Is swapping links to get a directory listing OK?

[moonlander]

the directory site australian-example.com doesn't have an australian (au) domain it seems but demands a link back to their site to get a listing in their directory.

I'm sure I read somewhere that link exchange is not helpful for google seo?

should i paste the link in to my site?

[edited by: tedster at 2:33 pm (utc) on Mar 11, 2011]
[edit reason] obscure the real domain name [/edit]

[tedster]

Reciprocal links still transfer some value - as long as they are not a dominant factor in a backlink profile. Directory links, as long as they come from a relevant page, can be a bit better.

But that's assuming the directory itself is legitimate. If they take on all applicants as long as they get a link, that's not a very strong editorial policy.

So you'll need to judge the value of the directory for yourself. We have a lot of threads about directories here - with a lot of shared experiences. Here's a good one with a solid orientation from webwork in the second post:

Criteria for Assessing Free or Paid Directories [webmasterworld.com]