Reciprocal linking - good or bad?
David Rosam on Aug 23 2007 at 6:17 pm | Filed under: Google, Search Engine Optimization
We always advise our clients that reciprocal linking (”I’ll link to you, if you link to me”) is a waste of effort. Yet earlier today a friend of mine challenged that point of view by saying that Google explicitly contradicts our advice.
Off to Google to see what they say about linking these days. I found this page on Linking Schemes. Here’s the meat of what Google says you shouldn’t do:
…some webmasters engage in link exchange schemes and build partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. This is in violation of Google’s webmaster guidelines and can negatively impact your site’s ranking in search results. Examples of link schemes can include:
Links intended to manipulate PageRank Links to web spammers or bad neighborhoods on the web Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging (”Link to me and I’ll link to you.”) Buying or selling links
I think that’s pretty clear - by stressing excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging, Google is ruling out you basing your link campaign on link exchange or plugging into link farms or other kind of mass reciprocal link generating scheme.
And on what you should do, Google has this advice:
Before making any single decision, you should ask yourself the question: Is this going to be beneficial for my page’s visitors?
It is not only the number of links you have pointing to your site that matters, but also the quality and relevance of those links. Creating good content pays off: Links are usually editorial votes given by choice, and the buzzing blogger community can be an excellent place to generate interest. In addition, submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.
The key sentence, in my opinion, is Is this going to be beneficial for my page’s visitors?
The reciprocal links doesn’t work anymore, I found newwaylinks.com I think they will do all we need
Thanks Vladimir
Akismet thought your comment was spam; I assume it isn’t, as your web site checks out and the comment is actually on a relevant post!
Speaking personally, I wouldn’t touch the service with a bargepole. As I’ve said here before, buying links is a no-no - see Google: buying links is bad (again) (http://dangerous-thinking.com/2007/06/15/google-buying-links-is-bad-again/.
Google will also do its best to identify the scheme’s links and discount them.
I really wouldn’t waste our clients’ money.
David
I have been link exchanging for years with my trusty linksmanager software and I have never had a problem with google. google is having trouble with the services that force link exchange. dont use those. use a software that gives you human control over who you link to.
Thanks Craig
Maybe I’ve unintentionally muddled some issues here, and I need to be a little clearer on my POV:
Link exchanging in a manual/human fashion shouldn’t upset Google - it’s those automated services that Google will jump on you for.
But. Reciprocal links aren’t as powerful for Organic SEO as backlinks (one-way, incoming links). That’s why we don’t advise our clients to invest in reciprocal links.
David
David,
How Google can identify links which is pointing to each other only in one way direction, it is not even 3 ways. They connects then from one to another in one way direction.
Link exchange has really come under the gun recently. I know many that have put it in their heads that building a good link scheme is all you need to clean up your site and its rankings.
I think too many people want the easy way out of SEO and for that have come up with the idea that Link Exchange can do that easily and make up for lack of content. Heaven knows every Real Estate agent out there has done that to some degree in the past!
I try to tell people to work on their content and keep the site interesting. Make it easy to find the content when they are there and people will start to link to them naturally…reciprocal linking just muddies things up overall. I’m glad Google has made that statement.
Nice find on the information! Well done!
Vladimir
I’m not sure exactly what you’re saying, but here goes…
If Google knows about both sites and their links, it wouldn’t be too difficult to work out where reciprocal linking is going on.
Thomas
“I think too many people want the easy way out of SEO” - AMEN!
Reading on, it sounds as if we’re on the same page for SEO overall
Thanks for your kind comments.