Do the search engines give any credence to exchanging links?

Well, this depends on who you listen to.  Some search engine optimizers will tell you that you’re wasting your time with reciprocal linking strategies since backlinks (meaning one way links) are king.  Others will tell you that reciprocal linking is a thing of the past and then there are those who suggest it’s about striking a balance.

So, why link to other websites in the first place?

I think this is the question that needs to be answered before determining whether a) it’s worth linking to other websites at all and b) what kind of links the search engines prefer.  And in my view, the undisputed reason for linking to other websites is to generate more traffic so you sell more of your products and services.

More links from quality sites, results in more traffic, more traffic means more sales and more sales means more money in the bank right?  Right!  So the whole purpose of linking is more than just “link popularity” so you get indexed by the search engines … the result of good quality links to your site is more traffic.  But there are a few things you must be aware of when developing your link exchange strategy and you must first of all be aware that …

Not all links are created equal!

Website linking is more than just about “I’ll link to you if you link to me” because in doing so, you could potentially damage your website rankings but not necessarily in a way that SEO experts have suggested.  For example, some will suggest that each time you link to another website, you give away votes therefore devaluing your PageRank.  This has led to some Search Engine Optimization experts discouraging external linking at all.  So, this led me to ask the question,

Is reciprocal linking dead?

There are definately those who will tell you that reciprocal linking is a thing of the past, and I personally do not get involved in link exchanges but mainly because the requests come from “linking agencies” who will write a general letter to any webmaster with a PageRank of 2 or above and request a link exchange.  They will even tell you, “I have visited your site and see that you have a PageRank of x … and feel you are a good fit.”  And this is just the many I receive from these agencies wanting to link my site to their Real Estate clients!

When I first wrote this article, I have to say that I still believed that there was some value in reciprocal linking but I really do contend now that there are other ways to build backlinks to your site  that are far more efficient than simply writing to webmaster after webmaster asking for link exchanges.

The most important element in getting good quality links is to provide good quality content which will encourage other webmasters to link back to your site without requesting that you reciprocate.

For the many ways on how to build backlinks, you might want to go check out my article on the 101 ways to get traffic to your site.  If you can promote good content, you can get quality backlinks to your site without having to reciprocate links.

All the best,

Related posts:

1. Is Reciprocal Linking Spam!?