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Reciprocal Link Exchanges.
The Safe & Effective Approach. |
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By Tony Subia
Subia Search Engine Optimization |
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| Link popularity, particularly
when strengthened by a link reputation is a significant driving
force of higher search engine ranking. But you must be careful
because linking mistakes can devalue the benefit and abusing
search engine guidelines can even result in banning your website
from engine indexes. |
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| Long-term link popularity success mandates
that website owners establish a Link Building Policy with assigned
responsibility and accountability. It is a critically important
component of search engine optimization where both intentional
and innocent mistakes can destroy years of hard work and websites
success. |
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| Reciprocal Linking Policy Approach |
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| 1. Compatibility With Your Website |
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| Seek link exchanges with compatible and complementing
websites related to your site’s content and user interest.
Relevancy is rewarded by the search engines. The more closely
products and services area aligned… the better. For example,
links between two real estate agent sites are very compatible.
Links between a real estate related site with a home mortgage
broker would be complementing. A link exchange between a real
estate agent and a pet food manufacturer would be completed
unrelated. |
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| Any inbound link to your website provides
a degree of link popularity value unless the sending page is
penalized or banned by a particular engine. But, it’s
best to limit reciprocal linking with sites that are compatible. |
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| 2. Focus On Gaining & Sending Natural
Referrals |
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| Reciprocal link exchange should provide a
mutually advantageous marketing connection to users that may
be seeking compatibility alignment to satisfy related solutions,
needs or desires. For example, a website that sells shoes would
be a natural fit to a site that sells socks. A furniture distributor
would be complementing to a carpet distributor. |
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| 3. Look For Strong Transfer Value |
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| A link from Web Page A to Web Page B is a
popularity vote by Page A for Page B. However, all links do
not transfer equal value. The greater the link popularity of
the “sending page”, the greater the vote
for the “receiving page”. |
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| To illustrate this, we’ll use Google’s
version of link popularity with it calls PageRank™ (PR).
Through its Toolbar, Google “estimates”
the PR rating of a particular web page with its PageRank “Green
Bar”. It estimates PR on a scale of 0 to 10 with
10 being the greatest link popularity value. |
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| There is significant evidence that the PR
value of a web page is transferred in ratio across the number
of outgoing links on the same web page. Hypothetically let’s
assume a page has an estimate PageRank of 6 and has 6 outgoing
links to 6 different web pages. Simplistically, each “receiving
page” would realize a transfer of link popularity
value of 1 (6/6=1). If the number of outgoing links were reduced
from 6 to 3, the transfer value would be 2 (6/3=2). |
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| Using the above examples, your greatest derived
reciprocal linking value would be from a web page with a PR
10 with its only outgoing link being your receiving web page.
Of course that’s utopian. Ideal reciprocal link partners
would be web pages with PR8s, 7s, 6s, 5s, etc. with the fewest
outgoing links. |
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| Those are great targets, but do not exclude
reciprocal links with low PR rated web pages. They all add-up
and provide value. |
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| 4. Avoid Links to Bad Neighborhoods |
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| Links to websites that practice spam methods
or free-for-all (FFA) link farms must be avoided. Links to bad
quality sites can get your site penalized or banished. It’s
often difficult to determine a bad link. Review the coding of
reciprocal sites looking closely for spam practices. If you
discover such abuses, do not exchange links. |
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| Using Google’s Toolbar, check the PR
rating. If the PageRank Bar displays a totally “gray
bar”, the site is either yet to be indexed or has
been banned. If the PR bars show a totally “white
bar”, the PR is 0 which could either be an applied
penalty or simply has not inbound links if it is a recently
launched site. Proceed cautiously. |
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| Link Farms can be a group or family of websites
where all link participants cross-link to all other participants.
Or a program where every participant uploads a common link page
to its site that includes all participants. Do not participate.
Inevitably your site will be penalized or banned. |
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| 5. Inbound Links Must Be Traceable By
a Spider |
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| Verify that all incoming reciprocal links
are hard-coded HTML links and that any link partner pages are
linked from its home page. There are unscrupulous webmasters
that may hide your return link from search engine spiders by
creating an “orphaned” (unconnected) web
page or use a JavaScript link, which will not be detectable
by a spider and therefore would not transfer link popularity
value. |
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| 6. Continuously Verify Reciprocal Linking
Quality |
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| Some unethical webmasters will disengage a
reciprocal link without notice. Monitor link partner pages frequently
to verify active reciprocal links to your website, Periodically
check link partner sites for spam methods. If you discover spam
techniques, dissolve the reciprocal exchange. Websites that
practice search engine deception will eventually become “bad
neighborhoods”. |
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| Summary |
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| Seek quality compatible reciprocal link exchanges.
Avoid exchanging with bad neighborhood sites which practice
spamming methods. Ignore link farms and verify spiderable inbound
links. Focus on sites with higher link popularity but don’t
avoid quality sites with lower link popularity. An effective
linking campaign takes a lot of time. Dedicate time frequently.
Establish a written policy and delegate central responsibility
and accountability. The rewards of an ethical approach will
be long-term search engine ranking success. |
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