Google Now Discriminates Against All Reciprocal Links

For years, reciprocal links, or two websites agreeing to link to each other, have been an old standby in many inbound linking strategies. Well, that’s ending. Google recently updated its algorithm to discount all reciprocal links, thereby yielding no more SEO benefits from those links. Reciprocal linking is the opposite of what Google originally conceptualized for its algorithm. Google aims to motivate quality content to obtain links naturally rather than as a mutual decision through link exchange. Google does not endorse manipulative schemes, like mutual link exchange for the betterment of your website’s rankings, and places it under the category of their Link Schemes policy.

Google can sniff out even more complex schemes, such as three-way linking (where Website A links to Website B, Website B links to Website C, and then Website C links back to Website A). Although no one can confirm where the limit lies, one thing is for sure, reciprocal links are no longer an effective way of inbound linking. The best approach is to have unique high-quality content, which can evoke your audience. Good content attracts links from other sites, improving the aspect of SEO and not through methodical techniques that are now older. So, in a nutshell, forget reciprocal links, and instead, fill your niche with outstandingly good content. Those links will come along with that high-quality content and enrich your site’s credibility and authority within search results.