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Q. When is a reciprocal link exchange not a reciprocal link exchange?
A. When the original link exchange site goes out selling the exact same links pages to other sites!
I received an email 2 days ago at a domain that does not operate a link exchange.
"Buy our link exchange pages and special software. Send an email to the people we exchanged links with, saying you have linked to them too now. The email tells them to link back within 10 days or your link to them will be deleted! This way, you get the thousands of other web sites we have linking to us, linking to you. And you know how well that does for sites in Google right?!"
Oh man, and within 48 hours it has started. Emails from the original link exchange site going out to all of their link partners. Lovely, html encoded with all the new link partners' URL, titles and descriptions all laid out for you (OK, OK, I know because on one of my sites, I put up a link exchange page, sorry - at least it is for relevant only sites). All you have to do is add these new sites to your link pages, enter the corresponding link back URL's to them in the boxes provided, and whamo! Yet more links for Google!
GoogleGuy, when are you going to ignore pages with "link" in the directory path, page name or title?
Are you telling the sites your asking for a link from that the site is new and not indexed yet?
This makes a big difference to me. If someone asks for a link and their site is relevant or offers good material, sure I look at the PR. If it is grey, or pro I usually email them back and ask how the long the site has been up. Then I will check Whois to see if it jibes with what they say. If it does, I'll link.
If however the site has been up for a long time and has a pro or penalty, forget it! They must of did something to earn it.
I just gave a link to a grey site that was new. Just went up in Feb, Whois supported this. This last dance the site turned PRO. From Grey to PRO to next month I'm sure it will have some PR.
Let's say it previously had links, or you even "buy" a link say 2 months in advance because you're in a big hurry. Those links will still pass PR even if the site is down. So once you put it back up, then wham, instant PR :) Otherwise you just have to wait for links.....
You are right - that would be ideal, but it would never work. Eventually these 'impartial directories' would be tempted by bribes Im sure.
It's easy to make generalities like that, but Google has to actually implement it and consider all the possible reasons that links may be the way they are.
An authoritative directory on an industry has to get its incoming links from somewhere. They will most likely be from those members of the industry that are in that directory.
So what you are suggesting would make it so that those sites that willingly link to that directory as a good resource, would get less PR because they are "reciprocating" the link, than those that do not link back to the directory.
Both of the links can be freely given, not as part of a reciprocal linking deal, yet they would still appear as being reciprocal.
