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The Reciprocal Linking Hasn't Left the Building
By Barry SEO
The Reciprocal Link Train Hasn't Left the Station
Look around you, the SEO industry is routinely at least 6-12
months behind any new search engine trends good or bad. As a
result 'SEO pros' and amateurs alike clamour to find the next
hot-button regime that will set them apart from the competition.
Lately there has been increased discussion pertaining to the
declining importance of reciprocal linking and linking in general.
Some SEO pundits claim it's time to drop reciprocal linking, my
question is: in favour of what?
Reciprocal linking is simple: Site A links to Site B, Site B links to
site A in return. Currently, there is sufficient evidence to suggest
the major search engines are starting to devalue reciprocal
linking and are smartening up to the quality of links. All reciprocal
links are starting to become less and less important to
increasing SERP positions, however, irrelevant reciprocal links
are worth even less. (This means that relevant links are worth
more-they do have worth!)
The fact of the matter is stupid webmasters (or those by choice)
who link in 'spammy' ways, (over 50 links on linking page,
unrelated links to web site, etc.,) have less to show for their
work, but, does this mean it's time to abandon reciprocal linking
all together? Not so fast, your haste may stunt your growth.
Yes reciprocal linking has reduced impact on influencing your
SERP position, however, they still remain a viable method of
increasing your 'search engine legitimacy'. High quality reciprocal
links, and by high quality I mean links that are from worthy sites
with relevant and rich content for your users, remain important
components of the SEO puzzle and any linking strategy.
Even 'low quality' but relevant reciprocal linking remains an
acceptable practice, if not for anything but community building.
The largest community building sites on the internet, MySpace,
Blogspot, all rely on community members linking to each other
and vice-versa in some fashion. Although SERP positions may
not increase dramatically (remember, they may a bit) the traffic
through 'word of mouth' is worthy of the link.
Of course, the power of the relevant one-way link, Site A links to
Site B with no link back to A, remains stronger. I don't feel at this
point there is any indication that one way links will be replaced
as major indicators of SERP position. If you offer a unique
item/distinct capability then webmasters will flock to you with
links-nothing can beat high quality content.
Today, the major search engines are smart enough to discovery
who has legitimate content and who doesn't. Webmasters who
are just starting out may find no other alternative but to
establish reciprocal linking partnerships in order to get a start.
There is a greater time investment regarding reciprocal linking
campaigns when first starting compared to a firmly established
web site.
Established web owners must look at two fundamental items: 1)
create unique content and hopefully through word of
mouth/community or SERP positions where you can acquire one
way links, 2) reduce reliance and time invested into reciprocal
linking, however, remain open to viable and profitable link
partners. It's not time to dump reciprocal linking, however, it is
time to start moving our focus away form the 'quick fix' and
towards more useful investments, namely, unique and distinct
content for our users. SEO is becoming more than just links and
code but capable writing on distinct topics.
About the Author
DistinctSEO offers qualified SEO consultation combined with relevant business strategy planning. The company has proven results in highly competitive fields using white-hate techniques. Set yourself apart!
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