Question about Reciprocal Links

[jemmpd]

I just recently created a links page for my commercial site. I have previously made requests for others to link to me without offering them a reciprocal link. Now that I have a links page, is there any benefit for me to now include a reciprocal link to those who are already linking to me?

[martinibuster]

No benefit.

[Longhaired Genius]

Hmm. I'm quite likely to link back to any half-decent site that links to me and sends some visitors. I figure, a boost for them is a boost for me.

[ken_b]

There may be some goodwill benefit.

[martinibuster]

There may be some goodwill benefit.

Goodwill is an accounting term. Goodwill is an intangible asset related to brand, customer loyalty, and good reputation accumulated over years.

The ability to attract one way links can be associated with the goodwill of a website, a product of brand and reputation, which may be built upon the foundation of good content or products- all reasons that may stimulate one-way inbounds.

The goodwill isn't found in the one-way links themselves, nor is it defined by them. The goodwill is in the ability to attract one-way links because of intangibles like brand and reputation, etc. which collectively are known as goodwill assets.

Reciprocating a link does absolutely nothing to increase goodwill. Here is the proof: If you put the website for sale, would it be valued more because you reciprocated to all of your link partners? Or would it be valued more because it has a ton of one-way inbounds?

The one-way inbounds could be said to be the result of the goodwill inherent within the website.

If you have to ask if there's a benefit, there likely is no benefit.

If the website is NASA, and you sell telescopes, then it might benefit you to tell your site visitors that NASA implicitly endorses your website by linking to their website. That's different than linking to a "half decent" website.

If you have to ask if there's a benefit, there likely is no benefit.

[Longhaired Genius]

Goodwill [dictionary.reference.com] is not only an accounting term, martinibuster. It also has a real-world meaning that many people are familiar with.

[martinibuster]

Well, you're right about there being different meanings to the word goodwill. But in the context of a business decsion, the term goodwill is not ordinarily a reference to building your karma. :)

[ken_b]

Reciprocating a link does absolutely nothing to increase goodwill.

That may well be true in an accounting sense.

In the larger view goodwill is definitely more than just an accounting term.

Reciprocating a link may well result in goodwill coming from the target of the reciprocation. That could easily lead to anything from better positioning of your link, to a webmaster giving your site favorable comments about your site, or even a mention up in a feature article on his/her website.

It could also result in favorable offline comments about you and your website.

How likely is all that? I don't know, but I'd rather have others goodwill toward me than their ill will.

[buckworks]

The links themselves and the descriptions you give them can make tasty spider food, and it's entirely possible for a well-crafted links page to rank well in its own right.

That's win-win all around.

"What strengthens my partner strengthens me."

[jemmpd]

thanks for the info

[dickbaker]

Recently I asked the owner of a site to exchange links, and told him I'd already added a link to his site on mine.

He liked my site enough that he put the link to it on his index page, in a sentence like "One of my favorite sites for locating blue widgets is www.bluewidgetfinder.com."

It's not a PR8 site, but I'll take the front page of a PR5 site!