Between 4 accounts I have a weight of between 58,000-60,000 using 4 different ads. I have yet to see any real increase in IBL's OR in the SERP's. I've seen others saying they are getting IBL's showing within days, I'm just not seeing it. I've cut back to just 2 ads to see if anything changes. Is it just a matter of trial and error with how much weight to alot to each ad? I've had one keyword phrase get up to #4 out of 21,000,000, but I think that's because I'm getting back to link exchanges, I dropped off page 1 for awhile for slacking. I know this damn things gotta work, I'm just doing something wrong I think.
I am convinced it is working, although it is only really benefitting me at MSN it seems. I am getting nowhere with google, and it is starting to concern me. I keep thinking it is a matter of time before I notice it more widespread.
About 10 days ago i made an almost identical post - see http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showpost.php?p=89286&postcount=16. We have continuously monitored progress using link:URI with msn, yahoo, and google. still nothing. General Grant , your feelings are like mine... I've read many success stories, but have yet to see any backlink development. btw, in the month of January alone, we delivered 250,000 ad impressions for the co-op. I kind of got a thudding silence on my original posting, (one real reply) - so your post here got my attention. How long have you been at the co-op? Otherwise, I'm hefting similar weight, with similar results. How mature (solid backlinks pre-co-op, age of site) is your site? Mine is solid in all three search engines, and all 4 site have been around for more than a year. Have you noted which co-op member sites are actually in the backlink results? I am still stuck at three sites ONLY from the co-op showing as backlinks in msn.
The reality is, the co-op will only deliver so many unique links. This does not mean neglect your back link building strategy. It is only a tool and one tool that does work in MSN and Yahoo but compliments your natural SEO process. Your KW target may simply require far more links than the co-op can deliver. However, even that being the case, it will help until you develop enough perm. Links to support your target phrase independently. If you are not seeing back link increase, look first to make sure your advertisements are enabled, then look to insure your existing links via partners and other locations are not dropping/being removed by your partners. If part of your back links come from blogs and the like, look at the no-follow addition being added etc etc. in which case the co-op would be protecting your site from falling. There are many possibilities on why you are not seeing the number of back links increase. My own personal worry is link partners with no integrity removing links, or using the new no follow tag. Cheers
gchaney - what you write is fine and helps me clarify. My question is whether well established sites with solid permanent backlinks a) benefit from the co-op; b) have to wait longer for a co-op benefit; c) need some different strategy to benefit from the co-op. Without the co-op, I'm ranking 1/2 in msn, top 10 in yahoo, etc. Google has been a yo-yo but we hold steady at the google link:URI
Check your backlinks at Marketleap. You will see how they DO increase every day. I just passed the 80k amount
I'll give you the quick answers...then the long meant for everyone else... a) Yes you can depending on how you use it b) No, you don't have to wait for benefits c) Yes, you may need a different strategy to maximize the co-op participation and benefit. Without the co-op for my initial KW I own the #1 spot in MSN and Yahoo and without the sandbox, frankly, should own it in Google. I attained this ranking using the co-op as a crutch and build the back links to sustain it. For you specifically, the co-op can quickly help well established sites, such as yours, target and gain top positions for new keyphrases. Diversifying these can help, as a percent of total weight, you see specifically the quantity of back links you need to aquire through natural linking. I myself use it specifically this way. I target a key phrase, get top ranking and build the back links I need through natural links, to maintain the position without the co-op. In this way, I am protected from a "co-op" melt down... I am about 500 more links away from my current big time Keyphrase I am running and ranking #1 and #2 on respectively. Without the co-op weight, I would be probably somewhere in the 200 hundred range right now. The great thing is, those analyzing my links are going to see...no links....typically..so I play hide and seek with my links buying even more time in the top spot... I then have another 2000 KW to analyize to see where I rank, the traffic potential vs the links I need to gain top positions. If you start slipping in rank...the benefit of the co-op is you just throw a little advertising weight behind the KW that is slipping. With a well established site, the weight of the co-op may help you attain 800 backing links quickly to grab a top spot Vs. a number two on a tough KW. As far a G...well...all my sites are 8 months or younger...having sold the others off b-4 the sandbox came into being. The key as a site owner or SEO or webmaster is insuring your rankings are not dependent on the co-op itself in the future. It's as I said, simply a tool that gets you where you want to be faster. Those that use it in then way will achieve the maximum results. Those that don't...well...risk everything in rankings by not building the natural back links a site needs to sustain long term viability. Cheers
Your sig site shows 1,876 bl at MSN and I can see coop sites, is this the site you mean? How many bls did you have before COOP?
It must be Google, cause the other SE's are showing ALOT more BL's. I'm really startin' to hate Google....
Well, my IBL's have gone up considerably on 1 site, and down by 30+ on another. How the hell can they go down? I swear, Google is PMSing or something.