Webwork - 3:30 am on May 10, 2007 (gmt 0)

And never submit if a reciprocal link is demanded; you could easily end up in a very bad neighborhood. And there's enough directories that don't demand a reciprocal link.

"And never submit. . . "? Let's not add to the FUD. That sweeping generalizationis only serves to add one more piece of rubbish to the already mountainous directory rubbish pile. There are directories that don't charge and in lieu of charging only ask for a recip that manage to do quite well for everyone involved.

I'll add to the observation that you would be wise to choose your "reciprocal link partners" circumspectly, looking for themed/focused directories (internally themed and themed to the subject matter of your website) that show signs of excercising editorial control - versus "take all comers" directories that sell their "SEO friendly" qualities yet otherwise cannot be found showing signs of life in the SERPs.

Reciprocity isn't the sine qua non of "bad neighborhood", though reciprocal linking schemes may often be found in bad neighborhoods, typically in the form of general take-all-comers links pages, link farms, linked website networks and the like. Those formats - I say designs - aren't the same as an on-topic directory asking for something of value - a link "endorsemnet" or "link acknowledgementt" - in return for something of value, i.e., a link in a directory that is intended to drive targeted (on theme) traffic.

The web started with links forming between topically related websites. Nothing is more natural than topically related websites linking to one another. That said, there may be other characteristics or evidence - footprints - that may suggest that the link exchanges are unnatural. Those links may be discounted but a discount is not the same as a reason for a penalty.

If you can get a link from a topically related, editorially controlled, unspammy and not "we're here to sell our SEO abilities", a directory that may send you targeted traffic (forget Pagerank, link juice, etc.) and all it costs you is a link "thank you" then take the link and give the link. If nothing else it's civil.

If Google can't distinguish civility from spam then, in time, Google will loose it's authority. I think it knows better already but a bit too much FUD has permeated the atmosphere and too many people are breathing it in too deeply.

[edited by: Webwork at 4:03 pm (utc) on May 10, 2007]