Link exchanges

[Virtual Nations]

This may well have been suggested before on the forum but I missed it.

Everyone tells us that the best way to boost your Google rank is with link popularity. Strikes me that we are all in the same boat looking to improve ranking and this is one element in the proverbial search.

So, who has an interest in exchanging links with our site. If you are then please indicate whether you may be interested in exchanging links with other forum members. Perhaps we could even get the start of a database that can benefit all.

www.shop-in-scotland.net (http://www.shop-in-scotland.net)

[TheBoyLard]

Count me in.
Site is still being amended/updated, but happy to join the party.

Andy.

[pinbrook]

you'd need a database or spreadsheet so that you can classify peoples website,

Links need to be to related sites in order to be of benefit

thus a bedding company could link to a bedshop

it would be useful if everyone interested in this could supply a list of sites they are offering for link exchange, whether thay are catalog site or not.

You also have to consider exsisting page rank. A site with a page rank of 1 will have alot to benefit from linking to a site with 5, but the site with 5 has nothing to benefit from linking to a 1.

[Tony Appleton]

Have a look at http://linksmanager.com. This has to be the easiest way to manage your links pages!

[bekyed]

Hi,

If you are seriuously looking to do well on google do not use artificial link programs such as linksmanager, this will do more harm than good.
Reciprocal linking takes a lot of hard work but is worth it in the end.

Bek.:cool:

[Tony Appleton]

Hi Bek

Thanks for the reply - but how does Linksmanager upset Google?

And yes - I am looking to do seriously well in Google so every little bit helps!!

[pinbrook]

I signed one of my sites up for LinkManager just to see how it works. I went for the free version.

The main problem as far as I can see is the sites who use the automated version. A link to your site can be placed on a link partner customer's site, but in reality your site is listed on a page along with a load of other not necessarily revevant links.

This in my opinion is a little like the old link farms, and thus could be non beneficial.

I have cancelled my membership with link Partners because I want better control over where my links appear.

There is no such thing as a free lunch springs to mind! There are no short cuts to good reciprocal linking.

So yes I agree with Bek.

[Tony Appleton]

Hmm - you're still not convincing me as to how Linksmanager is going to upset a Google ranking.

I take your point, Jo, about wanting control over position of your links, but in reality all you really want to achieve is links in to your site from other ideally highly ranked sites, and possibly clickthroughs to you from those sites.

Don't you feel though, that in the vast majority of cases the chance of clickthroughs is remote anyway, so the only benefit is in increasing your own ranking by having a greater no of links to you?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not 'carrying the flag' for Linksmanager at all, in fact I'm unsure as to how much value I'm getting for my $20 pcm. It does make linking and checking links v simple and easy to manage though.

So - if we all agree that reciprocal linking is a 'good thing' and a valid part of SEO, then please tell me how using Linksmanager is going to upset my Google ranking?!

[pinbrook]

One thing that Google wants to see if links from sites which are in the same arena as your own.

as part of being in links manager for www.surf-wax.co.uk I was offered links from a hotel in turkey and a paintball company in the US.

The paintball listing would have been on a page of text links along with other sites not really in the paintball game. Here is the link page for the hotel http://www.antikhotel.com/links/links.html Both of these look very similar to a link farm to me. As you can see there are many links there which are not in the hotel, travel or surfing arena.


IMO I don't feel that these links would benefit surf-wax at all, so I've withdrawn membership

[Tony Appleton]

Yep - I agree but you have total control over which links you accept or reject.

Sure - I'm bombarded by requests to link to online pharmacies and cheap Viagra sites - but I just reject them and keep my links to areas complementary to my own - surely that's OK?

[pinbrook]

I've had requests to link which I have rejected, but that doesn't stop them putting your link in their pages.

[zmagyar]

I have posted this one to our wish list. I can imagine some handy solution here.

Regards,

[brucet]

Have you got links on the main shopping portals? If you sell in dollars, you can use the data feed in Actinic v6 to get linked on Froogle (page rank 9). Even if you do not, you can use the same feed to get into the entry level of Kelkoo (so they tell me). I suspect it will work for Dealtime as well. Those are the two main UK shopping portals - page rank 7 each.

