Common Sense Link Exchange

Creating a simple links page to exchange links for the purpose of higher search engine ranking is a bad idea. Now you're probably saying to yourself why else would I make a links page? The answer is simple. You want to offer your visitors good quality content. Following this line of logic will help you go a lot farther in rankings and traffic than just throwing a links page together.

You see, search engines, especially Google, are trying their best to only rank sites that have quality content in a specific area. When you throw together a links page that has 150 links ranging from household goods to zoos in Australia on a single page, you have just created a worthless page to a search engine because you just created a worthless page to a web visitor. No one is going to take the time to sort through all those links in the slight chance that there could be something of value to them.

Let's say your trading links with someone. Ask yourself, "If there was no such thing as a search engine, would anybody find my site on this links page?". If the answer is no, you probably don't want to exchange links. You're only wasting your time. That's why so many webmasters today barely read link request emails anymore. I've gotten a link on a related site that sometimes equals as much traffic as a single search on Google for that topic, so it is important where the link is located. I expect no traffic if my movie poster site is stuck somewhere between car insurance and real estate sales amidst 100 other links. However, if the page is entitled posters and every link on the page is related to posters and art or movies then I can expect some visitors coming from that site.

The best way to go is to make a links page that offers sites that are similar to your own site's content, and don't put 150 sites on one page with a title tag that says the exact same thing as your homepage. If you plan to list hundreds of site links, put them into categories. For example if your site is about cars or anything to do with the automotive industry, then you have a gold mine of content ready to mine and tons of sites that can and will exchange links with you - if you have a good directory. You should categorize your links section into cars, trucks, automotive parts, racing, etc. and each category breaks down into more sub-categories like automotive parts leads to tires, brakes, and on and on. Before you know it you've got a great addition to your site that your visitors will like to visit, and others will want to be listed on. The search engines will even list your links pages, and every listing helps.

I turn down sites every day because it's a complete waste of time to get their listing. Linking to them could even harm my rankings. Sites that have 25 pages of links in no other order than alphabetical or numerical are not going to help you. They can only hurt. Links sections or directories should have a logical categorization with a descriptive title tag at the top. Title tags that run on forever and have no keywords relating to the page's content are worthless. Some people think they are doing great by repeating their company name and product over and over again, but it makes the page less useful to search engines and web visitors.

It seems more and more that the organized directory is dying out. New webmasters come and go without knowing the tricks of the trade, while search engines are getting more strict on just about everything. You must organize your directory and link only to sites that relate to yours or you are wasting your time and the time of those that you want to exchange links with.

The author has been a webmaster for over 6 years. Check out webmaster tips for more tips from the author.

---

A Simple Guide to Analyzing All Those Web Traffic Ideas - Part 3

Just to recap - Parts 1 and 2 of this... Read More

Using Traffic Exchange Programs Part 3

(Continued from Using Traffic Exchange Programs Part 2)Hello again!In the... Read More

The Basics of Asking for a Reciprocal Link

Asking another webmaster for a reciprocal link is standard practice... Read More

Secrets to Free Website Traffic

You have just uploaded your web-site and it looks great!You... Read More

Getting Free Viral Traffic Using Automated Visitor Referral Systems

Would you like to get unlimited viral traffic to your... Read More

Are Links From Unrelated Sites Really That Bad?

When I started GetQuotes-IT.com in 2003, I knew... Read More

How to Cheat Traffic Exchanges

There are many ways to cheat traffic exchanges and generate... Read More

The Only Traffic Secret Youll Ever Need For Your Home Based Business

So what is this all important secret? It can generate... Read More

A Tip for Finding Willing, Quality Links

Google might not dominate the search engine world like it... Read More

Power Packed Linking Strategies - Part One

This is the first in a series of three articles... Read More

Free Tips to Generate Traffic for Webmasters

Starting a new website and developing a traffic base if... Read More

How to Increase Web Site Visitors For Relevant Terms Using Your Less Relevant Listings

Completely by accident and through no effort of my own,... Read More

Is There Such A Thing As LAZY Way To TRAFFIC?

Nowadays there are just too many people trying to give... Read More

Link Exhanges - Gaining Link Popularity

Link Exchanges also known as "Reciprocal Links" are an arrangement... Read More

Link Exchanges

Should link exchanges be used? What are link exchanges? Do... Read More

Reasons Why You Should Have A Weblogger Installed On Your Web Site

I don't know about you, but when I built my... Read More

Higher Website Traffic Conversion Made Easy

In 1993, on a moon lit, warm summer night, I... Read More

Build Links, Build Business

Increasing your online business hinges on your ability to optimize... Read More

How to Get Targeted Search Engine Traffic Quickly

Here's the "How-To-Do-It Guide" for driving search engine traffic right... Read More

5 Unique Ways To Get More Free Traffic

Ok so the first way to get traffic is not... Read More

Combine Links with Quality Resources and Youre on a Winner

There are 1001 ways to drive traffic to your websites.I... Read More

Power Packed Linking Strategies - Part Three

This is the third in a series of three articles... Read More

Professional Traffic Building Tips

Let's face it; the Internet is cluttered with all sorts... Read More

Expand your Website to Improve Traffic

One problem with websites is that they often go neglected... Read More

Web Site Marketing: Give Away Softwares And Generate Traffic And Sales

If you want to get something from others, the fastest... Read More

How To Get Links Without Asking

Sending out link requests is a time-consuming business. So wouldn't... Read More

What is all the Buzz about LinkedIn and Does It Work?

Have you received invitations to join an online networking website?... Read More

Increase Your Tourism Web Traffic & Sales ? Guaranteed

Web sites are a major part of the tourism marketing... Read More

Profiting From Mistakes

For many years now, getting traffic from search engines when... Read More

No Follow Illustrates Need For Good Linking Plan

The blog explosion created a great opportunity for savvy marketers--they... Read More

Ten Ways To Effectively Increase Your Site?s Prominence On The Web

It's a strange world, this place we call the internet.... Read More

To Create a Perpetual Traffic Generator

What runs through your mind when you hear that ezine... Read More

Site Link Popularity (Site Poularity)

Just imagine ... your website having high PageRank and a... Read More