Linking, Link Trades And Reciprocating Links Tutorial
Tutorial and free tips on trading links, building reciprocating links, cross linking ideas and
a brief history of Free-For-All links.
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The original Free-For-All links page (FFA page) at 1NetCentral.com was created around 1997, and a lot has changed
about the Internet, how search engines "see" and evaluate links pages, FFAs and cross linking
with other sites. The first part of this tutorial will cover a brief history of free links pages (FFAs)
as the webmaster sees it, then will come
recommendations about cross linking, reciprocating links and general linking strategies. Everyone seems
in such a hurry these days ... given that, you can just jump to the
Top Ten Linking And Reciprocating Links Suggestions, if you wish.
Long ago in the distant prehistoric past of the Internet there was this fun and
interesting little thing called Free-For-All Links page (also called FFAs or Free Links page). This was a web page
with a small bit of programming that allowed visitors to "post a link".
Web surfers ... those early, brave, adventurous souls who, in the mid to late 90s,
ventured about the WWW (world wide web) without virus protection, firewalls, privacy worries and never
heard of SPAM ... would visit web sites and if an FFA links page was
offered as a feature, leave a link back to personal web sites of their own.
Guest books, also a programming script where one could leave comments,
were considered a nice feature (and still are). But for surfers interested in
exploration, nothing beat a good FFA page for exploring new and unusual web sites.
The more popular web sites with an FFA page would post the last 100 links
from visitors ... dropping the oldest link in favor of new link from the newest visitor.
This was a great way to bring traffic to your web site and show off ones webmaster
skills and graphic artistry. It was all great fun and a great way to both explore the Internet
outside the box of search engines or search directories ... sorta' like traveling the back roads
and hiking trails rather than only traveling the high speed Interstate highways and freeways.
I have a theory ... anything that becomes TOO popular will eventually be ruined. There seems
to be some sort of universal rule of balance which states that too much attention is as bad as
no attention. As the popularity for Free Links pages grew, so did the problems. Jerks would
visit and "spam the links" by posting their web site on all 100 links available with the
unintelligent hope they could get ALL the traffic from other visitors ... so that
had to be fixed. The early gambling and porn promoters started posting links
that were inappropriate ... so, that had to be fixed. Then, to limit the number and type of
links, some web sites that hosted a free links page only wanted visitors to leave a
link IF that web site was about a related topic ... creating another layer of control and
programming. Things were suddenly getting complicated.
Where once you could get a quick, free programming script in order
to create an FFA page for your web site, now you had to either become a good
programmer to create your own; buy and install an FFA script; or use a third party
free-for-all links company who would create, control and monitor the FFA page (for a small fee, of course, or a
portion of the FFA page for the third party to advertise on). Despite this, for several years,
webmasters continued to add the FFA feature to a web site because web surfers continued to love
visiting a good FFA page. But, money and profit
were slowly replacing the values of fun, sharing, adventure and exploration.
That would have been OK, except the worst thing happened ... search engines started
using the total number of links throughout the Internet to any given web site as a means
to determine a web sites value. The more links a search engine found to a web site,
the greater its value, the higher a search engine would rank or index that site.
BOOM ... a tidal wave of attention, instant popularity, if you could ONLY post
to LOTS of FFA pages at one time. And large, third party FFA operators had
the fast track to higher indexing in search engines. For them, it was like finding
a big, gold brick in your pocket.
If you think of search engines as a form of communal intelligence ... and the
bigger and better financed a search engine, the greater will be its intelligence ...
then you know what happened next.
Good, smart search engines quickly
figured out they were being hoaxed into believing a web page was popular
by automated linking programs using FFA pages to create a form of
artificial popularity ... and that is not right. Sooooooooooo ... the search
engines, particularly Google, wishing to protect the value of their
indexes (making sure the results of any keyword search yielded web sites
that had TRUE link popularity) quickly adapted. Many say Google started not ONLY
ignoring Free For All links pages, but also to punish those who dared to post
a link on those pages (something our experiments at 1NetCentral
kept confirming).
Being banned by Google or even Yahoo is a bit like
God sending you to limbo ... it is not a place any webmaster wishes to
find his/her web sites banished too. And, so began the decline of fun,
interesting FFA links pages on personal sites, small business pages and so forth.
