One of the best techniques for starting the ball rolling on a content-rich, high quality new site is to email bloggers in your industry and ask for their input. I got this one from Jon Kemp yesterday:

Rand,

I just wanted to write you and say that I have been an admirer of yours for about six months now, maybe more. I first got turned on to your web site for the tools. I soon started reading your blog and I was really impressed with your opinions and ideas. I now read your blog everyday and you have become a sort of role model for me in the SEO community over all the other well known SEO commentators out there.

Now a little bit about myself, I have been doing internet marketing since 2000, so about 6 years give or take. I don't spend very much time at all in forums or go to conferences so I never became known as a commentator. I did try my hand at writing several years ago and really liked it. I was actually out of the game for a few years but started freelancing again in 2004. I got hired by another company last year to do SEO full time so thats what I am doing now.

I recently created a new site called SEO Profile. I did all the design, programming and writing myself. I have been working on it for about 2 months and now I feel it is ready for people in the community to start looking at and judging it. It may seem remedial for some people but I created it out of a desire to educate webmasters and siteowners about the confusing world we deal with everyday in SEO.

I also want to talk about more advanced SEO and marketing priniciples but at the same time I don't want to cover the same thing everyone else is covering over and over again. I want to make myself stand out and talk about areas of Internet marketing that may not get as much attention.

Well, if you wouldn't mind looking at my site and giving me your opinions. I really like the redesign of your site. Hope you are having fun in New York right now. Thanks.

Jon

What does the email do right?

• It shows that Jon knows who I am and that his intent is personal
• It gives a relatively compelling background story
• It doesn't outright ask for a link - but, it does request a review and input

Good work on the link request, Jon - I'm happy to oblige such a well-executed performance.

Anyone else have input on how the request could have been even better? Any input for Jon's site?