link-ring questions - SEO booster?

<p>I was thinking of creating a webpage called www.mypage.com/links.html, which would have links of many different photographers around the world. Each of these photographers listed would also be participating by having a link on their home page to www.theirpage.com/links.html, which would be the exact same file with the same list of links of all these photographers. Since the content on these websites will be about photography, I believe these will be considered "quality links" and will help boost search engine performance for every photographer listed on the file. <br /><br />Am I totally off on this concept? <br /><br />Is there a major flaw in this? <br /><br />Do photographers already do this? <br /><br />Any thoughts on this would be great! <br /><br />Thanks, <br /><br />Ryan Smith</p>

<p>I can't say for sure, but all the SEO stuff I've read recently says Google (at least) is on to this scheme.</p>

<p>Yes, I was also wondering about "google penalties" - I wonder if they have a system in place that automates discovering these link-exchange programs.<br /><br />And perhaps if you had it as a Professional Photographer Directory (something "not against the books"), that this would be allowed. Or better yet, a "we recommend these photographers" list. They couldn't possible penalize this.<br /><br />I've researched photographers whose websites rank high for common search terms (such as "Toronto Wedding Photographer"), and many of them have a concealed link on the bottom of their opening page, which directs to a directory of photographers. Every photographer on the list has some kind of directory of photographers hidden on their website as well.<br /><br />I wonder, I wonder...</p>

<p>Just found something that may answer some of my questions: <a href="http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356&query=link+exchange&topic=&type">http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66356&query=link+exchange&topic=&type</a></p>

<p>What concerns me most is this:</p>

<li>Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging ("Link to me and I'll link to you.") </li>

<p>I wonder what is considered "excessive"</p>

<p>I would love to hear from someone who is doing it successfully. I would hate to implement this, and have my page rank plummet, along with all those participating.</p>

<p>I also wonder if there is a way around this so it is undetected.</p>

<p>

<p >Group A links to Group B </p>

<p >Group B links to Group C</p>

<p >Group C links to Group A</p>

<p > </p>

<p >The link-list for each group may be extremely large, but they are not reciprocal. At least not directly reciprocal.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I wonder if this would work.</p>

<p > </p>

 

<p >PS I realize I am talking to myself at the moment, but it's like a stream of consciousness that I'm hoping someone can critic once they wake up :)</p>

 

<p > </p>

</p>

<p > </p>

<p>Anyone awake yet? :)</p>

<p>My advice; just skip it. Put up quality content first & foremost. Link to people you like. Get your stuff out there, and develop your site naturally. What kind of traffic are you trying to get? Looky-loo's or people that are wanting to buy something. There's a huge difference.</p>

<p>But the very reason for doing this would be to rank higher in google so that customers reach me faster/at all. I mean, if the highest ranking people in google are doing this, then there must be something to it. And if they're doing it, how are you supposed to compete with them if you don't play along?<br>

I haven't slept in 24 hours...need some sleep :)</p>

<p>Random links aren't going to get you anywhere. Exchanging a small number (no more than 20 or so) of QUALITY links on a link page will help, but only if the incoming links are from high ranking pages.<br /><br />For example, if your home page has a Google PR4, incoming links from pages less than PR3 simply won't do anything. PageRank is determined on a logarithmic scale, i.e. a PR5 page has ten times the "authority" of a PR4 page. I don't mean to say that PageRank is the only determinant for search rankings, as it is not, but it is an example to show that incoming links from weak pages are essentially worthless.</p>

<p>As a person living in the Google SEO thing I can say don't do it. It is better to start a blog, become the expert in a niche and let the world discover you. Sure advertise the blog, send invites to everyone you can think of and keep posting quality stuff. That is going to bring you up in the ratings. Reciprocal linking has been all be removed from the ranking algorithms.</p>

<p>By trying to do the link thing you will shoot yourself in the foot. What Google and Bing want is quality of links. If your site or part of it, is the resource on topic ABC, then you rank high no matter how many reciprocal links you have.</p>

<p>Oh and do this to all posts on all lists:</p><b>DO NOT DO THIS ON PHOTO.NET. IT IS NOT ALLOWED.<p><b>URL Signature Removed. Not allowed per photo.net Terms of Use.</b>