Hello Search Watch,

I am interested in comments on link exchange among websites of an association. We have 8 websites representing independent businesses around Sydney in an association - with perhaps 16 others in other cites.

I have tried to get everyone to cross link the websites with the thinking that it should improve all our rankings - and also help generate leads.

The commentary I read on the web is that reciprocal linking worked well a few years ago but less so now. However, in the association all the websites focus on similar key words.

Also I launched a website for the association with the key words in the URL. This site links to all the sites.

In regards to the reciprocal linking - this has been very difficult to pursuade all the parties to participate. There is reluctance, indifference, and I have not offered definitive proof that it works. Some hesitate because they think it will hurt their ranking.

Some proof is: it has really worked for those sites that were not doing well in the rankings previously - it brings them up a few pages. Google has got to figure out how difficult it is to convince businesses to implement a links page and to link to each other.

And of course these links are with keywords in the anchortext.

So how best to pursuade more to participate?

Any really good proof about the SEO benefits of reciprocal linking - that I may share - some authoritative source - about reciprocal linking between websites targetting similar key words?

Any other ideas how to help a group of websites targetting the same keywords rank higher than other websites not in the group?

Yes there are a number of different ways to improve rankings - I am interested here in the ways a group of businesses may coordinate SEO.

Regards,

GAustralia

You could have each write articles about the industry with reference to 3-4 of the group on the article - all combining different companies in them and on different topics within the industry.

The articles build content for the writer and links for the others - win win

from my experience, link exchange dont make to much improvement for keyword possition in google.. batter get one way link from web directory to your web site that contain the keyword that you want to improve. there's lot of web directory that you can submit free without exchange link. you can see it in http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=15197

Hello -

I was looking for an answer on the benefit of reciprocal links between websites targeting similar key words. ?? It seems like this should be more difficult than submission to free directories who may have many hundreds/thousands of links - compared to perhaps 10-20 outgoing links from the websites in the association.

As part of SEO one may combine a few strategies.

AussieWebmaster - interesting idea for each of the sites to post articles about perhaps 4 other businesses in the association. I believe this may be a bit harder than getting reciprocal links. The idea highlights importnace of in context links. Any other thoughts?

Thanks for the input.

GAustralia

Most SEOs I know believe that neither reciprocal linkings nor links from directories help a great deal anymore. Then there are examples of such links getting sites to rank, but the common opinion (for which personally have no evidence) is that it has to do with the age of those links (reciprocal links / directory links from back in the day counting more than if you got them today).

Personally I would be rather careful to interlink 8 (let alone 24) websites if you're going to put a link to all of the other 7 websites on each website. I don't have in-depth knowledge on this one, but it seems like this could be seen as a spammy link network and cause a penalty. It might not, but I wouldn't risk going there for the (not so extreme) benefit that getting those 7links to each page would probably offer.

I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned this. Am I overly careful on this one? Is interlinking 8 pages far from a problem? How about 24? I would never risk it.

no seems like a lot of work for little if no return

Hey GAustralia - you seem somewhat ambitious/enthousiastic about that project (and SEO in general). I think you should try to find some good sources to read up about link building and how people normally get links these days. If you do that (I think you're interested enough in learning it) and are somewhat creative you should be able to think of better ways than reciprocal links and directories, and come up with some good ideas.

Then again of course it d epends on whether you just want to 'SEO' that one site (or well that one network of sites) or if you want to learn SEO in general.

Try good side of linkbait

Best,

Hello New Kid,Jag -

Yes just a few sites I am interested in. And yes I am looking for new ideas. The competitons is changing and it seems that while you are doing well one month with the search engines this does not guarantee the next month.

GAustralia

Can you PM your website's address to me? I can't do a full audit or anything, but maybe I'll have an idea if I see it..(not sure if it's allowed for you to post a link in the thread, if it is, that would do, too obviously!)

In fact, There is a lots of web platform with lot's link exchange. If you add in this platform ,you will have lot's link out and in.But i think it's just a flea market......

Why don't you treat each site as an individual site and try getting links. Interlinking each other will be of little use - and can be a cause of spam too if by chance caught.

Add articles and in between link to partner site, but carefully drawing the line.