Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Cheers
Tank
..there are some floral directories out there that would improve my link profile. However they are asking for reciprocal links. Is this an effective practice?
If the link is relevant, get the link.
Requiring a reciprocal is in bad taste in my opinion but it is not against any laws I am aware of. It's better to *ask* for a link back instead of "requiring it".
If another site asks for a recip and you dont want to link back, just don't. no big deal. Linking decisions should always be made based on how it affects the end user.
If so where is the best place to put the directory link in my site?
Whatever is best for your end user. Most sites just include a link to it in their navigation such as "Useful Resources" or "Recommended Links".
Requiring a reciprocal is in bad taste in my opinion
So is expecting freebies without giving anything back.
If you prefer not to provide a reciprocal link, check whether the directory has a paid submission option.
If the site politely asks for the back link (but does not explicitly require it), then its perfectly ok to reciprocate if the link benefits your end users.
I have found its best to politely ask for the link back but not require it. Requiring it rubs people the wrong way.
When making these kind of linking decisions, ask yourself "Does this link benefit my end user's experience? Does the content on the target site help my end user learn more about my own site?" if the answer is yes, always get the link regardless of pagerank or other metrics.
I've pretty much given up considering directories as a source of links now. It varies from niche to niche but in general they are not worth paying for and they are not worth swapping links for.
I can add them under "usefull links" which could possibly drive them to some other florist in my areas site. The problem is that based on what <snip> tool (measure trust, amout of link juice pased and some other metrics) is telling me this directory for being free would add alot of vaule to my link profile. Maybe I should run a linkscape report on the directory..hmm...anymore thoughts based on this reply?
Tank
[edited by: martinibuster at 1:37 am (utc) on Jan. 14, 2010]
[edit reason] Removed specifics. Not necessary. [/edit]
Empower yourself by understanding the reasons why a site would be good for your link profile.
[edited by: martinibuster at 1:37 am (utc) on Jan. 14, 2010]
[edited by: martinibuster at 1:38 am (utc) on Jan. 14, 2010]
[edit reason] Removed specifics. [/edit]
No tool can measure the amount of so-called "trust" a site had. That information is proprietary. In fact, the word "trust" is misleading because it's a reference to algorithmic challenges. But that's what the algo has always been. Here's a question your tool is not asking: Can a directory requiring reciprocal links be trusty? It's clear that excessive reciprocal linking [webmasterworld.com] is frowned upon. What does that say about a directory that requires reciprocal links?
I have found its best to politely ask for the link back but not require it. Requiring it rubs people the wrong way.When making these kind of linking decisions, ask yourself "Does this link benefit my end user's experience? Does the content on the target site help my end user learn more about my own site?" if the answer is yes, always get the link regardless of pagerank or other metrics.
In some niches there are directories that always get the top spots in the SERPS, there are no two ways about it you need to be in those, not for the link juice but because its how most people will find your site.
