link exchange; Zeus or not to Zeus

[cardpro]

I'm a internet business owner trying to increase my search engine ranking. I read over and over about links and especially having lots of relevant links for google. I came across zeus and it seemed like a good idea. I identified some site that I thought would be interesting for my visitors and vice versa. I immediately got a reply from a webmaster who advised me to read what is being said about zeus and themeindex link pages. Can zeus be an effective tool to generate links and increase placement and if so how?

[chrisnrae]

Here are some threads you may find interesting:

[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]

[cardpro]

Thanks Chrisnrae. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Obviously there has been some abuse here.

[chrisnrae]

Yea, I usually won't exchange with people who use the automated directories. The program, used correctly, is likely not damaging.

You can use it to identify like sites, but you should definitely then *view* those sites and if still seemingly appropriate send a personal email to the webmaster. If you take the time to customize the the directory and are choosy in who you allow to be placed in it (on topic sites) and use it simply as a manager (and stay away from the automated link requests), it certainly can be used for good ;).

But, it usually doesn't happen that way. So, some webmasters, as a "standard" will deny link exchanges from those places. Even if the directory looks good, I usually won't do it, because I feel the tempatation to turn it into a link farm at the click of a button is too strong ;).

[cardpro]

I don't understand why if I use a product like zeus to locate relevant sites to link with I run the risk of being penalized. It seems like a good time saver and will be performing the same task as I would doing the search manually and asking for a link exchange. It seems like everything I look into for help in improving my business runs the risk of doing the opposite.

[chrisnrae]

Like I said, when used with care (again again, customized - it doesn't have to be named themeindex), you should have no problems. But, I'd stay away from the automated emails for potential hosting problems:

[webmasterworld.com...]

and due to the way many other webmasters feel about them:

[webmasterworld.com...]

Hope this helps. Again, these directories aren't bad themselves - but used without care, they can end up that way, in my opinion.

[coconutz]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld cardpro. You might find these past discussions to be interesting:

themeindex is a penalized word [webmasterworld.com]

Getting Reciprocal Links with Zeus [webmasterworld.com]

Google Search for "themeindex" [google.com]

There are a number of sites that have customized their Zeus directories and are doing very well. Then there are those that use the software out of the box and aren't.

[cardpro]

Thank you all very much. I look forward to being a part of this forum. I suppose my next step is to learn how to customize my link directory so that the url does not contain the themeindex part. It seems to be automatically done by zeus each time I upload. Is it something I can do with the html code on my link directory page?

[rogerd]

Cardpro, it's either in the options or the template - you can just change it to index.htm, for example, if the directory is in its own folder.

You should also take the time to do extensive template editing - experienced webmasters can spot a Zeus directory a mile away if the owner hasn't taken the time to customize it beyond recognition.

[hanuman]

i have blocked zeus spider from accessing my site through a rewrite mod in the .htaccess.

i am fed up with the link request zeus generate automatically and don't think i have to pay for the bandwidth when it spider my sites.

[jimpoo]

If zeus was banned by google, and if webmasterworld.com linked to zeus and said 'do not use zeus, or you will be banned', webmasterworld.com would get banned as well, do you think so? :)
So I don't think zeus is poison to your site.

[martinibuster]

jimpoo,
Do you use Zeus, or are you just making an assumption?

[eggypiece]

cardpro,
I got into a lenghty discussion on another forum about the use of Z, so I'm not going to do so in here. If you wish to know what was said in that other forum, contact me in private and I will give you the thread URL.
This is MY bottom line:
- I went public with my Z directory on 26 July 2004
- I have 268 quality link partners on 0PR pages
- Of the almost 800 sites that I have emailed, only three came back telling me no because of Z...actually after I communicated with one of them, he wanted to give me a one way link from his site to my site without a reciprocal because he was afraid that listing in my directory could damage his site. At the end, we both linked
- I use the PRO version
- I have so much restricted my robot to look for very specific keywords, that even if I were to leave the robot all night (8 hours) looking for partners, it will only find 60-80 that pertain to my themes
- I physically eyeball each and every one of those sites for about 3-5 minutes each...looking first that the theme indeed matches my site, see if they have an active linking program, verify emails, make sure I include the exact description and anchor text they specify, etc. If I smell anything like a Link Farm, I'm out of there
- I prepare a custom message for some of the sites, but not for all of them; however, I DO NOT use anything close to what most people could identify as a "Zeus email"
- My emails are polite, to the point, and humble...never would I use offensive terms such as "you have two weeks to link or else, etc"
- I removed all references to Z in my directory...I don't like those obnoxious bolt banners myself, plus I don't get any money from them, so why advertise them?
- Changed the ThemeIndex page to "HandmadeCraftsIndex" to please Google (there are instructions in the Cyber-robotics site, but I could help you if you wish)
- Moved the links subdirectory to my roots directory, so all the links come out of my root domain, not a "links" folder
- Changed my format from horizontal to vertical for easier reading
- Got rid of the individual pages numbers of links (don't see the need for it)...just kept the total #
- Z has has been a great timesaver, and if I find a new site that matches my themes, I can easily create a new page with just one click
- I am not an affiliate, nor do I receive any money from Z
- I defend the program because I do believe in giving credit where credit is due, and because I belive that there are many people out there who have not even used the program, but continue to bad mouth it without real scientific statistical data to back them up
- I think that any decent webmaster out there knows that link farms are bad news, so why would anyone do so with or without Zeus, I don't know...I feel no temptation whatsoever to turn my directory into a link farm...since obviously this would destroy everything I have worked for : (
- Cardpro, you will find people out there who really hate it and some who would be in the middle ground...and maybe one or two who will defend it
- I strongly suggest you analyze both sides of the argument and then do what you think is good for YOU, and if you do use it, do it professionally, as anything other than that would destroy your credibility
Like I said, this is MY experience. If anyone uses Z the wrong, lazy way, they should get hammered, if they use it the proper, professional way, there is no reason why they should be penalized.

As I have proven with my 268 link partners so far, there are plenty of quality sites and webmasters who can tell the difference between one and the other, and they will link with you!

I repeat to all...I will not get into a discussion on this issue. Say what you will, I don't care about anecdotal experiences, hearsays, or third person stories. This is MY opinion, and until someone provides me with unbiased statistical data (cold hard facts and figures), or show me in writing that the major search engines have come out with a press release saying "Don't use Zeus", I will continue to use my Z robot to find quality link partners and build my directory! : )