Just Ask Matt - Answers

Do Link Exchanges Still Work?

QUESTION: (Gerald) I have a number of people asking me to exchange links. I have read that this is good, but can’t find anywhere how to do it. Any suggestions, or is there an article you have that would help me. Appreciate it.

Good question, Gerald, because we really don’t hear as much about link exchanges as we did in the past.  I think the big reason for it is it’s effectiveness (or lack thereof).  Search engine spiders are much smarter than they were 2 or 3 years agos.  And most will recognize a “link exchange” rather easily.

For those who don’t know what a link exchange is, it is when you approach another website (usually with similar content to yours) and ask them to place a nice, keyword-rich anchor text link back to your website.  In exchange, you will do the same for them.  Remember that an important part of SEO is backlinks (i.e., receiving links from other websites pointing back to you).  A few years ago, a lot of this “linking power” was represented by a Page Rank.  Getting high Page Rank websites to point back to you effectively will increase your own page rank.

Personally, I think Page Rank is a bit of a farce these days (at least the public one).  I do think the major search engines (like Google) have there own ranking system based on popularity, but it would not be public.  Still, getting links from “authority sites” with relevance (to your niche) is always key. 

Now getting back to the question…I think link exchanges (or “reciprocal linking”) is really not going to help or hurt you.  Any backlink (in most cases) usually will help you.  But if there is a reciprocal link, the spiders will usually recognize this and probably not give you proper popularity for it. 

Again, like everything SEO, this is speculation, but I know there has been a lot of abuse of link exchanges over the years (like link farms, paid text links, etc.) to draw a lot of attention to it.  I used to do it quite a bit.  I don’t really do it any more (unless I am quite friendly with the website and we exchange primarily for the traffic, not the SEO).  I think your efforts would be better suited to article writing/submission, press releases, even directory submissions. 

You can also consider n-way link exchanges.  For a 3-way link exchange example: Site A links to Site B, Site B links to Site C, and Site C links to Site A.  You can do this rather deeply, too.  But still, the search engine spiders are smart and may start recognizing the linking footprints.  The larger the “n”, the better off you are…but of course, this is a hell of a lot more work and requires some skillful coordination.

Personally, I have become somewhat of an a-hole about link exchange requests.  I don’t get as many as I used to, but when I do I usually ignore them. 

cheers…matt

P.S. If you want to know more about Getting Backlinks, check out SEOExciter.com.  (There are 10 free videos over there that shows you how!)

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Matthew BredelMy name is Matthew Bredel and as of March, 2007, I am a full-time, work-at-home internet marketer. For close to 10 years, I worked for a defense company which was an OK job, but I was so uninspired in life and frankly, I needed some more money. That is when I first discovered internet marketing! Now I admit that I didn't start making thousands in my first couple of months (in fact, I lost my shirt!), but I finally saw the "internet light"...

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A Holiday Card and Photo For You!

December 24th, 2007 . by Matthew Bredel . Tweet This!
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Here I sit on Christmas Eve reflecting back at a wonderful (and roller coaster) year! It seems like it has gone by so quickly and to some degree, I feel that I have missed out on a lot by not smelling the roses as it has gone by. I knew this was going [...]

Here I sit on Christmas Eve reflecting back at a wonderful (and roller coaster) year! It seems like it has gone by so quickly and to some degree, I feel that I have missed out on a lot by not smelling the roses as it has gone by. I knew this was going to be a tough year, but I did make it over the hump!

As many of your remember, I quit my day job of approximately 10 years to give internet marketing a full-time try. I had 6 months to pull in quite a bit of money to survive, else it was back to the cubicle. The first few months were very stressful and frustrating! Our household income fell substantially, health care for the kids was a big nightmare and we found out my wife was pregnant unexpectedly. But as I always stress throughout my correspondences, perseverance, staying strong and moving forward is what got us by.

I am so thankful to still be in the position that I am in: working from home, supporting my family, making many new online friends, expanding online and growing both as a person and a businessman. Right now, I can hardly wait for the upcoming year because I know there are so many things that are up-and-coming. TheWebReviewer, for example, is going to get an entire new make-over in the first quarter of next year offering more reviews, more free tools and more input from you! At the same time, NetWebVideo will be expanding and continuing to grow while it changes into a structure that more of you will be able to afford and take advantage of.

But again, I could not be doing this without everyone’s support…that includes visitors to my sites, colleagues, mentors, partners, family and friends. The question that everyone always continues to ask me is: “Does this stuff REALLY work?” My answer is always simple: YES! Everyone has the potential of living any kind of lifestyle that they want. It might be a steeper climb for some, but with the proper determination and drive, you can all get there.

