This is probably been mentioned before somewhere on the web but I had an idea and was wondering if it would work to get quality, related rankings. The Bush incident a while ago is one of a million examples of the undeniable role that anchor text plays in informing Google what a website is about. Most SEO experts also claim that having relevant links does nothing but wonders for your serps position. If those links are high quality relevant links then you should have no problem ranking for your keywords. The trouble is that most of the high quality websites that are relevant to most niches are in fact the competitors and the chances of getting a one way link from these guys is nothing. So, what to do? I suggest that you get a link from a high quality and not-so-relevant website and then make that website relevant, in the only way you can without having administration access - backlinks. If I have a site on fish and I get a PR6 link from a trusted, authority site on football AND then shoot a fair few backlinks at that site with the anchor text 'fish', will it then become a site that is relevant to mine? I for one can't see how, given the importance Google places on anchors to factor in relevance, it would not turn from a high quality backlink into the much sought after high quality relevant link. A few questions then..... Would this work? If so, how well? Would this be worth the effort? Is this ethical (in the sense that you would be pointing links to another person's site)?
Google has reduced the Google bombing effect. Instead of doing this, which can be easily viewed as blackhat, focus on quality content and links. If you have nice content people will come back and your visitor base will grow. If your content sucks, you will be no different then a dog that chases his tail all day long. The key is to retain visitors and keep them coming back... Those are reciprocal links if you link back. If that is the case the value of those backlinks is very low. Better to just keep the football link, and it may be somewhat related to fishing sports. Maybe short term you would see some results with your methods. Then Google will bring out its paddle and spank the keyword ranks to around position 950 or so. Semi related links won't hurt you, but Google bombing will. The bottom line is this: If your site can't stand the sniff test by a Google Webspam employee, then you should probably choose some better SEO methods...
Quote: Those are reciprocal links if you link back. If that is the case the value of those backlinks is very low. Better to just keep the football link, and it may be somewhat related to fishing sports. Sorry I meant backlinks from other blogs/sites etc. As for Google bombing, I think I used this example inappropriately as it has connotations of firing a million links at a site whereas I was talking a few.
I don't agree that reciprocol links are "very low value", they're just not as high as one way links. That said, do you really think that a few links with the 'fish' anchor is going to make google think a football authority site is about fish? More likely, google will look at your content, look at their content, and almost completely ignore the links as their just not relevant.
The problem is that if "fish" does not appear on the football site (other then your link), chances are this backlink will not receive a high relevancy score even if you build links to that page. In all reality, you are still better with just a one way link back to your site from the football site. Your backlink will still carry some weight even though it is not highly relevant. If you want to get some good relevant backlinks, and don't mind spending some time commenting, go to propeller.com and create a profile name that includes your keyword. Add your link and discuss your love of fishing in your profile page. Comment throughout the site, especially on fish stories. If you do enough commenting, you will see your profile link page carrying more weight. You can also join groups, make friends, etc. which will also greatly improve the weight of your profile page. Rinse and repeat this process with other social networking sites as well, providing you contribute and do not spam. This is not a get ranked quick method, but is whitehat if no spamming is involved. @ word Reciprocal links are great when both websites stand a chance of receiving some quality targeted traffic. But too many people have used reciprocal links for SEO alone. When excessive amounts of reciprocal links are used, Google's algorithm may flag them for human review. And I've seen enough backlink profiles of penalized sites that leads me to believe reciprocal links are best used only when the opportunity exists to receive highly targeted traffic. And these types of reciprocal links are rare...
I'd agree, I just didn't want anyone taking it that reciprocal links are pointless full stop! When done right (and in moderation) they can be very good for SEO - although they won't beat a one way link of course.
Google is getting smart each day. Your best bet will be to get relevant links. But if you can't get high quality relevant links, get a mixture of relevant links+ few non relevant links from authority sites of general topic nature. Example, getting a link from a site like About.com will help even if the page linking to you is not relevant.
A link will help but not anywhere near as much as a relevant backlink. I would try to get links that are within your own niche, don't waste time or money getting them from a football site for your fish site.