I sometimes get requests from other websites, offering to trade links with my site. However my site is a photography site, and their site is not in any way related to the content on my site. My site is located in the USA. Naturally, the content appeals mostly to people in the US, It also appeals to English speaking people in Europe, Australia, etc.
Some of the sites I’ve had link offers from include: a Cambodian tourism site, a site showcasing night clubs in London, and a site devoted to designer watches.
None of these have anything to do with the content on my site. So far, I’ve not shared links with any of these sites. I just didn’t see the point in it, because I didn’t think we had anything in common demographically. If a company that manufactured photo gear, or one that offered photographic services, wanted to trade links, that would be totally different. I’d definitely consider that. I’d consider anything that seemed at least marginally related to the content on my site. I just don’t think Cambodian tourism or pubs in London are related to my photography site. I doubt a link exchange would be of any benefit in those cases.
Do you think I am making the right decisions?
Do other sites add just any link request that comes along?
If you have travel pictures from Cambodia, photos from London, or photos of clocks and watches, the links might be a bit beneficial. However chances are the links would be more beneficial for them than for you.
Your best link exchange opportunity is more likely to be someplace like your camera store. There you could put a photo caption such as "this photo shot with a BrandX camera from XYZ photography. They could link to your photos as an example of how well their products work as sort of a testimonial. Just my two cents. Others may (and probably will ) have different if not better ideas.
No, always keep it relevant; every low relevancy link is a waste of time. An essential part of the SEO process is finding ideal link partners. The only time I’d even consider this is with an A-B-C link exchange where the site you’re reciprocating with is not the one you want to SEO.
Links that you buy or trade for are not the way to go! The search engines are really cracking down on this, and when they find out what you’re up to, they are not going to be happy.
Stick to getting links the old-fashioned way - through unique content, forum posting, social networking/bookmarking, etc. And, the only way you will get quality backlinks is if they are related to your niche. So, if you’re a photography website, getting links from a forum about swimming isn’t going to do you any good.
Those were my feelings as well. I don’t have any photos, or any other content, related to Cambodia or London. I suppose I could always add some clock and watch photos if I really wanted, to create a “segue” for the site that reviewed watches. It would still be a bit tangential though.
I think trading links is a good way to get backlinks, but I recommend buying a site that is already set up and has pr that way you can get a link from it and everytime somebody wants to trade links with you you can tell them you only do 3 way link exchanges and that way your main site gets their link and you link to them via another site you aren’t too worried about. That way you stay off the radar.
I think trading links with too many site will have a negative effect on your site. You may want to start another site to offer links to these sites and have them direct their links to your main site.
I’ll answer the last question first - Yes, some other sites add any link. They just do. Not sure why.
I believe relevance is VERY, um, relevant to the discussion of links. Here’s my general rule (though it’s subject to change, and I’ll give one example why in a bit):
If somebody asks to trade a link, I would consider doing so ONLY if it’s related to my site. Photography site might link to a camera store, for example. You may be wise to refrain from trading links with a direct competitor. It’s a judgment call.
However, if the editor of CNN, for example, wanted to trade links with me and put MY link on their front page top-of-fold, I’d certainly jump at the chance! Even though my site may have nothing to do with “news.”
So you have to weight what you get in return for what you have to give.
A good rule of thumb in any situation: What would your audience think?
This is so true. I wish more people would learn that getting links the best way is not always the easiest. Sure, you can spam the blogs, forums, etc, but in the long run, it will most likely do more harm than good unless your site is already an authority.
reciprocal links is a signal for google to ban you… I once got too many reciprocal links and google put me to its sandbox :(((
so it’s way better to gain natural links