3-way linking... a ruse for the unknowing webmaster

[FiberGuy]

Greetings boardies!

I haven't seen this discussed here, so I thought I'd share some info... and some insight.

Here's an edited (to protect the innocent!) copy of an email that I received a while back (the bolded info has been altered):

Dear Webmaster
I visited your web site earlier today and just wanted to congratulate you on a well presented, and informative web site. I run a site which has content of interest for your visitors. I was wondering if you would like to trade links(indirect 3-way linking) with me.


Your link will be added on the following page:
http://www.near-worthless-spammy-directory.com

The details of my site are as follows:

Title : Quilt Patterns
URL: http://www.website.com
Description: We provide fine linens with a great quality and workmanship. Our line now includes complete crib and teen bedding, Quilts, custom silk
curtains and quilted bedding in numerous colours and designs.

OR you can use the following code:

website.com" >Quilt Patterns
We provide fine linens with a great quality and workmanship. Our line now includes complete crib and teen bedding, Quilts, custom silk curtains and quilted bedding in numerous colours and designs.

As you know backlinks helps in generating more traffic to our sites as well as achieving higher search engine rankings.

If interested ,You can add our link in your resources/Links/Partners Pages or feel free to contact me at: patrick@websitepromotioncompany.com

If you own any other sites for which you are willing to trade links, please let me know. I'll be happy to add your listings to my site immediately.

I'll be glad to hear anything you have to offer.

Kind Regards,
Patrick Blowhard
patrick@websitepromotioncompany.com
WEBMASTER.

This is one example of a scam designed to prey on ignorant webmasters (no offense intended).  At first glance, you're both getting a link, so what's the big deal, right?

Well, the link that you're giving, is from a related site to the client of the promotion company.  The link that you're receiving is from a directory, usually low page rank (if any page rank at all) and having little link benefit to your site, much less any traffic potential.

Here's the deal:  One-way links from a related site have the appearance of a natural link.  Natural links are held in high regard by Google, and presumably the other major search engines as well.  Yes, it would seem that you're getting a natural link as well, right?  Not so fast... Google has ways to determine what kind of site the link comes from.  While directories are fine (IMO), you are getting the short end of the stick... BIG TIME. 

I usually ignore such requests, but I've occasionally sent a polite email stating that they've been outed.

The worst part of the deal is that the client of the web site promotion company responsible for playing this nasty game probably doesn't have any idea what sort of shady practice is being played on their behalf.  This is a prime example of a professional SEO company that is either LAZY or CROOKED or BOTH.

I'm sure there are very good SEO companies out there that offer exceptional white-hat SEO that will benefit the webmaster long term.  This isn't one of them.  I would have been happy to do a proper link exchange with the client company, a related site where both of our customers could have benefited.  But now they get nothing, because of an SEO company with no integrity.

With patience, vigilance, and above all, just a bit of knowledge, your web site linking strategies will pay off in a big way, WITHOUT having to pull stunts like this.

Cheers

[BellisimaJ.]

FG,

Thanks for the tip! 

I am one of those "ignorant" webmasters who would probably be taken in by this kind of thing.i have always been very trusting and I am rapidly learning how foolish that is/I was!
-

[accentnepal]

I am wondering about how worthwhile the whole exchanging links thing is. Seems like I remember seeing in Matt Cutt's (Google big shot) blog that Google ignores reciprocal links. May even penalize them - he told one guy that had exchanged maybe 20 links to contact G for a review after he removed the links.

Of course Matt wants everybody to quietly add more and more content for years and years without any traffic or income until the world finds their site by luck or something, at which time Google will send them some traffic.

[FiberGuy]

[quote author=accentnepal link=topic=6489.msg38669#msg38669 date=1167552041]
I am wondering about how worthwhile the whole exchanging links thing is. Seems like I remember seeing in Matt Cutt's (Google big shot) blog that Google ignores reciprocal links. May even penalize them - he told one guy that had exchanged maybe 20 links to contact G for a review after he removed the links.
[/quote]

There's no doubt in my mind that recip. links aren't as valuable as they once were.  However, I've seen no evidence of any penalties for linking to relevant, friendly (not spammy) sites. 

I actually get some good traffic from a few of our link partners... some paying customers have even noted where they found our link.

I do believe that the rule of thumb "make your web site for your visitors, not for the search engines" holds true with link exchanges, as well. 

Cheers


(ETA)

I have seen references by web professionals and Matt Cutts regarding "excessive reciprocal links".  It's anyone's guess how much is too much, but having one page or so of link partners can't hurt (IMO).

[BellisimaJ.]

Of course Matt wants everybody to quietly add more and more content for years and years without any traffic or income until the world finds their site by luck or something, at which time Google will send them some traffic.

no evidence of any penalties for linking to relevant, friendly  (not spammy) sites.

But what IS relevant? How is it defined? 

[FiberGuy]

[quote author=BellisimaJ. link=topic=6489.msg38691#msg38691 date=1167585695]

But what IS relevant? How is it defined? 
[/quote]

Unfortunately, Bell, it's Google and not US that define relevant! 

I interpret what they mean by "relevant" as "relevant to the surfer".  For example:  We sell vintage textiles and paper.  As a rule of thumb (with just a few exceptions, such as other antiques), I only link to other sites about textiles or vintage paper. 

One useful tool that can shed a bit of insight (with a degree of presumption, of course) is using Google's Site Maps control panel, under page analysis, you will find a list of words "in your site's content".  These words are most likely a small sampling of what Google has indexed and deemed pertinent to your site. 

Here's part of the list found when viewing details of our site map stats:

cart 
vintage 
fabric 
pattern 
feed 
paper 
patterns 
bust 
sacks 
cotton 
buttons 
dress 
unused 
ordering 
antique

Take that for what it's worth (with many assumptions, as with most Google theories), but linking to sites that have a similar content is more effective (and more safe) than linking to a site (in our case) about computer programming or Dutch Elm disease.

Cheers

[BellisimaJ.]

Thanks, Fg----that helps a lot!

[thentavius]

I delete those emails when I get 'em.

I first started deleting them when I got a message claiming they liked my "insurance website." At the time I was selling role playing game products and fantasy T Shirts. LOL.

In the past, I've gotten fully personalized emails from people with similar sites--and we've back-and-forthed a few times, exchanged links, etc. I usually check up on the sites to make sure the link is still there. With the RPG / fantasy site I had, I had set up a few good traded links, several with boards related to gaming.

However, in each case, the emails from interested link-traders had a more genuine edge than those copy-cat, rubber-stamp style emails FiberGuy quoted above. I just trash those. You can tell they're form letters.

[jezebel]

I visited your web site earlier today and thought our penis pump site and your website have similar demographics.  Would you like to trade links?

[thentavius]

I visited your web site earlier today and thought our penis pump site and your website have similar demographics.  Would you like to trade links?

LOL!  ;D

I've gotten similar emails with that form-letter opening sentence.

I didn't realize that dice and penis pumps had so much in common.