It was also the beginning a long, tactical battle between the search engines and
those who wish to increase a web sites ranking by using automatic linking systems ...
and not all those automated systems for cross linking and creating reciprocating links
are without value. Given the shear size of the Internet, the near infinite number of
web pages, finding good web sites to link with similar to yours is daunting, to say the least.
And, since search engines generally ALSO look for web links on a :"links page"
to share a similar theme in order to have "value" for ranking, one of the GREAT
features of the Internet is lost ... exploration.
What made the original free-for-all links page fun and interesting was
something that most people these days DO NOT appreciate ... innocent
and carefree exploration and adventure. "In those old day" when you found a fun web
site with a good FFA page, you could visit 100 (or at least 98) different
realities. You could discover a web site with a fantastic recipe for
BBQ sauce; then find someone who knew who really killed President Kennedy;
see pictures of flying saucers; discover a new way to cure baldness; find
a new place to play blackjack online; go see naked pictures of someone (not
that I EVER went to one of THOSE web sites); learn how to get your sins forgiven
(which you needed for visiting the link with naked pictures); and find where the
best place for free downloads was located. It was all about adventure and exploration
and discovery. Now days, too much is about getting what you are looking for as
fast as possible never mind the journey ... and it is about money, of course.
So, to return to our historical time line (if that is what it was)
Many new and inventive forms of FFA pages with automated links systems have come
(and many are gone). "link farms" and other automated
linking systems (especially where you never have to visit ANY of the
web sites or pages where you links appear) are generally quickly snuffed by Google, Yahoo,
MSN and Ask.com. Webrings, in case you do not know, are communities of
web sites dedicated to a particular topic or theme. Webrings are a method to
bringing pages of similar topics together by linking to a common directory, generally
operated and monitored by an administrator. Often, webrings are open to all those with quality
web sites of a similar theme and it is a good way to get your web site noticed and even indexed
by the major search engines. It could be webrings continue to flourish
(and enhance ones web site ranking on search engines) because they are
"managed" for quality and, as previously stated, the engines do like to
see links on a page in "themes".
Someday, that lovable, easy, personal, interesting Free For All links page
will return. It will be about the time search engines learn how to deal with
and honest FFA pages, where only live visitors can post a link that is ethically
acceptable to both the host web site and the search engines. There is some
evidence that this is already beginning to happen. The problem lies, to date,
with "ethics". Ethics is something only an enlightened mind
can attain. It can guide ones efforts in programming, but it cannot BE
a program.
Now, what you are most likely here for is to find out HOW to start crosslinks, setting
up reciprocating links, and how to get other web sites to link to yours with out you
necessarily linking back. That is one reason we redesigned the original FFA page
and called it the Crosslinking And Reciprocating Linking Help And Services
page. There, you will find all sorts of educational materials, services and tutorial sites about
linking, cross linking, reciprocating links and getting traffic by those means.
Now, what you REALLY want to know is, "how to get links on other web sites to
MY website", and, of course, you want these links so you get higher in the search
engine rankings. Right? OK, if it is the fast track you want, I have listed a number of
resources on the Crosslinking And Reciprocating Linking Help And Services
page. Most of the time, people who want to be on the fast track are REALLY interested in making money.
So, you will find resources and tutorials on the Cross Linking Page directed more towards
commercial applications. Use caution. Search engines rules and indexing methods
change frequently. So although links are the hot ranking method right now, and
some automated and quot;purchased links" are acceptable to most search engines
today ... well, you see where I am going. Test everything, monitor traffic and your ranking
and be prepared to shift strategy if necessary. Do the obvious, do what works, stop doing
what does not.
1NetCentral.com does not have a linking strategy. What I have a very old fashion linking
philosophy. As the webmaster, if I find a valuable web site I think YOU would enjoy, I will
likely set a link at 1NetCentral to that site. I may or may not contact that site and ask for
a link back. It depends (on mood, weather conditions, if I really like the webmasters
name, etc.). I get numerous requests to cross link a month from other webmasters.
I personally review every site, and, if I think it is appropriate and a quality site, I will agree
to reciprocating links. Sadly, I often get request for links from web sites that are
excellent, however, I just do not have an appropriate category or place to link to them ...
or, maybe, I already have too many links to web sites offering similar services/information.
