New Article - Reciprocal Links Are (Still) Not Dead

[thejenn]

Authored by: Stoney deGeyter

Full Text: http://www.searchengineguide.com/degeyter/010831.html

A Snippet:

A while back there was quite a bit of scare mongering going around the SEO industry about how reciprocal links were dead. I had a potential client once tell me that so-and-so-big-name-in-the-SEO-industry told them that reciprocal links were dead. I've said this before and I'll say it here again. There is nothing wrong with reciprocal links.

[carlar9]

I was also told that reciprocal links were a waste of time by an SEO friend of mine. Now you are saying that isn't true. So what to do. Guess I'll have to try to find some time to do some reciprocal linking.

[Debra]

Great article Stoney!!

Recip links aren't bad, they're just not good when it's the only linking tactic you use.

[Vipdev]

Reciprocal links are still alive, but although their still alive their more like dead, Bottom line is that, Reciprocal links provides very little value compared to non reciprocal links or one way links for that matter.

[St0n3y]

"Reciprocal links provides very little value compared to non reciprocal links or one way links for that matter."

I just don't buy that. Let's think this through for a second. If that was true, and say I was linking to a powerful site such as this one and suddenly they found my content and linked back... my one way link to them suddenly became a near useless reciprocal link. But hey, I can fix that by removing my link to them so I get a very powerful one-way link to me. That's the scenario that would play out if recip links were usless or near usless.

Like anything, links must be in the proper context. There is a right and wrong way to get recip links and they should not be your only link strategy, as Debra pointed out. It's only a part of the big picture.

[Logan]

I agree with you stoney, but I think most recip links are associated with a certain type of site/tactic. The last line of your articles says "Just be sure you're adding value, not reciprocating for the sake of reciprocating.". I think it is clear if you were to take 100 sites that typically are doing link exchanges in the general sense of the word ... 100 sites would not meet your requirement. Link exchanges are predominantly done for link popularity and nothing with adding value.

[St0n3y]

Link exchanges are predominantly done for link popularity and nothing with adding value.

but that's not to say it can't be done with the intention of adding value (while getting the link).

[simonr]

I can see a bit of a problem with reciprical links... in that they're not, fundamentally, reciprical. For example, I'm getting lots of requests for reciprical links ('cos my site is on Google page one for "presentation skills training") but as we're there, it's not to our benefit to have outgoing links, is it?

S

ps: can't point you to the site as I'm a newbie, sorry.

[Debra]

Depends on where those outbound links are pointing. If you link to a site that reinforces what you're saying or supports your product or what you're claiming, that's a strong reciprocal link.

Here's an example:

I have site that sells snow tires and on that site I offer a number of articles from authoratative sources on tire safety.

A journalist writes an article and points to my site as a resource for this info.

I in turn, point to the article as a "in the news" type higlight on my site.

The journalist has linked to my site. I've linked to the journalist.

I've linked out to a credible source. Is that outbound link a benefit to my site? I think so.

The problem with reciprocal links starts when you make this the only linking tactic you do, swap with anyone breathing and pile them all on one page.

Swap when it's a benefit to do so.

[Sporkman]

You could always try an experiment: Set up two different sites with exactly the same content, except apply reciprocal linking to one, and not to the other (or one way on one but not the other) - then see how the rankings eventually compare (just make sure the sites don't ultimately link to each other!).