Link Exchange: Is it still worth it?
The SEO industry is abuzz with the term “link exchange”, otherwise known as “reciprocal linking“. For anyone who has delved into SEO, this is a term you have heard before but probably with a negative connotation to it. Most authorative SEO forums will tell you that reciprocal link building is dead but it seems there is still some added value in it.
An article in cnet.com has sparked my interest in link exchanges of late, especially for our clients who have a small amount of links to their website.
Things to be aware of in case you employ an SEO’er or decide to do the link building yourself:
- Link spam or bad neighbourhoods; is your website getting links from industry related websites?
Example: if you have a plumbing website, DO NOT go around asking dentists to link to you. Rather approach DIY and building related websites. Always get links from related websites. - Excessive link exchanges; there are clever ways to inter link websites to each other. Having a blatent web page with a long list of links to other websites will not add value to your link exchange and neither to your visitors.
- If your website has say 10 incoming links, then using a link exchange strategy would be a good idea but if your website has say 1000 links then rather focus on the current visitors and enhance their user experience by means of forums, blogs and/or design. This will encourage visitors to mention your product in other forums/blogs and increase the “noise”, and in so doing help your website receive those very important ‘organic links’.
According to Danny Sullivan, who writes about search engine optimization for Search Engine Land, says “if you’re a new site, absolutely you want to be doing link building. But you need to be doing that in a smart fashion.”
cnet.com’s article summarises when one should use link exhanges:
Link exchanges only work to get one’s name out there: the real boost needed to turn a Web site into a business comes when real people start discussing and linking to a service on blogs, message forums, and social-networking sites.
From what I can see from the many articles I’ve read about link exchanges is that no one has presented the facts and it’s all hearsay. I’m excited to say that I have been given the opportunity to do a test within a network of reciprocal links. These findings will be able to give me a clear indication as to whether reciprocal linking still adds value to SEO. I shall be presenting these findings in the next two to three months, I’ll keep you posted.
More reading: http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/should-i-avoid-reciprocal-links/
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neil@webgrowth.co.za • 27216856083
Neil Pursey 
Wiehan Britz 
Margot Knight 
Jean-Michel 
Shu-aib Benjamin 
Hobo
Do let me know
A lot of it is to do with the intent (ie sitewides, anchor text) or the quality of the interlinking sites, what you’re trying to achieve… I think. It’s hard for me to say with any conclusive proof, I have very little sites I wish to burn to carry out such a test.
In my article at any rate, I’m theorising.
Database specialist
We’ve done some link exchanges in the past, where we’ve partnered with other software companies and had them link to our database company’s website. But it’s been difficult to track the value-add in the reciprocal links and we’re wondering whether it’s just hype. Your research in this regard is eagerly anticipated.
Now besides trading links with fellow software and database companies, are there any advantages to us linking with industry specific websites? For example, at Kontos Technologies we provide manufacturing databases, so is there merit in us receiving incoming links from manufacturer websites?
This is a very interesting post, thanks for the tips.
Neil
@database specialist
If you are thinking of getting links from manufacturing websites, the link should go to the web page within your website that is focused on manufacturing. SO a page that has ‘manufacturing’ mentioned in your title tag, meta description and a few keywords placed in your content.
This type of linking will add value to your product page, in this case ‘manufacturing’. By doing this you could focus on keywords like ‘databases for manufacturing’ or ‘manufacturing database specialist’.
You get the idea?
Neil
@hobo
I will let you know my findings, give me 2 months or so : )
seo link building
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