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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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