Reciprocal Links

Reciprocal Links

While the odd reciprocal link ("Link to me and I'll link to you") does not hurt, multiple deep site links (like in your blog or case studies) raise alarm bells that agreements or incentives are in place. 

The problem arose when search engines considered any incoming links as a ‘vote’ for that site. When webmasters realized that they could simply ‘trade’ votes with each other and improve each other's standing in the SERPs, reciprocal links became over used and defeated the purpose of the algorithm. 

 

Since then search engine algorithms have become more sophisticated. Incoming links are now judged by the relevancy, quality of the linked site and the anchor text (words to which the link is tagged). It is therefore wise to be careful of directories who promise value back to your site for exchange of a link on your site, as this could harm the rankings of your own site.

There are many myths and misconception out there when it comes to SEO. There are also many companies out there looking to take advantage of these. When looking at improving your website it is important to source advice from a reputable source. Whether that is a family member in the business, a consultant, a course or a book. 

Where to Look for Help

Small Business BC holds a regular seminar on Measuring the Success of Your Web Site – Web Analytics and SEO presented by Vik Kumar of Iconic State. This seminar will help you understand more about your customer what keywords your customer’s are using to access your website and the importance of SEO.

 

If you are interested in a more one-to-one approach to diagnose the specific issues of your site, check out our Ask the Web Expert consultancy.  Run quarterly, this service provides you access to a web consultant for 30 minutes to help you optimize your site.

 

There are also a number of blogs to monitor which can help keep you up to date on the latest happenings of SEO including SEO Moz and