Try ‘Linking’ With Reality

I have been using the services of a wonderful facility, which has taken almost all of the work out of my ‘Linking Program’ (if you have a website that relies on Search Engine traffic, I really do hope you have one!). The facility is named Linkmarket.com. Don’t worry, I am not affiliated in any way and I don’t get any type of reward for referrals, but I do refer people because it is really such a wonderful facility and it’s free, unless you choose to ‘upgrade’ to paid membership, which I am seriously considering doing, in light of the behavior I have observed recently.

I know there have been a fair number of articles on the Internet and on this particular website regarding ‘linking’, it’s importance, how to do it and what not to do. This article is kind of a plea. I’m pleading with people who don’t realize that linking to every single website that’s willing to link back, can be a DISADVANTAGE rather than do them any good at all.

Firstly, the way Linkmarket.com works is simple but, as I said, wonderful. You join (free at first, with some minor limitations). You supply your website details, including your category, site name and description and you are listed in their directory. You then have the ability to peruse their directory and select websites with which you would like to arrange a reciprocal link (if you’re a paid member, the Google PR and Alexa ranking are displayed – very handy!). It works like this:

1. Your ‘request’ is popped off to them and they can respond with a YES or a NO (again, if they’re paid members, your PR and Alexa ranking are displayed in the request – very handy!). If it’s NO, nothing more occurs.

2. If it’s YES, you get a reply asking you to place their link on your website (all supplied in a neat little box to copy & paste) and supply the URL location of the link. Linkmarket.com software confirms the link is in place and…

3. Advises them and they, in turn, are given your link in the same format as you received theirs. They place your link and also advise the URL, which the software confirms.

Easy as one, two, three. In fact, that’s what the process steps are called (1,2 3). No emails, no keeping track of with whom you’ve linked (that’s kept track of for you) and no feeling like a nuisance for sending emails to complete strangers because everyone is there for the same purpose, to exchange links.

What’s not so nifty or wonderful, and it has nothing to do with Linkmarket.com, is the type of websites that you get requests to link with. I really think some of these people need to link with reality before they try linking with other websites.

Of course, one of the features you get as a 'paid' member, is you can nominate the types of website that you wish to receive requests from.

In addition to my Home Based Business websites, for which I have separate ‘accounts’, I have a website called ‘R.A.I.S.E’ (Rheumatoid Arthritis Information Support and Education). A non-profit website devoted to all things to do with this particular disease (from which I suffer). I cannot understand why I continually get multiple requests per day from totally unrelated websites, especially those dealing with gaming, travel and satellite dishes. I know that the majority of these websites are ‘affiliate’ type websites, in very competitive areas trying to expand their web presence and obtain a better search engine ranking. However, don’t these people realize that a link from a website dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis will not help them one iota. Nada, Zip, Zilch, Bupcus. In fact, they’ll be very lucky not to be penalized by the SE’s for such a ridiculous practice.

Please people, understand that a link is only of any use to you if it is from a website with related subject matter. I will link with any website that has the same type of content and is in the same category, even those with low or no PR, as I feel that they won’t harm my ranking and I don’t mind helping a new website. But what makes this behavior more perplexing is that I recently changed my domain and have no PR, so these people must be linking to virtually everything in the directory!

We all know that the practice of reciprocal linking has gotten way out of hand, what with people now actually asking for money to link to your lower PR website, but this indicates it has gone beyond the sublime and into the realm of the ridiculous. I'll say it again - some webmasters really do need a ‘link with reality’ rather than any more websites.