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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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After spending the weekend up in Los Angeles for the Infusionsoft Double Your Sales Tour, I had the opportunity to see some of today’s most acclaimed internet marketing experts while networking with some extraordinary people. And beyond that, I may have discovered the secret to why my business is not going as fast as it should…

Over the weekend, I got the opportunity to drive up to Los Angeles and attend the InfusionSoft Double Your Sales Tour.  Being an Infusionsoft user, the event was dirt cheap (less than $100) and they advertised it to have speakers such as Rich Schefren, Stephen Pierce, Adam Urbanski,  and Michael Gerber.  I personally had few expectations of the event, but I thought:  It was cheap and if these guys are really there, it may be worth it.

So I drove up first thing Friday from San Diego and arrived just in-time for Rich Schefren.  Yep, all these guys were there and I have to admit it was one of those “revolationary” events for me.

You see, since the new year, I have been finding myself “struggling” online…but not in the way that most people struggle online.  Personally, I have been finding my websites kind of running a-muck.  The direction and growth of everything kind of reached a stand-still and I have been finding myself treading water in a sea of internet chaos for months now.

Sure, the money is still coming in just fine, but the growth has nearly halted.

You might want to blame “the recession” for this (which I have been doing most of the year), but the real person to blame is myself…and this weekend opened my eyes to it!

One thing about the internet business is that making money online is really not that tough, but that is rather dangerous, especially when you have never built a business before.

My focus has been all messed up.

My business, as a system, was not well-oiled and needed a serious tune-up.  In fact, the turn “system” has never been a part of my internet marketing vocabulary, until now.  Each one of these speakers taught me something about my business that was extremely valuable (and hint, it had nothing to do with SEO, PPC, rankings, keyword research or Google Analytics!).

It was about the relationship between me and my business.

It was about the constraints that I was not focusing on.

It was about the fact that I am a technician playing the role of entrepreneur.

It was about my lack of a system.

It will take too long to explain this all within just one post, and in fact, I am still trying to absorb, decipher and accept these facts, as well.  But this was (as Paris Hilton would say) “HUGE!”

Great event, InfusionSoft!  I have much more to say about this.  Stay tuned!

cheers…matt

P.S.  I do use InfusionSoft for my shopping cart, customer relations manager, email marketing and follow-up needs for all of my websites now.  It IS my all-in-one solution for my online management needs.  And events like this for their members just strengthens why Infusion Soft is becoming a leader in the Small Business CRM Software.  To learn more, check out my full InfusionSoft Review.

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4 Responses to “Business Systems & a Weekend with InfusionSoft”

  1. Matthew,
    I’m bummed we didn’t meet. I was there for the Friday session and Michael Gerber was amazing. I’m a CMAC for Infusionsoft and just held a “Fix Your Follow Up Failure” workshop yesterday in Murrieta. I’m holding another on July 21st because it sold out yesterday.

    Your comments on “focus” are right on. Good luck and keep up the good work. If you’re ever up for a wine tour let me know and I’ll join you in Temecula!
    Wes

  2. That is a shame, but knowing you are in the San Diego means that it is inevitable we will meet sooner than later! (Also, I plan to go to more InfusionSoft events). I’ll be sure to check out your stuff online, too! Don’t be a stranger! cheers…matt

  3. Matt,

    I would have loved to have shaken your hand. We only spoke by phone during your implementation. I’d love to place a face with your voice.

    I was your implementation guy (Infusionsoft CMAC) and was at that incredible event all weekend. In fact, I organized a carpool to the event from the park n ride at La Costa each day.

    I organize and run the Infusionsoft users meetings in San Diego, LA and Orange County every month and you are invited. I am also subscribed to your info and just love it! Yes I’m a fan now!

  4. Hey Craig, actually we did meet briefly near the end of the event. People were starting to clear out quite a bit, though.

    And yes, I do want to come to one of the San Diego meet-ups. Getting to north county so early is a bit tough, though (usually have kids to take to school at around 9am). I’ll hopefully make it up there sometime, though. I’m sure there is always a lot to learn (and I have a few good Infusion-aces up my sleeve, too!)

    cheers…matt

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