Recipricol Linking… A Blast from the Past?
May 2nd, 2010
Guest blogger: Megan Jeffery
Get ready, I am about to say something shocking to the SEO world: Despite the fact that many SEOs tout reciprocal linking as worthless, I have never really been convinced of this. I mean, if you look at it logically, how can a link from a worthy and related source, and a link back from your site be a bad thing? Worst case scenario is that you pass along a little link juice, and in the end, you probably “break even” as far as that goes.
I contend that yes, perhaps it is not in your best interest to actively pursue recips, after all, no one is going to answer your emails anyway. However, in this new world where blogging and commenting has taken hold, it is natural that relationships between site owners will develop. They are going to link to one another (BLOGROLL!). This is a reciprocal link, and usually a valid one, as most people don’t put links on a blogroll that are completely unrelated.
It’s really all about relationships, of the human, rather than bot variety. If you link to a site, make sure you value the site. If you develop a relationship with the site, site owner, etc., then your link to them will be appreciated, and perhaps, one day reciprocated. This all goes back to the concept of tribalization…it’s more about building a community with other trusted sites and bloggers.
Anyway, I ran across an older article that lays it all on the line. I have also recently come across this dissenting post. The author makes some salient points. Pretty interesting reading. Check it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
