We frequently receive questions from clients stating they received an email from another website wanting to exchange links with their website. Getting more incoming links (inbound links) is very important to establish good rankings on Google and some of the other major search engines. So yes, you want more incoming links.
The issue is - there are many link exchange scams, bait and switch schemes, and other tactics online marketers use to get you to link to their website. Some requests are completely legit and could be a good opportunity to help both websites. So should you link? What are the risks? What are the benefits? Here are a few tips to help you identify if the link exchange request is valid and how to avoid link exchange scams:
10 Tips To Avoid Link Exchange Scams
1) Do not click any links in their email to you! Their email is probably a solicitation, and you most likely don't "know" them. As a good rule of thumb, never click links in emails from anyone you don't already know and trust. Viruses and other bad things may be hidden or disguised in a link exchange email.
2) Visit their website directly. Does their website match your website's target audience? If it doesn't match at all with related keywords, similar interests, same industry, etc. then consider avoiding the link. If it is a good fit, it is a better and safer bet.
3) Avoid bait & switch scams. Where are they asking you to link to? Establish who the author is and get a feel for the type of content on the website. Is the website they are offering to link from their "main website" or is it a quick secondary website they threw up to get your incoming link to their main website? Avoid trading links from a "bait and switch". Look for linking to a good quality, established, primary website.
4) Check where they plan to place the link to your website. Do you see a "Links" or "Resources" page connected anywhere on their website if you click around? If you can't find it, email them back and ask where they plan to place the link. If they don't already have a links page, they may ask you to link to them with no intention of ever linking back to your website.
5) It seems real, they already link to your website. If you did click the link in the email, you may see a website that already links to your website at the bottom or side of every page. It's a tricky tactic, as they are showing you something that is not actually visible unless you click the link, which they have only provided to you. Also, this is probably a secondary website used to market their main business. This is for sure
only a marketing tactic rather than a reciprocal business relationship.
6) Link to quality content. We should only link to websites that are websites we can be proud to display on your website. Even though the attraction is there to get one more incoming link to your website, it may not be worth all the explaining you have to do with potential customers, vendors, or future business partners. Also, there are websites that have shady practices that might get them "black listed" by the search engines and they may be flagged for using bad practices online. You never want to link to - or from - a website that is practicing "black hat" SEO techniques.
7) Don't give them your credit card number for any reason. If it's not a scam, there is no reason to exchange payment. This is supposed to be a mutually reciprocal relationship, were you both gain from the links. The only reason they would need your credit card number is to scam you out of money.
8) Research the website and do a "who is" look up. Figure out who owns the domain name and how long they have been in business with that domain name. There are many websites that offer this type of search for free, we use GoDaddy as they provide lots of information compared to others - http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx
9) Establish who the link would benefit most. The idea is that you both benefit from the link exchange. Scammers may try to get you to link from your home page or every page on your website, in exchange for a link from their website on an interior page that is buried 10 clicks deep. Although it may still count as an incoming link, they may be putting it in a place that search engines can't crawl.
10) Put keywords in the link title. If you have established this is a relevant website, with good content and a history you can be proud of - it might be a good move to exchange links with them. If you decide to go ahead with the link, make sure both of your companies put good keywords in the hyperlink. Example: Site Smart - Las Vegas Website Design rather than just the company name Site Smart Marketing, Inc. This is one of the main ways search engines know what your website should be known for - stamped with a seal of approval by your peers. It's an outside source vouching for your website by giving a vote of that states "yes, that's what they are known for".
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