Keep it real. Provide real value.
Google is not "changing the way the game is played." Not unless you are an SEOer. If you're an SBIer, however, the basic rules remain the same.
What Google is changing is how good they are getting at recognizing real value. Foreseeing that is what SBI! has always been based upon, and, as an example, it is why we have always called our tool "VALUE Exchange," even when link farms were all the rage. But more important than that...
It's why we have always emphasized that a good Inbound Links Program is a well-diversified one... from the age-old Directories, large and small (niche), to Social Media Marketing.
We posted about getting links in the SBI! forums and blogs recently -- there are so many sources nowadays. And Search It! makes it easy for you to find Inbound Link Opportunities (see Search It!'s drop-down menu in Step I).
But meanwhile, through it all, the bottom line rule is...
Keep it real.
So if you have 50 inbound links and all of them are the results of a link exchange and if you are linking to lousy sites (and forget the Google PR -- I mean they are just "human-lousy"), well I think it's pretty obvious you aren't doing yourself any good. Why not?
Because you are NOT doing your visitors any good.
-----SIDEBAR-----
I made a point about this and blogging at...
http://blogorbuild.sitesell.com/
Many bloggers virtually depend on link exchange
and have no concept of a well-rounded inbound
link program, and they took a hit on their Google
PR for it.
-----SIDEBAR-----
On the other hand, if you have a well-diversified inbound link program and a few of those are quality exchanges that benefit both your visitors and your "exchangees"... there's just no way you are going to be penalized for this. Quite the opposite, it's just one more way you "connect" to the rest of the Web.
All the best,
Ken
P.S. I've said it before and I'll say it many times again (and maybe the SURGEON GENERAL should make them post a notice to this effect)...
Reading SEO forums/blogs/sites is generally bad for your financial health. Why?
1) It can distract you down the wrong road of "SEO-techie" non-common-sense and rumor.
2) You could be spending the time creating more content.
And remember...
We DO follow them all. But that's OUR job. So YOU don't have to. If it's important, you'll read about it here. Sometimes, such as when we created the Sitemaps file-builder (seems like forever ago already!), you even have the tool before the SEO forums have figured it out!
All the best,
Follow Ken at Twitter
Hi Ken,
Very well said. I really thank God that I met SBI after a long search of trying to discover what works and what won't.
I still take my time to read through the web and I must tell you, it's way too much crap out there! The kind of stuff that just makes me be very thankful and value the wealth of knowledge that one gets to learn through other serious SBI members.
Posted by: Joseph | July 25, 2008 at 02:52 AM