Reciprocal links: Look before you link


Javascript : Reciprocal links: Look before you link	Homepage \| Add to Favorites

Recommended Sites

Related Links

Informative Articles

An easy way to build traffic
In the old days of the Internet (1995) people said the phrase "build it and they will come" This has changed however.. with more and more sites on the net you have to do something that will attract people. I have found some things that have...

Pop-Under Windows - The Latest Pop-Window Trend
Although there has been a great deal of controversy over the use of pop-up windows, the fact remains; pop-up windows are highly effective. The latest pop-window trend to hit the Internet is the pop-under window. Pop-under windows are less...

Popup Killers - Not just killing that Popup but also that your revenue
With the increased use of popups on sites - when you enter,when you leave, while you are there - Popup killers (or stoppers) are all the rage. Companies use Popup killers as a marketing tool for frustrated webusers - they kill the Popup, the...

Things to consider before redesigning or redeveloping a website
Its 2006 and you have made a few resolutions. You need your website to perform so that you reap the rewards. This article will be more useful to companies who have a web based business or a portal. Does this sound familiar: 1. We have a...

Website Basics
The Basics You have a flourishing business – everything is in its place. You just miss one important piece of marketing: an Internet Presence a website. Like everything in business, getting a website needs planning. Getting an effective website...

Reciprocal links: Look before you link

A reciprocal link is when a web site links to you and you link back to them.
If you own a website, I'm sure you've received emails asking for link exchanges. This article's purpose is to help you decide who you should be linking to and why.
Look before you link!
Indiscriminate linking can be harmful to your search engine rankings and your reputation. When considering another website for a link exchange, always check out the potential link partner's web site and the page that your link is going to be placed on.
Five essential rules to follow when choosing a link partner.
1. Make sure that the website is related to yours. For example, if you're a real estate agent, don't exchange links with pages about diet pills or casinos. Link to other real estate related web sites, like mortgages or real estate agents in other areas.
2. Don't link to link farms. You can tell a page is a link farm by the fact that there's usually no company logo, hundreds of links and no real content.
3. Think of your outbound link as a recommendation for that site. If the web site or link page is of poor quality, don't link to it. Ask yourself: Would I recommend this page to my visitors?
4. Ensure your link will be found by search engines. Just paste the URL of the web page you'll be linked on into Google, Yahoo, or MSN. If the page comes up in the results, it's indexed.
5. Examine the links on the potential link exchange partner's web page. Make sure the links point straight to other sites and are not redirected or use JavaScript linking code. Look at the HTML source code and check the the links for the following text: rel=nofollow. This code tells major search engines not to count this link in ranking algorithms.
If done correctly, reciprocal linking can be a great way to increase your online traffic. So, don't forget! Always look before you link!
About the Author
Robert Raught is the lead SEO expert at Technet, a http://www.increased-online-traffic.com>search engine optimization firm based in Washington state. He also publishes daily http://www.increased-online-traffic.com/seo-news.asp>SEO news and articles in an online RSS enabled blog titled The Optimizer.