Actinic users can also get links on the following:

www.shopbritain.co.uk (Google page rank 4)
www.shoppingarcade.co.uk (Google page rank 5)
www.british-shopping.com (Google page rank 6)
www.i-stores.co.uk (Google page rank 6)
www.we-have-it.com (Google page rank 5)

The last time I spoke to Google, they were expecting Froogle to accept Sterling 'very soon'.

Bruce Townsend
Actinic

[JRAS]

I am in the throes of building new link pages. I have looked at the many software programmes out there which automaticaly create links, but I chose to go down the hard road. I could'nt work out the linking process in catalog, but after a few phone conversations with the actinic girls, (what a service, my hats off to Tracy and Krithika for their unbelievable patience) I use the following method:
I created a letter in works as follows:
We wondered if you would be interested in a reciprocal link with our site.
We are compiling a new set of link sections dedicated to providing a source of reference for both Native American Jewellery, Crafts, Western and Native American Culture and Historical interest. If you could spare the time, please read “Linking With Us” on our site , it is short and explains in detail what we are trying to do.
Kindest Regards,
John & Marjorie Scotney

I lift an appropriate image (preferably the site logo) and build a banner 250 pix wide in adobe image ready, then 'save optimized as' into a links folder.

I then create a fragment in the link page I wish it to appear in, title it , and in layout using the image to the left of text (or right) selection box in the layout selection box, select the saved gif from the links folder.

Since the banner is only 250 pix wide (file size is small as its optimised) this leaves space alongside to build the anchor text and link using the fragment details General & Link areas. I have been told that using anchor text as the link is far more search engine friendly. so this is how I do it.

I realise that not everyone will want to go this route, and there could well be a far easier method, but I find it works for me. I am sure that if visitors are looking through our links, they would be tempted to click on a far more interesting looking link, rather than just plain text.

It takes a lot of work, and not everybody can spare the time, but you do get to visit a lot of great sites. Not all will recipricate with a banner, but it is worth it for those who do.

I would appreciate comments on my method, and on an alternate
method you find more acceptable.
Should raise some comments... :D

[workbasket]

This is the approch that I have taken aswell. Slow but with massive control.

I also have a page with info and banners for sites to use when linking to us.

[OldWelshGuy]

Hope it is OK to post this, I have set up a site that is aimed at helping people find on topic link partners, (This is not a commercial venture by me, it is simply a free resource I have set up) You just go there, enter your keywords and it will search the database and find you sites that are suitable and are actively looking to trade links. You then just contact them in the normal way. Also be sure to add your site to the database so that others will be able to find you when they search.

Site is at http://www.uk-link-exchange.co.uk it is open to worldwide sites, as on topic is on topic :)

[JRAS]

Hi Chris,
I know, I've sent you mail. :)
JRAS
www.centgalleryandnavajo.co.uk

[george]

What happens when I find a good site (relevant content) I like (imho), but with a low page rank.

Link or ditch?

And whats the word on `local` sites. Like the localtouristboard.com, localcompanieslist.com or myarea.com. Even if the subject content is not really anything like your 'sites own. (None of that sites are real, just to give an example. Well they might be real but that's coincidence only).

[pinbrook]

If you like the site and its relevant to your visitors I would link to it. Part of your linking strategy has to be to include sites of benefit to your visitors. Don't forget low ranking sites have to get a high ranking site to link to it to increase their own ranking, so in the future you may in turn benefit from the link.

I tend not to link to low ranking sites when I feel the site is of poor quality. If I am asked to link to a low ranking site which I feel has merit then I will.

I will add my site to local directories only if I feel the directory has some merit.

[george]

That's my thinking too Jo. :thumbsup:

[bekyed]

Hi,

I have been doing link work for 6 years and the only way to is the hard way.

Here goes with a few pointers to a good google rank.

Make sure you have a good pagerank before you start - at least 3 or 4 or you have a great website that the webmaster you are proposing a link exchange with will benefit from, ie good content, well designed etc.

Look for sites similar to yours, ie themed with a decent google pagerank of 3 or 4 or more.(the green bit in the google search bar)

Contact the webmaster/owner etc and ask politely for a link exchange with his site, remember he may have a pr 4, 5, or 6 index page but the only one that will count is the one with your link on there, if it's not at least a pr3 or 4 leave alone.
If there are more than 100 links on the page this again will not help you very much, I would say about 50 as a rule or else your pagerank will be diluted.