This is why I miss our old FFA page ... it was where good, though unrelated sites could
leave a link (and if they had an FFA page, when I came to visit, I could leave a 1NetCentral.com
link). And there you have it ... the powerful linking system of 1NetCentral.com, perplexing experts
world wide.
Top Ten Recommended Cross Linking And Reciprocating Links Suggestions
Having been around the Internet (and on all the major search engines) for years, I have
learned some VERY important things about links, linking, cross linking, reciprocating links
and how all that influences search engines and ranks. Here are some very important
things I have learned ... and natural, it HAS to be list of 10 ... another top 10 list ...
the Internet is over run with top 10 list ... Anyway, here is 1NetCentral.coms top
ten linking and reciprocating linking suggestions:
One: Quality web pages with content trumps everything. Create a web page with excellent content, be patience,
and other web sites will begin linking with you. Just MAKE SURE you put your copyright
on the web page AND in more than one place. Monitor traffic, if you find someone has
linked to you, try and find a way to link back.
Two: If you are actively seeking linking partners, try and link with those sites which are
custom built, offer quality and have been on the Internet a year or more. Why? Because
nothing is more frustrating than finding a number of your linking partners disappeared from
the Net within a few months (or the domain gets purchased by a porn seller. There you
are with a link to a web site called "How To Enjoy Colors" that has changed
to an a nude body painting porn site OR the domain goes off the Web and you have
a "bad link". Bad links with 404 errors (No Such Page) on your web site
will devalue your site with the search engines. Which takes us to ...
Three: Check ALL your web site links over the course of a year. You will be surprised
how many bad links you have accumulated AND discover the occasional malformed
or malfunctioning links you will discover. This cannot be overstated ... a web page
with good content and ALL links working properly will get indexed well, in time.
Four: Most folks seeking linking partners create a "links page".
This is generally a good idea. Here are some tips regarding that idea.
Some link partners DO NOT play fair. They say they put you on tier link
page, but that link page is NOT linked off the front page OR is not linked to any
web page ... it is just a links web page in the directory linked to nothing. That
is useless to you and it is a sign of poor Web ethics. You do not want to be
dealing with such clowns. Make sure YOUR link page is linked directly off your
front (index) page. AND, do NOT name you links page "Our Links Page"
or "Linking Page" or any such thing. Some search engines will not
index, or may not even read or follow links on a web page that has the word
"links" in the title, meta-tags, or has text about "linking partners".
Instead, call your page "Web Sites Worth Visiting" or :"Places To
Visit Around The Internet" ... and, show some pride in the web sites YOU
are recommending, make a nice looking web page.
Five: Do not link to web sites you would not recommend to your mother to visit.
Fully tour every web site that requests a link to your site.
Six: Have your linking partners help you (and you help them) by including
important keywords in the hyperlink to your site. Many search engines like that.
If your web site is about dogs, make sure the word "dog" appears
in the link.
Seven: Create unique and valuable links situations. For example: Say you
find a web site with GREAT content (say, someone has written a great
article about the perfect golf swing), but the web page is buried deep
in the authors web site and difficult to find. And, you would like to have that
content on your web site but right off the front page, see if you can work
a deal with the other webmaster to use that content in exchange for a link
to the other sites front page from your front page (front page links are
considered "high value" by search engines ... so such a trade
will be helpful to both of you. AND, when you link back from a web page
with the authors content which you WILL do, the authors web site gets
a double boost.) Another unique linking idea is, say, Bob wants to link
to you, but you do not have an appropriate place to link back because
Bob has a web site about some weird stuff totally unrelated to YOUR
web site. However, Bob knows John, and John has a high powered
web site that is related to yours, but he does not want to link to
competitive web sites. Well, now, why not do a "third party
link deal". You link to John, John links to Bob and then
Bob links to you. Everyone gets a link, the search engines see
value in folks linking to site that do not necessarily link back, everyone benefits.
Also, not ALL cross linking and reciprocating link HAVE to be on a "links page".
You can link with anyone, anywhere you want on your web site. Other site owners can
do the same ... and you might be surprised how spreading your cross linking across
your entire web site (especially if your reciprocating link partners do the same) will
both help keep your site indexed and the sites of your linking partners.
