Let's get this straight: You can't buy links. You can't sell links. You can't swap or reciprocate links. That only leaves natural links. IN other words, all of us webmasters have to rely on the kindness of other webmasters to possibly get a backlink.....ROFL Sure!!!! As if that's gonna happen....hehehehe Col
"Link exchange and reciprocal links schemes ('Link to me and I'll link to you.')" google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356&query=link+exchange&topic=&type This, my fellow DP members, is a steaming pile of dung! Google is now contradicting what they have told Webmasters for YEARS. Google intends to PUNISH webmasters for following Google's own instructions? Now they want to label the practice of acquiring valid, related, reciproal links as a "scheme" because it doesn't mesh well with their new business model? I don't have the exact page in front of me, but Google stated somewhere in their own "Webmaster" section that Webmasters should "exchange links with related sites" in order to increase the popularity of their sites! Does anyone have the URL of that page? If that page has been edited, or Google deleted it altogether, does anyone have a cached version?
i think it will make the webmasters life more troublesome.how can someone just wait to include his link on other sites until the other website owner like that?
Here's something similar to that page you're looking for: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769 It says: "Have other relevant sites link to yours" - That's easier said than done these days, especially if you can't buy links or trade links In other words, if your site is new, you are screwed big time for the first few months
No, that's not it. The page to which I am referring specifically stated (from what I recall), "exchange links with related sites." DOES NOBODY ELSE RECALL THIS?
I guess Google wants to punlish some certain webmasters group who will do link exchanges among themselves. But if Google does, many others would be DAMAGED, so I profer to consiter this news as rumor.
This is not a rumor. Matt Cutts is a Google spokesman and anti-spam engineer. You can still do link exchanges. What they are penalizing is excessive reciprocal links.
My observations so far says this 1. The link which OP has quoted doesn't have enough content to back itself up. 2. They(Google) haven't published anything like this on Google News. 3. There was always a buzz that bad(non related) links will kill your PR and may eventually get you banned, if it occurs repeatedly. 4. This Blog post looks more like a Hype to get more traffic on his site to get his PR up.........(else why post gossip on your blog) 5.
I can think of hundreds of massive, massive websites that have link partners, so your telling me there all going to get banned, yeah right Google, next it will be your page will be supped if you have spelling errors, why dont you focus your time on detecting Adsense clickfraud instead of creating problems.
Well, you know it was only a matter of time before Google flexed it's muscle to show us all who runs the show ultimately. When you become a virtual search monopoly I guess they can tell us all what we should or can do. It's sad but yet soo predictable given games Microsoft has played int he past..see a pattern here. Rest assured there will be more "bad" or "crazy" news like this in the future from Google to keep us all shuffling along
This is just wrong on so many levels. Someone brought up this point earlier in this thread and I think it was missed, but is worth repeating. If the webmasters as a community decide they've had enough of googles hints and tips and outright BS and start blocking google from crawling their sites, well, sergi and bren or whatever the hell his name is, will be asking if you'd like to supersize your fries. Webmasters, as a community, need to grow a big hairy pair and remind google that they are where they are because we've allowed them to get there, and we can take it away just as easily. Just my $.03* *adjusted for inflation
If google banned sites for swapping links they would crash. %99 of webmasters swap links and have done since the net was born. I will contine swapping links
There is nothing wrong with contacting website owners directly and asking for links, offering a link of your own. If these are relevant sites in your topic, it makes total sense. If you look at the partners page of most any website, from a one man shop to the fortune 50, you will see a list of links to related websites.