google recently cleared that they don't really prohibited link exchange but they just used "excessive". Still not clear because of the word's meaning is too broad! How excessive is excessive? or I may say is there a limit! see the links for some idea: http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/archives/2007/08/seo_newsletter.html http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/2007/08/16/reciprocal-links-whats-excessive-anyway
I do not think thier is a limit but remember each link out gives some of your sites page rank to that site.
That term "excessive linking" refers to too much linkexchange linking and fast link acquisition in a day.... Google detects those doing that... Here's the Google Linking Scheme...
Excessive linking: This is the basic meaning: Excessive which means "exceeding a normal, usual, reasonable, or proper limit". Linking which means "to become connected with or as if with a link". Google release their guidelines on Link Scheme and below are violation of Google's webmaster guidelines and can negatively impact your site's ranking in search results. * Links intended to manipulate PageRank * Links to web spammers or bad neighborhoods on the web * Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging ("Link to me and I'll link to you.") * Buying or selling links that pass PageRank
Excessive linking from the word itself this is "exceeding". it may refer exceeding beyond the limitation...too much LE...
you have mentioned about the limitation!What is the limitation? for how long and how many link trade an SEO should do? is it once a week or twice and so on . . .?
I think that what the guidelines are mostly concerned with are large-scale linking schemes where links are arranged by a network among poorly matched sites on a php "links" page and similar techniques. E-mailing webmasters on your niche to propose linking for mutual benefit and for the benefit of visitors is natural linking and is probably neither harmful or helpful, as there is likely a filter which matches reciprocal links and devalues them. As far as a limit, it has been suggested that more than 100 outgoing links from any page is viewed unfavorably by the algorithm. I personally am annoyed by pages with that many links, as I tend to get caught up in site-loops whenever I land on one from Google. I'm sure Googlebot shares similar sentiments.
i don't think there is limit to your link partners but as long as it is relevant, organized in your resource page, and you think those sites are helpful to those people who visit your site it will not harm you. know your purpose on linking.
"use some common sense" seems the relavant bit - we often get too caught up in rules and forget that Google's whole focus is STILL on search relavance for its users. The minute it forgets that, it is doomed to get overtaken by other engines. (and if you think that could never happen... goodbye myspace, hello Facebook!)
so still relevancy! No specific number. About the definition of the word "excessive" I am thinking of this!
Nowaday search engine is getting smarter so you will have to increase your link naturally and constantly.
natural linking is really important. you should know why you are linking in the first place, your purpose.. be on the right track!
Keep it steady don't drop 500 links today and then tomorrow. Maybe do 20 or so a day and just keep it up and you'll have tons of links and it will look a little more organic than bombing the hell out of them and you'll probably reap more benefits this way.
link farm: A set of link web pages that have been built for the sole purpose of increasing the number of incoming links to a website to increase link ... so too much of it simply define as spammer..