Is it true that you should only exchange links with relevant websites?

[gregdavidson]

Some people have been telling me that it doesn't matter whether the website you exchange links with is relevant to yours or not. The more websites you have linking to you the better. While others are telling me that this can hurt your Google pagerank and search engine postion for certain keywords/phrases.

[bogs]

its better to link to relevant site.. this is not just for SEs, but also for your visitors...

read this: Google Link Schemes

[cEejay_01]

Link Trade only to a related site,, much better if the site has PR

[gregdavidson]

I'm more concerned about my search engine postion then I am about providing relevant links to my visitors.

[aira]

Because relevant/related sites are much appreciated by search engines, giving them more value than non-quality links

[coolguy27]

Originally Posted by gregdavidson

I'm more concerned about my search engine postion then I am about providing relevant links to my visitors.

It should be relevant because if you do linkexchange to unrelated sites even with high PR you are link farming...

[gregdavidson]

What the heck is "link farming"?

[gregdavidson]

Nevermind, thanks for the advice. I found an article on link farming here:

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/link_farming.html

[redeemer_spawn]

I agree that a certain site must be linked to its relevant/related sites because it is more appropriate.,

[dee_el07]

You need to link to related site for SE's as well as for your clients. If it is a shopping site, like for instance, exchanging your link with a site that sell shoes if you sell clothes, that would be a nice idea, because people looking for shoes, have high chances to look for clothes too. On the contrary, if you sell shoes, and your link is displayed on a home appliances site, I'm not sure that the interest will be shared, and your link will be follow..

[gregdavidson]

The article that I referred you to earlier says that websites that use "link farming" are normally banished from search engines such as Google. If this is true, why aren't directories classified as using link farming techniques?

[coolguy27]

Originally Posted by gregdavidson

The article that I referred you to earlier says that websites that use "link farming" are normally banished from search engines such as Google. If this is true, why aren't directories classified as using link farming techniques?

Directories are properly categorized that's why they are not considered as link farming....

[toinkzzz]

some directories often divides the link to 10 and the next 10 will be placed on the next page...

[jhen]

Originally Posted by gregdavidson

Some people have been telling me that it doesn't matter whether the website you exchange links with is relevant to yours or not. The more websites you have linking to you the better. While others are telling me that this can hurt your Google pagerank and search engine postion for certain keywords/phrases.

Much better if you link to relevant site/related to your site. "WHY" because relevant site much appreciated by search engines..

[corlock]

Originally Posted by gregdavidson

Some people have been telling me that it doesn't matter whether the website you exchange links with is relevant to yours or not. The more websites you have linking to you the better. While others are telling me that this can hurt your Google pagerank and search engine postion for certain keywords/phrases.

if you want a good result, its best to have a link related to your site. Its alright to link with any kind of site, but it will do you no good, it is considered as link farm.

[t.analiza011885]

much better if your LP are related to your site to produce better result.. and it's not good to LE to non-related site b'coz it will affect also your traffic..

[EdC]

For the long run yes, if you want to build a business

but I am going to dare put my foot in my mouth

unless the search engines have mastered what is a relevant link, a link is a link

for instance look at all the social bookmarking services they are not very niche specific and the backlinks count, just one example.

but what I will say the search engines do know what they define are bad neighborhoods

Ed

[redeemer_spawn]

We do link exchange for the reason that it is beneficial to both party., thats why we must have to LE to a relevant site accordance to the site the we have.,

[Marsha]

This is a great thread... very informative.

[MrCat]

You exchange links to relevant website in your niche not just for PR concerns but for the reason that you are after targeted traffic.

If you are in a niche of auto insurance and you exchange links with a gardening website - what relevance does it serve? NONE! And you don't draw any targeted traffic