Newbie - how to trade quality links

[rightclick]

Hi all,

I have been reading many posts on links and whether to buy or not to buy. The general consensus appears to be not to buy, especially if the links will be on totally irrelevant sites. The recommendation is to get links on related sites, this then raises the question of how to do this and 'link trade' in general. Is it a question of emailing each webmaster or is there a more efficient way of doing this?

Also a side question - when discussing relevant sites for linking is it like for like e.g. slots and slots or could more generic links like slots and roulette be considered 'similar'.

Thanks for any input.

Kind regards

Chris
----
www.blackjackchoice.com

[thepokerkeep]

A perfect thread for my 2000th post

I suggest you only trade links with members who have been active here for months or years and only those who have good sites. Take the time to check them out.

Rick (Universal4) is always in the market to exchange links with people provided the site in question is good quality and the exchange is fair. He has a network of sites so it's possible to do niche specific exchanges with him.

It's always most beneficial to get as niche specific as possible when exchanging but it should not be the only criteria you use. Trading links with aged general gambling sites will pass good link value back to your site regardless of the fact the site is not blackjack specific. Additionally, a general site may have a BJ page or section. Getting your link on that page or section would be best, obviously.

Try to get fair value when you exchange. You ultimately want in-content for in-content or home page for home page type trades.

Your site is new so you may have to up the ante a little if you want links from well ranked, aged domains. Fro example, a webmaster may be willing to add your link to his link page in exchange for an in-content link.... this may not seem like a good deal to you but in reality, it may be the best deal you can make.

Other webmasters may see the potential in your site... future value of the link... and trade accordingly.

Don't forget the value of article exchanges. Trading articles (links intact) is an awesome way to do link exchanges. Again, check the site for quality - make sure the articles will be of similar quality.

And last - giving away articles (links intact) may be the best way to obtain links from "authority" sites. If there is a specific site or two that you would dearly love to obtain back links from, make them an offer. Offering an article or two for free, with a couple in-content links back to your site, is probably the only hope you have of getting your links on their sites.

Hope that helps....

[universal4]

Thanks Terry,

I agree that some webmasters may ask for an in-content or home page link and yet only return a link from a link page, but I would not do that normally....since if I feel your site is worth exchanging with in the first place, I want to return a link of equal or greater value....

There are a number of threads here that discuss link exchanges thoroughly so be sure to look for them. Most of them are in the SEO Forum....

Rick
Universal4

[WildmanSC]

Nice website rightclick. Hope you get plenty of link exchanges. In my personal opinion, I try to stay away from the 3-way link exchanges unless your just starting out.

[tuleja]

ThePokerKeep gave you some good advise, but you also have to realize where your website is. If you require sites to be multi-year old sites and your site is only 6 months old, or if you require sites to be PR 3 or higher and your site is a PR 0, your link exchanging campaign won't go far.

You can either email webmasters for link exchange, or if they have fill-in link exchange form on their website, fill in the form, set up your reciprocal link and give them some time to finish the exchange by linking back. Not all websites want to exchange links, so look for something on their website that lets you know they are willing to exchange links, either a fill in form, or a contact email for exchanging links. Looking at your website I don't see a contact email for exchanging links on your links page. If I went to your website, I wouldn't contact you because it doesn't look like you are looking for link partners.

Searching Google can help you find partners easier for link exchange.

[universal4]

Also be careful about trading too many links outside of your niche....

Trading with travel companies, web hosts, shopping sites and niches outside of gambling is of little or no value....

Sure it will help young sites get spidered often, but exchanging links that are of no value to your target market is a clear indication that the exchange is ONLY meant for ranking and pr purposes and therefore if done too much can work against you.

Rick
Universal4

[rightclick]

Hi,

Many thanks for the feedback. When you say niche.. If my site is blackjack focused is generic online casino/gambling sites part of my niche or is my niche restricted to blackjack sites?

Thanks in advance for any feedback

Cheers

[universal4]

If you run a blackjack site, links from other blackjack sites are better than links from roulette sites, but a link from a roulette sites is still better than links from a travel site.

Staying within the gambling niche is suggested, but a link that matches content such as blackjack with blackjack is a little better since it is better for the visitor.

When I exchange links on my standard link partner pages, I am less concerned abot matching themes closely although I stil do when possible.

When I trade links on content pages, I try to follow themes as close as possible.

If you want a link from a blackjack page, don't ask me to link it to a video poker page, but I will offer that link from a video poker page from a different site....

Rick
Universal4