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Reciprocal links are one of the most common and most effective forms of website
promotion. The basic concept is simple - you link my site, I'll link yours and
we'll both get an increase in traffic. But there is more to it than just exchanging
links with a random site.
The very first problem is to find the right site to do an reciprocal link exchange
with. A good partner has content that appeals to the same kind of visitors as
your site does, and vice versa of course. For example, a Futurama fan site could
have reciprocal links with a Simpsons fan site, a free stuff site with a sweepstakes
site and so on. To create successful reciprocal links, the exchanging sites
need to be similar yet different enough so that they don't compete with each
other.
After you've found a site that fits the above description, there are a few
other important things that need to be figured out. First, is the other site
interesting? If it's filled with banner ads and typos, you're better off finding
another site to exchange reciprocal links with. A good rule of thumb is "If
it doesn't interest me, it's not going to interest my visitors".
The second thing is to figure out how much traffic the site gets. Usually you
can make a rough estimate just by browsing the site - if it looks and feels
professional, it probably gets a pretty good amount of visitors. If it feels
like it was a poor site to begin with, and no one has updated it since 1997,
it probably doesn't get more visitors a day than you have fingers in your hands.
For the exchange to be useful to both parties involved, sites performing an
exchange should have similar amounts of traffic - that way one site doesn't
just rip visitors off the other one without giving any in return. Because most
webmasters know this rule (some even monitor the amount of traffic they receive/send
out), it's unlikely that a low-traffic site can get a link exchange with a high-traffic
one. But if your site is really good, your proposal for a link exchange could
be accepted even if you get less visitors than the site you're trying to exchange
with. The old "content is king"-rule applies here, too :).
After you've found a site that seems to be suitable, it's time to contact the
webmaster of that site. Tell him that you run a site that has a similar topic
and describe your site a bit (remember to give your front page's address). Say
that you like his site and have included a link to it in your site (give him
the address of the page where the link is), then ask him to return the favor
by linking to your site. If you never get a reply or your proposal gets rejected,
just forget it and find another site.
If you manage to make a deal and get the other webmaster to link to your site,
keep your end of the bargain - don't remove your link without contacting the
webmaster of the other site first. Because there are some webmasters who agree
to exchange reciprocal links, add your link on their site for a few days/weeks
and then remove it without noticing you, you should also check the site of your
partner every now and then to see if he's keeping his part of the deal. If he
is not, contact the guy and kindly ask him to explain why your link has disappeared.
If you don't get a satisfactory explanation, remove the link to his site from
your site and find another partner.
About the Author:
Lauri Harpf
http://apromotionguide.com |