Now is the time to relax and enjoy your holiday season with your family and friends. I officially turn off my computer for three days starting tonight. And whether you have had a difficult year or a prosperous one, now is the time to reflect and be thankful for all of the good that has happened…and then focus on next year and MAKE it everything you ever wanted it to be.

Yes, I am a strong believer in the law of attraction. The holiday season is nothing more than a time to be happy for the present and lay the groundwork for a prosperous new year. Again, thanks for reading my blog and best holiday wishes from myself and my entire family!

Sincerely (cheers!)…matt and family

xmax_card.jpg

P.S.  Yikes!  I look awful in this card!

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13 Responses to “A Holiday Card and Photo For You!”

  1. Congratulations Matt!!! I used to live in Sandy Eggo - North Park to be exact… for ten years 1982 to 1992. May you have the merriest of Christmas’ and a very prosperous new year. I enjoy your blog very much and especially about San Diego.

    Posted by: zoie
    December 24th, 2007 at 6:13 pm

  2. I wish you a merry christmas and happy new year.

    Posted by: Judy Wiryadinata
    December 24th, 2007 at 6:26 pm

  3. Hey Matt!

    Thank you for the Christmas card…..I think you all look lovely and happy together. Also thank you for all the help, reviews and training videos that you offer. You bring wisdom and hope to us all.

    I have written down my goals for 2008, and I am gearing up for a big and successful year both in my personal life and for my new Internet business.

    Have a wonderful Christmas! God Jul from Norway!

    Holiday cheers,
    Norena

    Posted by: Norena Jansen
    December 24th, 2007 at 6:55 pm

  4. Great family photo! Your daughter look especially lovely in it.

    Merry Christmas!!

    Posted by: Mike
    December 24th, 2007 at 7:19 pm

  5. FINDING YOU, AN HONEST AND STRAIGHT-FORWARD MAN IS ONE THE VERY FORTUNATE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AS I BEGAN TO LEARN ABOUT MAKING MONEY ON THE WEB.

    THANK YOU SO MUCH

    PS BEING A DAD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH WHILE HERE ON EARTH.

    Posted by: ROGER
    December 25th, 2007 at 5:44 am

  6. You have a great holiday season and I will be inquiring more and more this year to injoy a better life for my family and me.

    Thanks for your help and insite.

    Posted by: Kyle Wrightson
    December 25th, 2007 at 7:56 am

  7. I wish you & your family a merry christmas and bright and prosperous new year. As I’m a`new kid on the block, I hope to learn a lot from you in the new year ahead. I noticed that you are a very frank person who tells it like it is and I like that very much!!

    So enjoy the peace and quiet of the season and above all be blessed!!!

    Posted by: Uriel Williams
    December 25th, 2007 at 8:44 am

  8. Thanks For the copmliment and congratulations on your Christmas day ang happy new year.ABID

    Posted by: Mohammad Abid
    December 26th, 2007 at 5:13 am

  9. Hey Matt!

    Thank you for the Christmas card…..I think you all look lovely and happy together. Also thank you for all the help, reviews and training videos that you offer. You bring wisdom and hope to us all.

    I have written down my goals for 2008, and I am gearing up for a big and successful year both in my personal life and for my new Internet business.

    Have a wonderful NewYear!

    Holiday cheers,
    Raving Rich

    Posted by: Raving Rich
    December 31st, 2007 at 1:57 am

  10. I wish you & your family a bright and prosperous new year. As I’m a`new kid on the block, I hope to learn a lot from you in the new year ahead. I noticed that you are a very frank person who tells it like it is and I like that very much!!

    So enjoy the peace and quiet of the season and above all be blessed!!!

    Posted by: Gratefully Rich
    December 31st, 2007 at 2:01 am

  11. THANKS FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS…EVERYONE!

    Cheers…matt

    Posted by: Matt Bredel
    December 31st, 2007 at 7:40 am

  12. Hi Matt,

    Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, Matt!

    You have done some awesome work with your sites. Looking forward to learning more and seeing the make-over changes to TheWebReviewer.

    Best Wishes and Happy New Year!

    Cheers,
    Liz

    Posted by: Liz
    January 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am

  13. Hi Matt,
    i read your whole article and your journey of success.
    you did very hard work for acheiveing your goals.
    you have a very bad time instead you did not loose your will…
    i really appreciate your confidence and honour your success.
    Good wishes to you and your family once again.
    with regards,
    Sean..

    Posted by: Sean
    January 11th, 2008 at 9:38 pm

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