Are Link Exchanges Useless?

by Rick Hendershot
Power Linking Strategies

In my Free Power Linking Course I point out that it is virtually pointless getting links in link directories that are nothing more than long lists of "link partners".

For instance, I recently had a link exchange request from a website with a link directory containing thousands of link "partners". The "Business" section alone had 3000 outbound links. Page upon page of links to sites who, presumably, have posted links pointing back to this site (or some other one designated by the site owner).

None of the link pages on this site I checked had any Google PR at all. In other words, according to my definition, these pages are SPAM. They are not intended to ever be read. They exist for no reason other than to create links.

This is a pretty good deal for the spammy link directory: trade links from sites with legitimate link resource directories, from pages which likely have PR, and in return dump the reciprocal link into a bottomless pit of useless link pages.

If you think that linking with sites like this is going to do you any good, you haven't really thought about it. If link exchange of this sort is your primary linking strategy, you are wasting your time.

Quit wasting your time, and start doing some serious "power linking".

-- Rick Hendershot
Power Linking Strategies