Another example is if you send emails for people to register for a webinar. There are many people who click those links long after the webinar is over, and go to a "SORRY WEBINAR ENDED PAGE". Well simply update your link to the replay page and give the user instant access to what they are looking for! - 2Brand Recognition.
Using a branded link in emails helps your brand stand out more and makes you look more professional!
External Stealth Features
Sharing affiliate links on Social Media platforms is very similar to your blog. As soon as someone hovers over the link that's shared, the URL is revealed. Well with a masked affiliate link, you can brand affiliate links to any domain you wish so they appear less "salesy" when sharing.
Those are just a few examples of what Xagio Link Manager can do, watch this video if you are interested in seeing even more of it's unique set of features.