Get yourself a spread sheet and make a report of all your links as you request them, this will be easier when you contact them a second time.

The normal link acceptance is perhaps 10 out of a hundred link requests, although depending on your website this can be a lot higher.

If you have several websites offer the webmaster a non reciprocating link exchange, link from your site to his with a different site and vice versa, google will see this as incoming links to your website, this works very well to increase your search engine positions on google.

Stay away from linksmanager and other artificially inflated links programs as these are sometimes referred to as link farms.

Yes this takes hard work, No it isn't easy but perceverance is the key.

Some of you will say that i am only referring to google here, yes I am but if you do well in google your normally not far off with yahoo, msn, etc.
Good website content still counts, but links matter more.



Good luck!

Wayne.

[webyourbusiness]

you'd need a database or spreadsheet so that you can classify peoples website,

Links need to be to related sites in order to be of benefit

thus a bedding company could link to a bedshop

I'd offer to program a system to collect and provide relevant links to members - it would be a good exercise for me... my coding skills get rusty is not!

;{)

regards

Greg

[george]

Linking. Hmmm.

Our homepage, and catalog homepage are have a Google page rank of 4.

Our links page and sitemap have a page rank of 3.

:o

[bekyed]

Hi george,

Try to keep your links pages and your sitemap on the 2nd level as these are important pages.
Your pages are on the 3rd level and have very few incoming links, this is the reason for your pr3 and is perfectly normal.

eg: http://www.footballheaven.net/acatalog/Links.html
and http://www.footballheaven.net/acatalog/sitemap.html

Should really be

http://www.footballheaven.net/Links.html
http://www.footballheaven.net/sitemap.html

Is there a reason all your static pages are in the /acatalog, you would be a lot better to keep these separate in terms of se traffic and ranking.

You have a great site anyway

Wayne.

[bekyed]

George,

Do you own any of the sites on your links page?
If not you are helping to build up their pagerank if they are not linking back.
They are in effect receiving non-recip incoming links.

Do you check for this often?

Wayne.

[george]

No, I don't own any of them. I do have links back from some of them although its nothing I've actually insisted on. I have tried to make it an interesting and varied list, giving some decent browsing to customers. As opposed to just a list of shopping sites or similar non football sites.

I do appreciate that good ranking links are important for site promotion though.

I work hard on our 'site and its nice to get kind words sometimes, thank you.

[bekyed]

George,

You work very hard and the site is as good, if not better than your link sites, very informative for the football community.
I think your pr should be a lot higher than it is perhaps a 6
I can list everyday sites in your links not as good as yours that should be priveledged to link to you.
Insist on a link back from the sites and this will do you a lot of good in terms of traffic and search engine rankings.
Look at it this way. Why give away your hard earned traffic for nothing, this is diluting your pagerank down.

Wayne.

[george]

Certainly food for thought, the links page could be doing with some new faces anyway so I can combine an overhaul with a bit of quality control thrown in.

Not many commercial sites on the list either. A lot of `regular` sites out there nowadays, nice to attempt something a bit different.

[bekyed]

Definitely George.

Look at the mediocre sites and they will be happy to reciprocate with you.
What will also help is to cut your links page right down to about 50 outgoing links or less, i normally go for less than 30 links per page.
The easiest way to do this is to create 2 or 3 links pages.

Ist Page PR4 - keep this to reciprocating PR4 links and above.
2nd Page PR3 - keep this to recip PR3 links
3rd Page PR2 - keep this to PR2 links

Any non recip links stick on your PR2 page, unless you believe they are really useful.
This approach will keep the visitors on your page and get rid of the tyre kickers.

I could do this for you George, but you are already half way there.

Ps. A crafty way if you have the time is to build a few more different websites and host these on a different server with a different ip address for each one. When someone asks for a link you can link from a different site to theirs and vice versa - instant incoming non recip links.
The sites will be completely seperate websites, you will be doing nothing wrong, this approach is taken by millions of websites who build link pages purposely for this.

Food for thought indeed.

Good luck George.

Wayne.