When will this linking insanity end?

Following is my reasoned - and decidedly calmer than I am now - email response to him.

Dear Gary,

This link generation scheme is standard for reciprocal link software. The value of "Reciprocal links" is far lower than value of ONE WAY links you already have from that press release distribution and posting of press release on your site which, by way, includes linking instructions at bottom of relevant pages.

I've written an article call "Linking Psychosis is Treatable" which discusses foolishness of links pointing all over web.

It doesn't address reciprocal linking so much as insanity with which webmasters persue them. Your press release has ALREADY generated a huge number of inbound ONE WAY links that will increase visibility and rank of both Kinsey Film Review and Intrinsa© Testosterone Patch pages.

Doing reciprocal page will initially LOWER your rank because it is RECIPROCAL. There is a concept called "Authority Site" that search engines use where ONE WAY inbound links are ranked VERY highly and reciprocal links are devalued BECAUSE of software like that being promoted by link-crazy folks not willing to do hard work of generating more valuable one-way links.

The search engines know about software available from linking fanatics and DEVALUE pages that use it. Ultimately it can increase your visibility, sometimes, over long run, but it just isn't that helpful in most cases.

I've taken a hard line about this and get a lot of flack about it from those without SEO experience or knowledge. But smart professional SEO's agree that reciprocal linking schemes - AND ESPECIALLY SOFTWARE GENERATED PAGES - are not worth much in search engine rank. The search engines are reducing importance of those type of pages daily because it is too easy and too commonly used by scores of webmasters looking for an easy ranking.

I have written in past that "Reciprocal Linking is Dead!" in which I outline my linking policy and encourage all reciprocal links requests to submit articles to be used on my site and that I'll link to them through resource box of their articles - IF I decide to publish them - but that I just don't do reciprocal linking - period. I don't even require them to link to me, but I point out that I have over a hundred fifty articles on my web site available for use on their site if they use my resource box, provide author credit and link to me through my resource box.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it. ;-) No matter how unpopular it makes me with software vendors selling programs or link fanatic webmasters looking for extra income and easy solutions.

Don't be a linking turkey! Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's some free link popularity software Experience with SEO client Dr. Gary Schubach, of and is used with his permission.

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