Real Examples of Link Management Mistakes
Sometimes, novice webmaster's make innocent mistakes with their
link exchange systems, only because they don't have the proper
understanding of how website architecture works, nor how link
popularity functions to improve search engine rankings. However,
why should you and your other good link partners pay the price?
Other times, a webmaster purposefully develops a link exchange
system which never gives any link value back. In some cases,
a redirect is used; in other cases, javascript encoding is used.
Sometimes, webmasters are simply not interested in conforming
to good linking standards. Why should your website pay
the price?
View our rather comical page on Link Exchange Mistakes,
Problems, and Frauds
Link Exchange Problems - Example #1
( Incidently, the following link is actually encoded in javascript
):
( Below is a link to the Wayback
Machine, for our tutorial and educational archive purposes,
which
documents the link
system from 2002 ):
http://web.archive.org/web/20040213230711/www.beforethearchitect.com/L-BM.htm
Problem: The Website manager, as a standard
practice, adds each new link to the proper link page with two
active links. One link is properly formatted,
containing the targeted
key terms. The second link is formatted with the actual domain
name. Upon link confirmation, the website manager removes
the properly formatted link, leaving only the domain
link in place ( but requests on their link format page to format
their link
with their key terms
).
Initially, we did not catch this practice. When we did, we
emailed the web master, kindly asking him to format our link
in the same manner that his firm has requested of us:
( Av Web ): Hi AG: One last thing: Please don't remove
the clickable text with our key terms when you update the
link; a link that says [ www.domain.com ] has very little
value to
us.
( AG's response ): "We extend our regrets. We have no interest
whatsoever in pursuing our further association. All the best."
Our philosophy is that ignorance is no excuse for poor practices,
and we don't mind taking the time to communicate with other
webmasters; it's a good neighborly practice.
There is never any reason to get emotional about
links. Both Link exchange management and link popularity
are sciences, not arts.
Link Exchange Problems - Example #2
While it never ceases to amaze us how irrational website owners
can -- on rare occasion -- be, it is far more common to run
into link problems where the website owner or webmaster is
only ill-informed,
or using pre-packaged software with "features" that
are detrimental to the core idea behind link exchange parternships.
There are multiple problems to consider with the above link
exchange system. First, the link exchange system is written in
php with a single variable in the website url ( single variables
are often perfectly fine ). Therefore, one needs to verify that
the link pages are acceptable to the major search engines. Second,
the link practice is not ideal; the clickable link text is the
domain name, and not the website title or the requested link
anchor text.
However, the third problem is the determining factor with this
link exchange system: A redirect is used. In
this case, the mistake is innocent. The website, like many others,
chose to utilize a link system that tracks click through rates.
The problem? Link popularity is not passed on to the link partner
website at all, because the link actually goes to the same website
server: ( example ) www . fabricuk . com / goto.php?id=23. When
a link is clicked, the "goto" page is loaded, where the click
is recorded, then the link partner's website is loaded.
Link Exchange Problem #3 ( Identifying and evaluating
over-inflated link systems ):
http://www.real-casinos.com/friends/links135.htm
At first glance, Real Casinos might appear to be a tempting
link partner, with a nice homepage PR of 5. However, if one
is not careful, one's link will end up on link page number
135. Link page number 135 is still a recognized link page,
but one must always know the value of a link one is acquiring,
and first appearances may be deceiving.
In some cases, new link pages have no popularity index, as
measured by the search engines. This does not necessary mean
that a link exchange is not ideal. A professional link manager
can often examine the website architecture and determine the
future value of a link, for new websites and/or websites with
new link pages.
Link Exchange Problem #4 - Power Links ( www.powerlinks.com
) - Automated Link System
We greatly enjoy exploring new ideas and options with link
exchanges. A new company touted a seemingly good system for
automating link exchanges: Powerlinks.com . We manage alot
of link exchange programs. So we took a Google PR6 website
of ours, and tested it out. When I checked on the status of
our links on their network three months later, our link was
not present.