The Internet is ALL about linking. Have fun with it. Get creative.
Eight: As you rise in the search engine rankings and get better indexed ...
and your traffic begins to increase ... you will get emails from people saying
something like, "I have a web page with a P2 ranking and would be
willing to link with a similar ranked page on your site ..." yada, yada, yada.
This is webspeak for how web pages are ranked by search engines and generally
indicated high web traffic and popularity with P1 being a top tier
ranking and P2 almost as good, and so forth.
Well, I usually respond to such emails with a, "big whoopee for you ... if you have
such a great ranking, why are you bothering me". Sure, cross linking
with highly ranked and indexed sites USUALLY helps your ranking. It is a good
idea to investigate such offers. But, go back to tip #5 ... would you email your
mother and send her to that "recommended" site with pride? It
might be better to base your cross linking and reciprocating links on quality and
content ... because those sites, provided they remain consistent, will rise in
the indexes, bringing your site along with them. Besides, the search engines
are forever tweaking HOW web pages are rated and indexed ... todays P2 page
can easily find itself a P-nothing site ... especially, if they violated some search engines rules
to get that ranking.
Nine: There is no such thing as strictly personal or business web site. The idea that there are two,
distinct categories of web sites on the Internet (personal and commercial) is a concept that
has becomed very blurred, and will become even more so as time goes by.
Prediction: ALL web sites across the entire Web WILL eventually be a mixture of personal, informational and
commercial. This will include all government sites, college sites, personal family web sites business sites and
anything and everything in between. Why? Because EVERYONE has to pay, one way or another, to
be on the Internet. EVERYONE, one way or another, has to pay to maintain a web site, get indexed or
listed by search engines (that is coming) and nearly every person will want to have a presence on
the Internet. Almost everyone is engaged in some activity on and off the Internet to make money
and sooooooooooooo, they are going to at least investigate HOW the Internet can enhance
that money making activity. Why do I mention all this? Because you need to evaluate
what web sites to crosslink or link to beyond the consideration if that site is commercial or not.
Also, there is nothing wrong with asking commercial sites for a link, especially if you are
earning commissions from them via an affiliate program. This is one reason I stress quality
and content as the foremost linking consideration ... if you consider linking with a commercial
site you can use the quality concept as a means of evaluating whether or not to cross link.
Is it a good product or service? Are they nice people? Would your visitors benefit from
visiting that site? Does that commercial site act a good public citizen and netizen? Do they
offer good information for free that would benefit everyone? Then, maybe they would be worth
linking too.
Ten: Link stability is very important. Creating a thousand links in a day, only to loose most
of them a week later is a red flag to search engines. Build links to your site and from your
site at a steady pace. Try and maintain quality linking partners and keep building additional
partners over time. Be aware that maintaining your site and improving your content is key
to improving your linking desirability and your general search engine ranking. It takes time
and effort, but if you love being on the Internet, it is worth it.
Eleven: (I just could not stand being another person who created a "top ten tips"
web page). Disregard everything I have suggested. I certainly do. I try and try and TRY to
be perfect, but I just never seem to get there ... I guess that is just the nature of perfection.
I have linked to sites my mother would hate; I have not maintained ALL my web pages;
I have linked with sites I just found WEIRD; I have tested automated linking systems;
I have tried linking schemes; I have tried pop-unders, pop-overs and eaten popums.
I am just trying to help you by giving you some sound advice about linking, crosslinking
and reciprocating links because you want more web traffic. Being experimental and creative
is the life blood of the Internet (although is often seems the Web is dominated by copycats and
thiefs). The Internet is millions of minds working or millions of ideas all
expressed in electronic and electrical formats that are all interconnected. The Internet is
an ever changing electronic landscape. What works today may not work tomorrow
and what did NOT work yesterday may somehow become the new hot method. I do
think there is one absolute: Quality web pages with content trumps everything.
Just do your best. Personally, I await the
day good FFA links pages make a comeback ... along with the buffalo, pure water, formal hats
and being able to eat anything and not get fat. It could happen.
And, yes, this tutorial is copyrighted to 1 NetCentral.Com. All rights reserved. You are, however, welcome to link
to this page, if you'd like.
Return To Free Links Page
Copyright 2007 by 1 NetCentral.Com. All rights reserved.
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