Everyday I get a “link exchange request” email. My clients get them too, and probably so do you. So, should you accept the invitation?
To help you decide, answer these questions:
- Will the link improve your users experience? Will the link add value?
- Are the links relevant to your industry? Or are the links completely random and unrelated? (eg you sell shoes, but the link goes to an life insurance website)
If they are completely random, don’t do it.
Recently, I was curious about what an Indian based SEO company would do as a free trial for one of my clients. All they did was add a link to my clients website to their own websites which already have hundreds of irrelevant links. Not useful. Not valuable. Not effective. Here is one of their websites.
And if these spammy link farm websites are tricking Google at the moment and are actually getting decent rankings themselves, what will Google do when they take a closer look? They’ll delete them from the Google index, that’s what.
Here’s what Matt Cutts from Google has to say on the subject:
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I’ll add to this that the ideal situation for linking is a one-way link to you from a popular relevant website. Eg if you own a Vineyard then get a link to your website from the winery category on a directory website such as Finda.co.nz or NZS.com, or a YouTube video with a link back to you.
A reciprocal link cancels out much of the value. As does a link out of context. For example, if a motel wanted to swap links with your vineyard it would be of very low value to you. It is also of low value to your visitors (if they are looking for accommodation in your area how would they find it? Probably a new google search), and of low value to the motel’s visitors (how would guests find a winery? Probably asking around or a google search).
Whenever my clients ask me about linking strategy I tell them that it is better to write a comment on a blog article that is relevant to your business or perhaps record a 30 second YouTube video (on your cellphone) with links to the website, rather than a reciprocal link of this type.
For example, if you own a winery, do a Google search for blogs that mention your wines. If you were to write simply “thanks for your review, we have taken your comments on board” you would flatter the authors and provide relevant, high value links to your website.