How do you approach another webmaster about trading links? Would you just go out and ask them in one sentence, "Hello, would you like to trade links with my site <insert site url>?" or would you provide statistics and such and persuade them? Most of the people just ignore me, maybe it's because my site's not up to par with theirs.
Just ask nicely. But, remember that the content on your site has to be somehow compatible with what they have on theirs. Also, make sure they already have a link section, where a link to your website would already fit into their design. And crucially, when you become a big site yourself remember to be nice to all the neewbs that ask for links on your site.
Make your site up to par and it won't be hard For me, when someone asks me to trade links, I have a look at their site to determine whether they take it seriously. Do they have lots of content? Is their site unique in some way? Does it look professional? Mainly content is a big indicator for me.
It's basically because most WM's receive these daily. Few (myself included) ever bother replying to email requests for recips nowadays, unless the subject clearly states the nature of their site (RealEstate site wants to swap links with target site x) - even then it's a long shot. It's all about time. I subscribe to a number of so called link programs, all of which I've abandoned (though I keep paying on the off chance I may actually need them one day) because they don't actually save me any time. I have i think 500+ pending requests at at least one of them.. but mostly unthemed of course, so i couldn't be bothered. At the end of the day, emailing WM's for links rarely works, unless they've opted into such a list voluntarily where they actually WANT to receive them. Hmm.. now there's a thought Of course, having read the above, it seems there are webmasters out there who will exchange links via email, so.. good luck with it ! Cheers, JL
You can improve your odds by checking out the site and trying to find a link submission form or instruction page, or a contact form. I get a few emails a week asking for links, saying they have visited my site. Obviously they have not, or they would have found both, and will not receive a reply. Once in a great while, I do find one that is worth linking to that sends the poor request, and usually it is a new employee or a lucky (not skillful) seo that landed the job. I try to explain to those few how to best trade links. They generally do not listen. I don't mind a PM or even a curious inquiry from a forum. They have taken the time to find me, at least read the sig, maybe visit my site, and probably have an idea of what I am looking for. I get alot of link submissions from sites that are looking for one way links, usually very poor sites. I do not understand why they cannot take the time to read the instructions on the form and understand that I want reciprocals, or read the email that follows a submission, link to me and reply. Those that do get my attention as soon as possible.
I create reciprocal linking partnerships in the same way that I build business relationships! 1. I only contact people that are in my industry (especially when you start). 2. when you have made a new contact (reciprocal link) go through their reciprocal links pages looking for other potential linking partners. 3.Then when you contact these new potential partners let them know in a not so subtle way that you both have a common reciprocal link with website X and that you are also both in the same field so it only make sense to reciprocate with them too! I have found that this sort of logic works really well with your fellow webmasters because it is both a quasi endorsment by the first website and a continuation of a previous decision to link with the first website!
Better use those thousants of forums/directories where millions of webmasters wish to exchange links, that's all ... don't ask don't beg... just say I want this. They will say yes/no , this is democrcy right?!
Traffic from related sites with the same topic can help you get more returning visitors. Their backlinks seem to be worth more, especially when it's on the front page. I usually use directories to let the search engines know "Hey, there's a site over here! Spider it!".
Make sure you have built a quality site. If you are trying to get links for a site that isn't established, or which has very little content and is built just for running adsense, don't bother with authority sites that are top ranking sites - it will be a waste of time. I get hundreds of requests each month for link exchanges and I have found it a waste of time to bother reading them. The vast majority of these requests come from brand new spammy looking sites, or sites that have link pages (with 50 links per page) where they have traded links with anyone they could. Take the time to select relevant sites that already exchange links and follow their instructions for exchanging links - which usually requires that you first place their link on your site. Many websites base their decision on the PR of your site. I wait until a new site has gained PR before I start link building. A new site can gain initial PR by submitting to directories or buying a link(s) on relevant sites (an advertising perspective is best i.e. is the site one where it would make sense to advertise on to bring you traffic? Sometimes new websites are in too much of a hurry to gain links and they wind up making link exchanges that aren't going to be right in the long run. Google is going to sandbox your site initially, so you have time to take a qualtiy approach to link building.
I typically email the webmaster and compliment them on their site and ask for a link exchange. How you handle it depends on the type of webmaster you are emailing. If you have a theme based or niche site it isn't necessary in my opinion to email a webmaster telling them about statistics, pr and traffic. That probably won't matter to them. But if you are in a competitive industry, it would probably be in your best interests to add how high your pr or traffic rank is.
I had some success years ago with this approach though stopped due to all the publicity surrounding spam, is this an non-issue these days or does everyone carefully ensure the site has a stated exchange program?
I usually do it through emails. You don't have to beg but say it nicely, say something to compliment the site. Make sure that your site is competitive and have nice contents. Have you tried a link exchange program?
iwill exchange links with you let me know, and on my site at www.ringformp3.com you can download a free link database manager email me newtek3@sympatico.ca