Nope. It doesn’t look like it. While Google has openlytalked against active link exchange solicitation, some SEO firms are notlistening.

There was a day in yesteryear that you would install a linkexchange partner page on your site as an SEO tool as necessary as a sitemap.You would solicit links to your web site and then, in return, link to somebodyelse.

I won’t deny participating in such an event myself. Foryears, this was sold as a beneficial way of building links. Such link exchangeservices like Linkmetro, BRL, Telalinks, and so on (all of which now useless inmy opinion) popped up and started automating the link exchange process.

To those SEO companies that get their ethics and strategiesfrom the tubes (GOP synonym for “interwebs”) I invite you to visit the lawgiver. The knower of all things in the search engine optimization“rightosphere”. I introduce you to Google Webmaster Guidelines.

Google Webmaster Guidelines is where you learn the rightsand wrongs of search engine optimization. Don’t know where it is? Well, thereis no easy way to get there except Googling “Google Webmaster Guidelines”. Oncethere, type in “links schemes”.

A couple bullet points down you will see on the list of donots “Excessivereciprocal links or excessive link exchanging ("Link to me and I'll linkto you.")”. Whaaaaat? You mean my link partners page is useless? Thosecountless hours of spamming link exchange partners done in vein? Those beautifultwo way links for nothing?

Yep.Life’s tough, move on.

Inspite of Google putting their opinion of solicited link exchanges in clearview, a walk down search engine optimization company Lane (a sadly unsafe neighborhood)will show that few are listening. They still advertise “reciprocal linkmanagement” and similar services. Save your time. Blogging, articles, pressreleases, in short, content based links are still strong and true. As for yourlink exchanges, well, cut your time loss and move forward.

Of course,what other search engine optimization companies advertise doesn’t mean theirwait in wasted kilobytes to me. But occasionally, these half informed GoogleWebmaster Guideline illiterates solicit their phony services to one of ourclients. So, occasionally conversations just as this appear.

“Jason,why aren’t we doing link exchanges?” Client will ask.

“Wasteof time.” I will answer.

“But other SEO’s are saying we need link exchanges.”

“They’rewrong.”

“But I’ve heard it from more thanone SEO, I need link exchanges.”

I sigh briefly before replying,“Well, more than one search engine optimization company can be ignorant. Itdoesn’t strike you as odd that you are on the first page of Google without linkexchanges?”

“But why are these other SEO guyssaying I need link exchanges?”

The response to that question isof course, “Well, while I’m sure they know how to read, they choose not to readGoogle’s Webmaster Guidelines.”

The journey to Google’s WebmasterGuidelines always seems to disarm their concerns. Reciprocal links are justanother SEO tactic of the past that is better off staying there. Write content,build one way links, and by all means, read the rules.

Jason Bland is with guaranteed search engine optimization company, Adviatech Corp. Adviatech is one of the leading SEO firms offering results based online marketing solutions. To learn more about guaranteed SEO services, visit Adviatech.com