Haute Prospect

Of course we’ll link to you

All of us SEO practitioners know the value of linking in today’s Google dominated environment. Is there a webmaster out there who hasn’t yet received a reciprocoal link request email? Links are bartered and bought, boards, forums or amazing services like squidoo get punished as victims of seo spam – have it all gone too far?

Google’s answer to that? Penalize reciprocal linking (the kind of exchanges where I link to you and you link to me – usually from the ‘links page’ of 100s). But even before the idea surfaced, the 3way exchanges started.

Is it time to go back to basics? Has the concept of PR failed?

Unfortunately there is no way back. That is at least until Brin, Page, Schmidt and Co. rule the search planet – PR is what google was born out of. There is nothing like a link from the PR8, same vertical, high traffic site. What’s left is to be smart about it. Choose your partners carefully. Once you’re linked to and cached by robots, it’s hard to take it back. Focus on quality and common sense – if you did you’d have realized that deep inside you look down on reciprocal linking. Bet on good content, work with smart viral marketers and next time the linking specialist pitches you on his/her service – ask – how many partners do you have in your network now that can link to us tomorrow, out of content which simply begs to reference sources like us. (and that’s without asking for return link right away)

PS.

If you haven’t attended the latest SES conference – there was a very interesting discussion on the issue.  Seamoz has a great recap here.