Are there certain rules that you go by when trying to get link exchanges? My reason for asking is that I always feel silly asking for link exchanges for new sites when I don't have much to offer in exchange. Thanks!
According to me there are no rules. u just have to decide the best for your site. Its good to get links for your website for free (like in some free directories) without any reciprocal but if a good site is offering you a link with a reciprocal, then there is no harm in it either. And about the paid links/link exchange, all i have to say is they are my last priority. Mostly , directories offer paid links, which do not interest me but if i come across a good website with the same offer, then i may consider it. Bottom line: Its you who knows the best (based on your experience and skills) P.S.: Its just an individual opinion not fact.
id say go on the rule that if your target audience is there and the PR is good then attempt to link, especially if you have a niche site. when exchanging just be quick cheerful and to the point. It does feel kinda awkward approaching the big guys when your starting out, I understand.
I think you best to change link with website have similar contents or similar traffic . And the link postion and time is important.
I only have 1 Link exchange and that took me long enough to find one that was actually suitable with my site, as you will see problem-shared.com is an unusual contented site.
If your're looking for SEO friendly links check that you're getting - Direct links, so no .php or javascript links - Links without nofollow attribute - If possible the link to your site should be on pages with no too many outgoing links. - Try to do exchanges with inner pages of your site too, not only to your homepage.
@ajsa52 I would have to contradict you on your last point , because , as you know , pagerank can be transmitted from a page to another . Getting a high pagerank for his main page ( the same thing as you index , front page and so on ) , will help him much more . Think of it this way , you're going to waste some good PR backlinks to help an inner page get a pagerank . With the rest i totally agree . @quick5pnt0 No one knows a sure and easy way to get backlinks . If you're a new blogger , you could start by engaging into discussions on forums , bigger blogs than yours ( niche related ) , but don't go for the big fishes even from the beginning , start low and earn your way up . Building a good community is what counts at the beginning , and afterwards you'll earn your way up and be on the same list with bigger names in your niche .
IMO that links are not a "waste". I have a site with +20,000 unique visitors/day mostly from search engines and although I have ranked #1 on Google for my homepage, the majority of my traffic are traffic to inner pages. And because is a highly "targeted traffic" the conversion rate of my ads are greater.
You really shouldn't expect a site to link to you if you can't provide similar traffic or PR. You should link exchange with other new sites until you start getting some search engine traffic of your own. Try buying a link or 2 on existing sites. For minimal cash you can buy links on PR4 sites. This will give you 2 things. 1.) traffic, which will convert to $$ and 2.) PR4 backlinks which will help with search engines, which will give you more traffic and allow you to link exchange with better sites which will give you more traffic and so on and so on.... good luck
Most people understand the importants of 2 way linking. If they have high pr and don't need you, find someone else. Don't worry if their PR is too high. Ask everyone you get the chance (within legal ways) to see if they will trade. After all, it only costs you an email or phone call (phone calls don't count as spam
I've got a PR3 link exchange site. I bought it to help promote my other sites. It seems to help each of my new sites, especially the brand new ones with no traffic. Right now I have it set as free to add your link with a reciprical link to my site. Feel free to add your sites its http://redportales.com
Do not trade links massively. Google only likes about 50 link trades overall. It is good to work on other ways to build links to your site. I speak from experience. Several of my sites were banned in the past for massive link exchanges.
i think there is only one rule for making link exchange it's making link exchange with related web site
... all good points. Also, don't be spammy. Control yourself when posting and try to "keep it real". Take your time to do things right and they will work for you longer.
Massive links were most likely banned from the type of sites rather than numbers. I doubt CNN will lose due to large numbers of sites pointing in.