Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Pros: You can select the exact sites/categories you want, so you are actually showing relevant links.
Cons: I've looked at a couple, and they all also link back to themselves on the link pages they create. It seems to me it would be really easy for a search engine to wipe them all out if they chose to do so.
Opinions?
Most of the revenues were generated through paid ads but jesus, I would not do that with shareholders money at stake.
Cons: I've looked at a couple, and they all also link back to themselves on the link pages they create. It seems to me it would be really easy for a search engine to wipe them all out if they chose to do so.
Hi rise2it,
I am not following what you are talking about so could you be more specific please.
Are you referring to "Reciprocal Link Matchmaking Services" that allow you to sign up as a member (for a fee or for free) by listing your keywords and your homepage and then searching the database to email other members to exchange links with, while other members also have the option to email you with their requests for a link exchange?
If you email them for a link exchange they then have the option to accept or reject your offer.
Is this what you are talking about?
And you think that the people who use these services won't really benefit from the exchanges but that they will possibly experience disastrous results (like penalties or banishment) at some point?
Please clarify this for me as I am quite interested to learn more about what you are talking about so that I myself don't get into any trouble using these types of services.
Thank you.
Christyl
The descirption in your previous post is correct - although some are a bit more automated, allowing you to pick and choose who to swap links with using software, bypassing all they email stuff.
Like anything, they can be abused. However, I see nothing wrong with swapping links with sites that have something in common with my own.
The fear comes from the fact that each of these programs basically create your link pages for you (with the links you have approved) and include a link back to their own website.
(For Example, penalize/ban every site on a links page with 'this page created by ABC Link Exchange software').
Because of this, it seems to me it would be easy for a search engine to penalize/ban anyone using a service like this, if the search engine chose to do so.
That's the question - 'If they chose to do so'....
Sure, some people will abuse it, and get thousands of links from non-related, non-relevant sites. But not everyone does so.
The fear then is about the search engines making a 'clean sweep' of everyone using a particular service.
However, I see nothing wrong with swapping links with sites that have something in common with my own.
Anything you do to make your backlink count larger, including reciprocal link exchanges- whether automated or by hand, is not approved by most search engines. I don't see a difference between using a matchmaking service and sitting at home in your pajamas late at night hunting link partners by hand.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it almost seems like we're trying to find a distinction between whether it's less immoral to kick a puppy than a kitten. Please, feel free to disagree with me.
Do these services work?
More importantly, do they increase the likelihood of being subject to a penalty?
From my perspective, the critical questions are whether matchmaking services create link patterns which look "unnatural"? Do they increase the risk of a penalty?
I don't know the answer, but I suspect the answer may vary, depending on the specifics of a particular matchmaking service.
Knowing the right answer to the question could be rather important, since the benefits could easily be outweighed by the penalty risks.
I don't see a difference between using a matchmaking service and sitting at home in your pajamas late at night hunting link partners by hand.
I do see some differences.
- for link trades, there's not an "ethical" difference, but there is a practical one.
- for one-way inbound requests, there are perhaps both ethical and practical differences.
The practical problem with the matchmaking services is that they're generally lazy, likely to cut corners and be sloppy about it. In my opinion, the chances are excellent that your linking sources are liable to show up on a web map (or in a statistical analysis) as an unnatural cluster or cloud of sites, a bit more incestuous than a natural distribution of inbound links over time would be. This would be true whether the links were reciprocal or one-way.
As for the ethical dimension... if ethical is the right word (and it's probably not)... I do see a difference between trading reciprocal links and requesting one-way inbounds.
If a site has sufficiently good quality to merit one-way inbounds, and you can find sites out there who will consider polite requests, I see nothing wrong with calling your site to their attention. Yes, you are asking for a link, and in that sense it's manipulative... but, in my opinion, there isn't a transaction that's in any way similar to using a matchmaking service.
...or a disaster waiting to happen?
Yes, I think this is a good way to describe them.
Now a lot of quality sites have joined. Are they going to throw out 5% of the web that they've spent so much time spidering?
I think not. At worst those links just won't count.
That being said, no way would I put a major site into those program ;-)
Matt Cutts saying that is was tolerated but thinks links will be devalued.
Interesting, thanks Crush.
Can anyone add to that with quotes/hard facts?
