I was thinking about this yesterday. If i exchange links with sites with similar content or in a similar field, it should still increase my PR. But if the reciprocal link comes from some website which does not have anything to do with mine, then it may not count or have less power. So reciprocal links are still good, arent they? What do you guys think?
Yes! You're correct relevant reciprocal links are having more value than the irrelevant backlinks. If you get free link from a relevant site, it would be feather on the cap. So three-way link exchange is a better option. (No one would offer relevant free links )
Any links that was pointing to you will give some credit specially if its a one-way link...though linking back with relevant and trusted sites are good and helpful but i agree with Kittyluver that three-way linking is a better option as it will look like a one-way link...
Its not the question of PR though. For example... you have a PR0 website... 1) You exchange links with related PR5 website. After a while you your PR goes from 0 to 4 and your SERPs improve. 2) You exchange links with unrelated PR5 website. Your PR will still go up like it did in example 1 but your SERPs should not improve as much. Higher PR does not always mean higher SERPs/traffic.
Just b/c your PR goes up doesnt mean you have a better chance of ranking for things. PR isnt a metric to judge that. I recently saw a friends site get boosted from a PR3 to 5 and then his ENTIRE site went supplemental. PR is a load of shite.
So what exactly is PR being used for by google then if it has zero consequences on your ranking in search?
PR = Page Rank Its an indicator. Think of it as a thermometer and the weather. The weather effects the thermometer, thermometer does not effect the weather. What is used to determine your SERPs is google algo which is ever so complex.
Right i got it now. The answer comes from understanding how PageRank works and who is better to tell us than Google itself. So here's the link to the explanation: http://www.google.com/technology/ And here's the extract from that page: So PR is a factor to rank well in Google and the content of the site linking to you is important as well.
I understand your point, mightyb, but as fluid added, page rank may be an indicator of where you fit in the crowd, but the google algo DOES take PR into consideration. I can guess that PR isn't nearly as powerful or important a number as it used to be in terms of how you end up ranking in google, but it still has to carry some weight. Like if you have a ton of links from a PR3 versus a PR7, it HAS to make a difference doesn't it?
It's all about how you manage the links - Recips can work well if they are blended into good content. On the other hand if you have 1 page with 100 recips flags are popping up and waving all over the place.
I agree with you. Links directories don't work as well as they used to. Natural reciprocal and 1-way links seem to work best