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Some of the
most highly ranked search engine optimization companies
recommend reciprocal linking with other similar, relevant
websites. But have you ever tried to find a links page on
one of these SEO sites? Most times the links page is nowhere
to be found.
Several phrases
come to mind like "Do as I say, not as I do,"
or "Talk the talk and walk the walk," or "lead
by example." So why do some of the leading search engine
optimization companies recommend reciprocal linking for
OTHER sites (and not their own)?
These top SEO
sites rely on paying other sites to link directly to them.
This is beneficial because search engines give more weight
to inbound links than they do to outbound links. If you
have enough of a budget, then buying some inbound links
(or a ton of inbound links) will help you in the search
engine rankings.
The top SEO
sites recommend reciprocal linking for other sites first
because this will help in the search engine ranking more
than having no linking program at all. Second, reciprocal
linking is recommended because this is a challenge that
some SEO sites are willing to take on themselves on behalf
of their customers or hand off directly to their customers
as a no-cost method to improve search engine rankings.
Most SEO companies
do not wish to take responsibility for another website's
paid advertising program. This makes sense, since it is
beyond the scope of search engine optimization and is better
handled by advertising and marketing specialists. There
is one caveat to this, however. The advertising and marketing
specialists ideally need to work with the SEO company in
order to make the direct link advertising program as effective
as possible. Much money can be saved if both sides work
together.
Another method
some SEO sites use to gain direct links is to require a
link from each website that they optimize. A small text
or graphic link from the homepage or an inside page is required
as part of the payment for optimizing another website. Some
webmasters and website builders also make this same requirement
when they build a website for a company. The upside is that
the SEO company gains many direct links from their clients.
The downside is that because of the diversity of these sites,
most of these links come from irrelevant sites, which does
not help in the search engine ranking race.
Reciprocal linking
is a good solution for those who are not doing it already.
It is also a good solution for small businesses, which don't
have the cash to spend on advertising on other sites. It
is also a good practice for those who want to build community
with other websites. Reciprocal linking evens the playing
field when it comes to which sites get to be ranked in the
top positions. Direct linking can be a way to "buy"
your website to the top of the search engines, leaving the
lower and no-budget sites behind. While paid incoming links
do make some business sense, they also smack the face of
"fair play" in regards to the sites that do not
have this option available to them.
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