A long time ago I compared getting links to picking up women. There are many love life parallels when it comes to finding potential link partners. In the dating world there are some guys and girls you want to avoid for their lack of "relationship material." When dealing with links, you run into a lot of the same issues. There are some folks you just shouldnt get in bed with. Only in link building its not because they will most likely steal your kidneys and leave you in a bathtub of ice. Its because these are the links that probably arent going to help you get where you want to go. And like choosing a life mate, you want someone whos going to help you achieve your goals, not stand in your way, bring you down, or even stand idly by doing nothing of use. So here are a few different kinds of links that you really dont want to take home. Link Exchanges and Users Link exchanges specifically got brought up in the comments last month, with reader Nick calling them a "slippery slope. " Indeed, they are slippery. We all get e-mails every day from people who want to give us a link on their "highly relevant" home page which isnt actually relevant at all. Or they want to give us a link in their fabulous link section, which is a hot mess of completely unrelated sites. Agreeing to this kind of link exchange is like going out with someone who you know is using you to make someone else jealous. They dont actually care about your site and probably havent ever been there, nor will they go back after theyve confirmed their link is placed. And you just gave them a valuable shot of your link juice. But the link you get back is cheap and devoid of value. In the end its a one-sided relationship with someone who doesnt deserve it. Not all link exchanges are bad. Links are legitimately exchanged by websites all the time. Someone links to a useful article from a blog post. The owner of the attributed article then includes the new blog post in a weekly roundup. Thats a link exchange, but its based on mutual interest and merit -- not a vague and generic template e-mail. A website that sponsors a charitable organization may link to those groups upcoming fundraisers. The charity may link to its sponsors. Again, links are exchanged but its completely valid and mutually beneficial in a way that goes far beyond search engine optimization (SEO). No Juice Losers Some sites really just have nothing to offer. These are the sites where even if you get the link, it wont even matter because most of the pages arent cached or are full of duplicate content. Theres nothing wrong with getting a link on a legitimate, relevant site that just hasnt gained much traction, but has potential. If you know what youre looking at you can tell which sites arent ever going anywhere. These sites scrape content, or some of my favorites have content that is comprised of auto-generated pieces of English strewn together to give the vague impression of literacy. Until you try to read one. If youve been link building for a while you can begin to spot these kinds of wastelands a mile away. If you arent in link building and someone tries to pass these off as good links, Im really sorry. Sites with no meaningful back links, no real content, and no value have nothing to pass along to your site. Getting involved with a site that has no power is like dating a stoner who still lives at home with his parents. Come on, he cant support you, and he wants you to do his laundry when his mom is out of town. Theres no future, and no substance. Links from losers are just like dating them. You wind up frustrated and unfulfilled, wishing you hadnt wasted the time in the first place. Tramps and Trollops Theres a more colloquial term for sites that stand on street corners soliciting Johns -- but Ill just stick to tramps and trollops. These are the sites that exist for the purpose of selling links or trading links or come from Old McDonalds link farm. Yeah theyre easy, but if its easy, its probably not worth having. You might also classify some "Free SEO Directories" in this category. If a directory picks up anyone that asks, its a trollop, and unless you have no links at all its probably not going to help you much. Sometimes you need the low-hanging fruit to get a brand new site off the ground. Its like a rebound relationship. You know its not going anywhere, but you need a quick pick-me-up to forget about your current situation. It happens, theres no shame in it. But if youre looking for long-term value, none of these guys is "The One." As a general rule, if it looks like this site links to anybody, theyll most likely link to you. So OK, maybe its good for a lonely link-less Friday night. But if youre trying to satisfy a client, or a boss and actually move your rankings up, this probably isnt the way to do it. These links are like dating the kinds of dirty guys that make you think you might catch something just by sharing a cab with them. And if you get mixed up with a really bad site that has already been red flagged for spammy behavior, you could wind up with your own severe case of linkorrhea. OK, you probably wont get banned for having a link from a "bad neighborhood." If that were the case wed all get porn sites to link to our competitors. But why bring unwanted attention to a site that is generally, trying to do the right thing? Unless you arent generally trying to do the right thing, in which case you really dont want the attention. There are plenty of fish in the sea, so why do we insist on dating jerks? Half the time its the same reason we get flaccid links: theyre easier to find and get. Whether youre looking for someone to build a life with or looking for links to build solid rankings, the relationships worth having take work. But if youre not willing to put in the effort the truth is, youre probably not ready for the relationship either. If you respect yourself, and your site choose your partners wisely. Save up to $400! Register now for SES New York 2011, the Leading Search & Social Marketing Event, taking place March 21-25. SES New York will be packed with 70+ sessions, multiple keynotes, 100+ exhibitors, networking events, and parties. Learn about PPC management, keyword research, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization, site optimization, usability, and more. Early bird rates expire March 4.
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