Reciprocal Links

[academysigma]

Hi there,
SEO beginner here. I'm trying to build more backlinks without spending much, so I'm thinking of reciprocal links, where I would submit my site to some localised business directories with fairly decent page ranks ( 3-4 ). These directories claim to offer a free listing in exchange for a link to them on my website. Presently, my page rank is still quite dismal.

On my website then, I'll create a page where I can stick links back to those directories. Of course, I don't want these to be prominent, but I won't intentionally hide them either.

I've read many people advising against these exchange links, both because search engines may not like that, plus the face that the value of the inbound links become much less. I would to know if this is true, and if I should bother doing this link thing at all?

[Scott Million]

Reciprocal links used to work like gold, but are pretty much dead now. One way links!

[John Romaine]

In my experience reciprocal links, havent performed.

If you want to submit to web directories, submit to the free ones. Ones that dont require a link back. In terms of SEO, you want backlinks, not reciprocal links.

You might want to try Manual Directory Submission Service - Directory Submissions

They offer a very cheap web directory submission service.

Trust me, outsource it. Its as boring as hell.

[AnniePot]

Don't bother wasting your time (or worse, money) with reciprocal linking; it died many years ago. One-way links acquired from highly focused, highly relevant sites are now the only way to go.

[sanhal]

I agree with the others. Exchanging links is a waste of your time and efforts.

Better to do one way links.

Submit good quality articles with an anchor text link to your site in the resource box to a good article directory like Ezine Articles, buzzle, goarticles, articledashboard, a1articles and
articlecity. If the article is picked up and published on another site you will get another link to your site.

Search the internet for a list of dofollow blogs and leave valuable comments on blogs related to your niche.

Participate in Web 2.0 sites like squiddoo.com, easyjournal.com, tumblr.com, friendster.com
multiply.com

These are just a few of the ways you can get backlinks.

Sandy

[Ben K]

Sometimes exchanging links with related site helps to get some traffic . In your situation it is not bring you any value as you will hardly get any traffic from the link from that directory. So better you go for building one way links.

[Tommy Smith]

Reciprocal links are arranged when two web sites agree to link to each other. Reciprocal links help you in two ways: They increase your web site traffic, from people who click on the links; and They increase your web site traffic, from people who click on the links.

[retsek]

Reciprocal links are not dead. If the sites exchanging likes are closely related, it does help rankings

[TobyAletha]

agree with @retsek, but it does only help rankings , they are not a major source of traffic

[orangecopper]

concentrate on high PR and quality link backs only. dont spend much time on building cheap link backs without a decent PR - it makes no difference.

[Mike Anthony]

ATTENTION OP


Some people in this thread are confusing exchanging link with reciprocal links. link exchanges are alive and well in SEO. Reciprocal linking not as much. There is much more to link exchanges than reciprocal. There are three way linking and parrallel linking both involve agreed on exchanges that are one way links not reciprocal. Get a second Domain and you can easily set these up and they give GREAT boosts in the search engines

[linkbuildr]

Just do it only with a dozen or less sites in your niche...anything else is a clear violation of google's TOS and they're always nasty about recip links...too easy to spot.