Not only were we paying a monthly fee for their service, we
were giving them a PR5:5
boost
to their
network. I checked Google cached copies of their network,
and cached copies of ours.
I randomly examined six of their partners, and noticed how
poor the quality was. One out of the six websites even returned
a 404 page not found error for the link system itself; even
so, THEIR link was quite present in the Power Links network.
The moral of the story? When a website owner is paying for
a service, he or she should make very certain that the staff
actually cares about their clients, and is capable of successfully
implementing the service.
I've tested dozens of automated systems, from server side
link systems, to desktop link systems, to managed link networks.
While they are all not bad, one must definately know alot about
link management to ensure a safe implementation.
It would be far easier for AV Web to utilize an automated
link management system, but I have not found one in existance
that I would dare to recommend to our clients, or to actually
use
on their
websites. I've seen "innocent" server-side php systems PR 0'd
by Google, and I've seen "good link neighborhoods" go bad.
We hold fast to manually harvested and manually implemented
link exchanges, with standard html.
Link Exchange Problem #5 - LinksPopularityService.com
- Careful who you Hire
This may sound strange, but one of the reasons I personally
enjoy managing link exchange systems? The people I get to meet.
Small
to mid-sized
online businesses are the prime market for link exchange campaigns.
Many, if not most, are managed by webmasters who are the business
owner, or who are closely associated with the business owner.
In most other cases, the link manager is a professional SEO.
Our link exchange @ AV Web is so popular, that people clone
our submission form; I receive 10-15 link exchange requests
on a busy day from Chinese websites trying to penetrate the
western market. A link across our carefully produced network
of sites means an instant PR5, even for a brand new site.
However, the single frustration faced? Link exchange management
companies giving out bad advice that may end
up hurting their clients.
Take the recent email I received from Anna at linkpopularityservice.com,
the promotional expert hired to promote the site: www.avantgarde.com.
I received a canned form email message from Anna, requesting
a link from our test site, www.silvermedicine.org.
I investigated the site in question. At the time of the request
( and the time of this writing ) the whole website had a Google
PR0, and a total of 3 backlinks registered in Google.
I knew it was not likely that avantgarde.com would ever be
able to offer equal link exchange value ( Our site fluctuates
between a PR6 and PR7 ).
Like most sites designed by supposed experts who really
aren't, www.avantegard.com only has a link to their partner
page from their home page. This sends a message to more knowledgable
webmasters: We want your link popularity, but we aren't willing
to share ours.
However, I had a new page, strongly indexed by Google, but
the page was not yet assigned a popularity page rank, due to
the fact that Google does not regularly update their toolbar.
Real experts know how to check to see the value of a PR0 page,
since
the
Google
toolbar does not reflect the actual calculated "PageRank".
Besides, this was my first contact with linkpopularity.com.
I have link relationships with many of the top SEO's, and it's
always a good idea to give a new website a helping hand.
Upon completing the link exchange, I received the following
response from Anna:
"We can't accept link on a PR=0 page.
Kindly Link back on a page having PR>0.
I am waiting for yours reply."
Now, let's ignore the poor English, for the moment ( would
you like your company represented with "I am waiting for yours
reply."? ).
This really made my week: I receive a request for a link exchange
from a new website whose whole domain is a PR0, with very few
backlinks
registered, who really will never have any PR to offer my website,
I give them a link on a new category page with a true PR of
4/5,
that will never have more than 30 outbound links. I receive
a response indicating that I must put their link on a page
with a Google Toolbar PR greater than 1.
Needless to say, linkpopularity.com has reached my very small
list of companies not to associate with. I wonder how the site
owners of www.avantegarde.com would feel?
Great Google PR Estimation Tool - Click
here. [ View more SEO tools ]
For more information on special link exchanges, link management,
or text link advertising campaigns, please
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