Howto: Request Link Exchanges
The whole link exchange thing seems a bit hazy these days. If you get sent a link exchange request, you’d hesitate; and more than likely hit your “report spam” button in gmail. So what does it take for a link exchange request to be successful?
Let’s analyze one I got a few days ago.
To Whom It May Concern:
We came across your website today and would like to exchange links with you. If you are interested, please let us know how you would like to be listed. Our website, (name removed), is dedicated to listing resources helpful to those who search our website on various subjects. We currently get over 300 visitors daily.We were hoping that you might consider linking to us and invite you to review our website at your convenience. If you think that a link to our website is appropriate, please add it to your site at your discretion. We suggest the following link and description:
Link details blah blah
First of all, does this look very formal to you? Formal to me means that it was generated from a program, most likely some sort of back link generator program. I like to think my sites are respectable and are of value to my readers. I don’t want to link with someone who won’t even take the time to construct a personalized email.
Now here’s my point, it’s all about the personalized email.
I take advantage of my “Australian nature”. If you’ve ever received a link exchange request from me, it starts with a “G’day” and ends with a “Cheers mate”. By doing this, it’s quite obvious that I’m not a program but a human who has taken the effort to ensure a personalized invitation has been constructed.
But how do I find people to exchange with? Thanks to webmaster forums, there’s a wealth of information posted by other users looking to exchange links. By hitting the webmaster forums, you’re eliminating people who won’t even consider your link. Some webmaster forums that provide a link exchange forum include;
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Digitalpoint (my personal favorite)
Should you reveal traffic details?
Some webmasters are wary of sending traffic details, for fear of not living up to the other person’s expectations. If you’re exchanging links for PR purposes, then traffic serves little purpose. But that’s the catch isn’t it. Shouldn’t webmasters be concentrating on getting traffic and not PR?
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7 opinions for Howto: Request Link Exchanges
Remainders: 11/2/06 at The Blog Herald
Nov 3, 2006 at 10:06 pm
[…] Jamsi looks at the right way to request link exchanges. […]
Michael Clark
Nov 3, 2006 at 10:28 pm
I’m a little confused. What’s to prevent an automated message from using “G’day” and “Cheers mate” in the messages to you? It’s simple enough to run a Whois command on your domain name, see you are in Australia, then add in some nice personalization touches.
The real personalization should be in the body of the message. e.g. “I liked your discussion about the Easy Chair millionaire, and then your thoughts on link exchanges.” Yes, that could also be automated, but we aren’t quite that far along yet.
Requesting Link Exchanges by Blogging Pro
Nov 4, 2006 at 5:23 am
[…] Jamsi, of Work Boxers, has a post up talking about his recent experiences in link exchanging, and how impersonal some people are when requesting such an exchange. […]
Chris
Nov 5, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I’m sure link exchanges serve a purpose and good on those who find success with them, but I would be extremely skeptical of a “cold call” request to do so. I’m more the type who would only place a link to a site I frequently visit and enjoy…
Mark
Nov 7, 2006 at 5:06 am
Where is the best place to request links dealing with mediumship, or other world type sites.
Easy Webbers - Webmaster Blog » Speedlinking Week 45
Nov 10, 2006 at 4:42 am
[…] Work Boxers explains how to request link exchanges. […]
Geoff
Nov 27, 2006 at 1:07 pm
While I agree with the need for more formality in exchanging links, it can be hard to find a link partner for a new website. Everyone wants to exchange with PR5’s, but no one is interested in the PR0’s.
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