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 Look at ShoeMoney’s PPC Tools

February 12th, 2009 . by Jessica Salas . Tweet This!
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I’ll be honest. When I first began learning about ShoeMoney Tools a few weeks ago, I wasn’t so sure about the $99.95 a month membership fee. I’m pretty cheap, especially when it comes to something I might be able to find for free online, even if it takes a lot of research. However, the more I learn about [...]

 

I’ll be honest. When I first began learning about ShoeMoney Tools a few weeks ago, I wasn’t so sure about the $99.95 a month membership fee. I’m pretty cheap, especially when it comes to something I might be able to find for free online, even if it takes a lot of research. However, the more I learn about potentially scammy *FREE* online tools versus the proven ShoeMoney Tools, the more convinced I am that this site has a lot to offer.

 

The PPC (pay-per-click) tools alone pack a powerful, valuable punch that can make a huge difference in one’s PPC campaign success. After all, getting the right type of traffic to your website can be one of the most challenging aspects of being an Internet marketer. It’s not uncommon to spend big bucks on PPC campaigns only to fall short and flop with the ROI because you have not created the right kind of PPC ad or used the best keywords.

 

The idea behind ShoeMoney’s PPC tools is to take most of the hard research and footwork out of the process, simplify it, and help you to create a successful campaign with less money and less time. With the tools you can essentially accomplish triple the amount of work in the same time. Ever wished you had a clone or two? ShoeMoney may fit the bill.

 

Here’s a quick rundown of the PPC tools available through the ShoeMoney membership site: 

 

Ad Generator

Get the best ad copy from major search engines by plugging in a keyword; you can use the listed ad copy from people bidding on the same keywords to expertly craft your own PPC advertisements.

 

Ad Manager

Develop and edit your ad copy with this tool and then click your mouse a few times and export the ads to Google Adwords or Microsoft’s Adcenter.

 

Instant PPC Builder

Generate ad files for the PPC program of your choice.

 

Keyword Generator

By plugging in a keyword for your niche, you can generate an entire list of keywords to use in your campaigns.

 

Keyword Grabber

Snatch your competitors’ keywords by submitting their domains to this tool; immediately improve your chance against the stiffest competition.

 

Keyword Manager

Manage your keywords with this tool through which you can create and edit keyword lists.

 

Local Keyword Generator

Obtain the ability to promote your business more effectively to your local area by simply imputing cities and zip codes for a specific keyword into this generation tool.

 

Local Trademark Bidding Tool

Get the latest on what people are searching for in your area by typing in a specific keyword and locale. Then click a “find local competitors” button and you will have a list of local brand names for your keyword.

 

With these tools in your arsenal, you can say goodbye to the PPC headaches (or migraines) you have experienced in an effort to get the rankings you desire. Yes, the competition is getting tougher, but there’s no reason to throw in the towel. Give ShoeMoney a try (there is even a free 3-day trial offer through the site) to determine if the PPC tools as well as the other tool categories can help you to make your business the PPC powerhouse you know it has the potential to be.

Learn more about ShoeMoney PPC tools and check out ShoeMoney Tools reviews at TheWebReviewer.com.

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One Response to “A Look at ShoeMoney’s PPC Tools”

  1. I haven’t heard of Shoemaker, but I do know some good tools for the PPC market.
    I use a plugin that works with FIreFox, Affiliate Espionage ($10) (simular to PPC Spy, with a few extras). It displays loads of great data when you search a keyword in Google.
    I also use another tool called Ad grenade. ($67) This tool takes a few ads you create, a keyword list and explodes it into a huge list of ads and groups that can be transfered to Adwords editor.
    I am one that is generally very cautious about recuring billing. Often you can find simular tools for a one time fee, which I prefer. None the less, shoemaker does appear to have a host of good tools.
    Cheers Mathew! Have a great weekend,
    Jeromy

    Posted by: Jeromy
    February 13th, 2009 at 9:47 am

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