Reciprocal Linking of Quality Sites
Increase Search Engine Ranking through themed links

Why Links To You Help Your Ranking
If your web site contains useful information, it will be a desirable link as a resource for other sites' clients. If you have several quality sites linking to yours, that will give you a boost your site's ranking over your competitor.

Search engines perceive that if other quality businesses are willing to send their customers to your site, you must be a very good information source - just the type of site they will recommend to their searchers.

Where to Find Quality Links
Yahoo and The Open Directory Project use actual humans to evaluate web sites for inclusion. A listing in either of these is deemed a quality link.

Yahoo currently charges $299 to consider your site for listing, but does not guarantee it's inclusion. Your site must meet their strict criteria. The ODP [ Open Directory Project ] also has high standards, but they do not charge for a listing at this time.

To find quality sites to link to yours, make a list of complementary, non-competitive businesses. For example, a company that builds backyard ponds, might ask for links from an aquarium supply shop, a nursery that carries water plants or a landscaping business. The key is you all share the same customer, but do different things for that customer.

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Warning! Do not link to everyone.
A reciprocal link from poor sites will hurt your ranking.
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Also consider suppliers and providers. An insurance agency works with realtors, mortgage lenders, roofing contractors, auto repair shops and remodeling specialists. Assuming they have quality web sites, a link from each of these will help your search engine ranking.

How To Reciprocate Links With Quality Sites

First of all, make sure your site is the absolute best it can be. No one will link to a poor site since it reflects back on their site. As a standard, I do not link to any site that has less than a 4 ranking. Also be wary of the "grayed out bar" ranking [Google] - this could be an indicator that the site has been banned for some reason. Evaluate all link requests thoroughly.

When you find a quality link - place their URL on your site FIRST! When you write to the owner, be sure to compliment something specific about their site so they know you've actually looked at it. You don't want them to think your email is spam. Then politely request a reciprocal link. Don't threaten to remove theirs if they refuse.

Mention that you think your customers will find their site useful and so you've put a link to them on your site. Include a link to the appropriate page so they can pe sly see it for themselves. When you ask for a return link, give them a reason why it will benefit their customers.

Above all, make sure there is a direct path from your main page to the link. Don't fool them by having a links page, without a direct path to it. If you can't get to the links page from the main index page - then how will the search engines find it?

Links From Emails And Newsletter Articles

If you participate in online discussion groups, include a link to your site in your email signature file. Not only will people in the group visit your site, those messages are generally archived for several months where the search engines can find them. Each of your emails adds up to another link to your site.

Having your newsletter published on other sites is another way to spread your web address around the Internet.

Conclusion

Reciprocal Linking was and still is the "rage" - however, don't be fooled by the "spammers" that try to have everyone and anyone linking to you.

A link to your site does not hurt you, even if the site is a real stinker. However, the reciprocal link you provide could. We will address the do's and don'ts on reciprocal linking in a subsequent article. In the mean time - evaluate every request and site and remember - this takes time, but the benefits will be worth it.

Until next time!