Link exchange compared with other ways to get links
Updated
There is more than one way to get other sites to link to yours. Here is how the common ones compare, honestly, including where link exchange fits and where it does not.
| Method | Cost | Effort | Risk | Value of the links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earning links with content | Time | High | None | Highest |
| Good directories | Mostly free | Low | Low, if you pick well | Modest; helps people find you |
| Link exchange | Free | Low to medium | Low with related sites; high in bulk | Good with the right partners |
| Outreach and digital PR | Time or an agency | High | Low | High |
| Guest posts | Time, sometimes money | Medium | Medium; high when done for keyword links | Varies widely |
| Buying links | Money | Low | High | None, if search engines spot it |
Earning links with content
You publish something worth pointing to, a guide, a tool, data, local news, and people link to it without being asked. These one-way links are what search engines value most. The catch: it takes time, and a good idea.
Good directories
A listing in a directory that people actually use, for your field or your region, brings visitors and a first link. Google's spam policies name low-quality directory links as link spam, so pick a few good ones instead of hundreds of anonymous lists.
Link exchange
Two related sites agree to link to each other. Between sites that serve the same visitors this is a normal recommendation in two directions, and it is free. Google's spam policies name excessive link exchanges as link spam, so keep it to a few well-chosen partners. Linkorado helps with exactly that: you find partners in your own category and choose each one yourself. Read Is link exchange safe for SEO? for the details.
Outreach and digital PR
You contact journalists, bloggers and site owners with something they may want to write about: a story, research, an expert opinion. It is hard work, but the links are earned and often from strong sites.
Guest posts
You write an article for another site, with a link back to yours. A genuinely useful article on a relevant site is fine. Google's spam policies do name guest posts with keyword-rich links, and paid articles with links that pass ranking credit, as link spam.
Buying links
Paying for links that pass ranking credit is against Google's spam
policies. Paid links are fine as advertising, as long as they carry
rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow", but then they
do not help rankings. Offers of cheap link “packages” usually
come from link farms and private blog networks.
A sensible mix
For most sites: a handful of good directories, a few link exchanges with close partners, and steady work on content that earns links by itself. Starting from zero? See How to get your first links for a new website.