3 replies to this topic

[sanman]

Lately I have heared that Google is not considering reciprocal linking, is it true? Also, another thing I came to know that if we update content regularly it will benefit a lot. Please advise.

[torka]

We've discussed both of these things a fair bit over the years here. Neither of these things is anything new with Google.

Bottom line, when it comes to reciprocal linking, where ever you read that Google doesn't count reciprocal links, stop reading there. To put it bluntly, they don't know what they're talking about.

Google doesn't give much weight to links from low-quality pages. Google likes links from authoritative, high-quality pages. Period. It doesn't matter if you link back to the same page, or if you link to another page on the same domain, or if you don't link back at all.

The people who think Google will "penalize" reciprocal linking are generally people who don't know the difference between legitimate mutual linking and deceptive linking schemes. Google has always warned against link schemes. It has nothing to do with whether the links are reciprocal, and everything to do with the fact the links are of low value and intended to deceive the search engines.

Link to pages you think are valuable resources. Seek links from pages frequented by your target audience. Do those things and you have nothing to worry about.

As to "updating content regularly" that depends on what you mean by "updating content." If you're talking about periodically tweaking existing content just to make it seem to be artificially "fresh," don't bother. It won't help, and (depending on what you do) could even potentially hurt. If, on the other hand, you're talking about regularly adding more useful, original content for the benefit of your human visitors, that can indeed be beneficial -- and for more than just search engine rankings.

--Torka

[Randy]

To put it bluntly, they don't know what they're talking about.

That's not being blunt Torka. That's being kind. Too kind.

After all, there's not a single cuss word in your response. And some would certainly be suitable to describe the idiots who espouse total misinformation such as reciprocal linking being dead. Truth is they're not just idiots, but idiots who have their heads stuck so far up their they've obviously not seen the light of day for years.

Other than this one small correction, what Torka said.

[sanman]

Thanks Torka for explaining that reciprocal linking is still considered if we reciprocate with quality sites and with regards to content updating, I am planning to add fresh additional content frequently.