So, I had yet another email tonight from someone I've never heard of from a site that I've never been to telling me how our Google rankings are a match and due to some cosmic alignment, we should link to each other. Nice try, but stop, stop, STOP! My reply went something like this:

Sorry, but I'm no longer accepting link exhanges (not that I ever was) because they are too much of a pain in the ass to manage. I will, however, be linking to blogs that I actually read and that have an RSS feed (prefer full text...). These are the only sites that I'll be linking to because they can be administered through BlogLines and I don't have to screw around with adding HTML code to some obscure links page on my site.

If you start a blog with a feed, send me an email and I'll check it out.

Thanks!

Speaking of which, has anyone actually written a web marketing book that refreshes all of the worn out crap that we did back in '99 and addresses blogs, consumer generated media, and the lke?

Too harsh? Who knows...

People are too obsessed with schemes and go-arounds to SEO in an attempt to gain audience. They are focusing on the wrong things. They should be focusing on quality content. Content is all that matters; content will always find an audience.

Sites focused on gimmicks to gain ranking as a means to gain audience are wasting time, energy, and effort on the wrong thing. Caring and giving more is all that is required to gain audience.

I like your comment this is the year of the Blog. However, back links are still a vital part of organic listings. You can build an amazing site with great content but if you don't have money to advertise and no organic presence then you have nothing. Now you could argue that a site with great content will get back links because they have content worth linking to but someone still has to find it the first time. Blogs can be used to get the word out about your site but you need to have something very cool to get it to spread virally.

Don't get me wrong Dustin, I'm with you on the back links as a vital component - it's part of what makes that web what it is, and it's what drives *some* of organic search. What I AM against, however, is people (webmasters of shitty sites) emailing me for a link exchange out of the blue, especially when their site has nothing to offer me.

The problem with most of these link campaigners is that they don't have great sites, and they don't have great content (judged by me, I realize, but they weren't exactly hallmarks of good design or rich in new knowledge by any standard...)

Granted, it never hurts to try, and not everyone's going to create a weblog(which, in time, the advantage of which will subside as search gets clogged with them)

Not harsh at all!

Linking to websites just for the sake of a link is an insult to your audience.

I'd much rather link to an interesting post that would be of benefit to my readers.

And yep, RSS is the only way to go. In my avenue of interest (voip) I monitor 86 (and growing) news/blog sites. Rather than spending hours visiting sites individually I can scan hundreds of articles in minutes and go from there.

Rather than linking to you I would link to your rss feed and soon enough I would know if you are relevant to my audience.

Now, Dana: can I get a link to my site .... only kidding ;-)

Only if you'll link to mine Martin!

:)

Yeah you're right on the mark Dana. I think someone who is asking for the link is really trying to benefit from your Google rank not improve theirs.

I don't think I link to enough sites. There are so many people who I read. I think the proper thing is to just link to your friends. They will link to you if you really ask them, but they will also link to you when they update their blogroll (at least that's my hope!).

Now to start clicking that bookmarklet to ad links to my site!

Good post, I agree with you completely (except that you don't like excerpt RSS feeds - but thats another debate). I don't mind people emailing me to suggest a blog or ask for a link - as long as its a relevant and quality one and they are not putting any pressure on me linking up.

I rarely do a 'link swap' but approaching me with what they've written in a post is fine for me.

Dana said: Only if you'll link to mine Martin! :)

Na, there's no point in linking to mine: it's about voip for Aussies!

Although I will be linking to you in my other project/blog I'm working on: idea: "using Controversy as a markeing tool" - I'm still thinking of a catchy name - any thoughts ;-) .. I want it to be ... well, controversal