Hi Yolanda - You ask the BEST questions!!
I am anxious to hear a response from Sharon & Roy on this topic, as they are the SEO experts around here
but here's my response:
I believe the QUALITY of reciprocal links has much more impact on your ranking than the QUANTITY.
We'll have to wait to hear from Sharon & Roy, but I believe you're correct in assuming that you can actually lose ranking status with poor linking structure - thats what I've heard, anyway... I generally advise people to cross link with sites that rank in the top 10 (or at least top 20) under the chosen key words...
I honestly feel like there are better ways to improve link popularity than by posting a "link page" - For example, exchange articles and/or other content areas within your site with another site. Choose a site that reaches your targeted market, yet isnt competitive, and set up a "joint venture" where you each trade content every week - or every month - and post each other's article or feature on your own site. This is definitely going to encourage more click-thru's than a simple link on a "link page".
You might find this interesting - it seems to fit here:
(from a past issue of SSWT)
Joint Venture ~ Excellent Marketing Idea
What is a Joint Venture? Basically it is where two (or more) businesses
agree to an arrangement for cross-promotion. I'll show you some
examples, and share some resources with you - but first you'll need to
ask yourself these questions:
1. What do I have to offer?
Think of this in terms of a bartering arrangement… Do you have ad space
on your website or in your newsletter? Products or Services? Articles,
Product Reviews or Testimonials?
2. What is my Target Market?
This is extremely important – you want to gain the interest of the
people that are most likely to purchase your products/services,
subscribe to your newsletter, etc. If you are promoting Tupperware,
consider Recipe Swap sites, Cooking sites, and other similar groups.
3. What do I want to promote?
Concentrate on exactly what you want to promote in your business… Is it
a particular product that is on sale? Subscription to your newsletter?
Recruits? Site Traffic? Consider what would be most beneficial, or jot
down several options, and then work on ads or articles that are
compelling and relative to this objective.
This is one of the BEST Marketing Tactics I have ever used to earn
targeted traffic! Below are some examples for you to consider:
Simple Link Exchanges are good, but exchanging content is even
better! Going back to the Tupperware example, lets say you found a
Recipe Swap website… You could offer to add a new section to your
website featuring the “recipe of the month” and linking back to that web
site – and in exchange, you could write an article each month on
‘time-saving cooking’ or something similar to be added to that new
section on her website, which would link back to yours. Both site owners
would benefit from the additional content they are offering their
visitors… and from the cross promotion from each other’s visitors.
Consider how this might work in your business, and what type of joint
venture you may want to seek!
Do you offer a service? As a webmaster, I have been known to
trade my design services for ad space on a site that catered to my
target market. For example, I might design the logo or banner ads for a
site owner in exchange for a featured spot in their newsletter or on
their website. Consider what you have to offer… and what you want – and
strike a deal! Sometimes the results far outweigh what you would have
charged for your service to begin with…
Newsletters or Ezines are another good way to start a Joint
Venture – you can swap spots with a publisher that caters to the same
target market, but isn’t competitive to your own business (similar to
the Tupperware example above). Not only can you swap “ad spots” – you
can swap article or column space… become each others “contributing
editor”. Even if you don’t have your own newsletter, many publishers
will accept your articles and content simply because it is beneficial to
their readers… and they will include your byline (generally up to four
lines including your website address). This is an excellent way to buy
quality advertising by spending your time instead of your money!
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What's more imporatant? Having numerous websites linking to you or having numerous high ranking websites linking to you?
