Do Links Even Matter Anymore?

Links are like a healthy addiction. And if you are to survive in the online marketplace you need lots and lots of links.

Injecting Links!

But links are like the U.S. Dollar (especially lately!). The Treasury keeps printing dollars and what happens to the value of the dollar? It goes down. Simple supply and demand right?

So if Google bases its valuations of link value on who links to who link to who links to you (ad infinitum). And that is related to how many total pages are on the web. Then we have to consider the fact that the minute you get a link, its value has diminished almost instantly.( If only fractionally). Just last year there was close to 1.5 blogs created a second! So your links over time diminish in value. Thus, your linking must continue on a consistent basis.

Therefore linking is an addiction you should never quit if you are to succeed online.

Get Your Link ON!

Comments

[Tony Sena]

Great analogy! If you aren't spending time getting quality and authority links pointing to your website, you will find it very hard to succeed in building a massive on line presence!

[Austin Real Estate Broker]

I do consistently build links for my sites, but when you put it in perspective it makes me sick to my stomach. It's almost like trying to travel really fast. the faster you go the harder it is to go any faster. Ah well, I suppose I'll just keep playing the game and hope for the best. Great blog by the way. I just found it and have added it to my bookmarks.

Joe
Remax Agent in Austin texas

[Timothy A Crane]

I am constantly trying to put out links and you are right, it is a full time job, but yuou have to keep it up if you are going to be a success online!
Check out my blog at
http://cashmoneyhousebuyerblog.com

[Acumen Overseas Property]

Personaly I think it is very time consuming trying to get lost of links. I prefer to get few quality links, it takes less time and it is much better for Google PR voodoo

[Tim O'Keefe]

@Acumen
Please define quality.
Not to be too crass but everyone says quality and ask 5 people and they all will define quality differently.
I define quality as what works.
As far as a few quality links...thats cool for a minute because over time,like the dollar your "quality" links will diminish in value.

[Jay Valento- Long Beach Real Estate]

So, Tim what is the definition of a quality link? Are Reciprocal links dead or is it the quality of the reciprocal link that makes a difference?

[Tim O'Keefe]

Jay-
No reciprocal isn't dead. I think it is just a bad idea for the following reason:
1. It uglifies a site
2. It is obvious.
3. It is a losing race. Meaning you have to always be beating your competitor at getting more.

I know that we have seen the industry recip disasters of last year, however, I believe that was from everyone linking to everyone on the same server. Not natural.

However, I know of many sites doing very well with recip links. Ugly yes, bad idea yes, but doing well nonetheless.

Quality as I said above is what works. I do not think that is anything new. Isnt that what Webster implies?

1 a: peculiar and essential character : nature b: an inherent feature : property c: capacity , role
2 a: degree of excellence : grade b: superiority in kind
3 a: social status : rank b: aristocracy
4 a: a distinguishing attribute : characteristic barchaic : an acquired skill : accomplishment
5: the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative
6: vividness of hue
7 a: timbre b: the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it
8: the attribute of an elementary sensation that makes it fundamentally unlike any other sensation

But you want quality linksthat what? Works.

[Jay Valento- Long Beach Real Estate]

Thank you oh mighty Tim or SEO Land. I think the downfall of the disaster had to do with so many sites from a particular real estate website company...which had duplicate content on all of those websites too...besides being on the same server.

[SM]

Wow, that made all of my linking progress so far seem ridiculous. I really should outsource this.

Sean Murphy, http://www.Rofo.com - San Francisco Office Space

[arizona auto insurance]

Geez, I cannot agree with you more. My site is a PR4 and one of my inner pages is even a PR5. Yet, if I quit linking for awhile (and who doesn't as it gets to be burn out) my rank falls. It gets old when I realize I'll have to do this as long as I am in business.

One area I'd like to do is exchange guest blogging on other sites, mine and theirs as a way to get links.

[Tim O'Keefe]

Careful when doing the guest blogging thing.
Depends on if your blog strategy is set up for it. I do not allow guest logging on my site (at least not on the main featured part). Would Pepsi let Coke guest blog? Is the guest writing something on theme or not related. It had better be related. But then you risk giving a competitor access to your brand. Its blogging there are no rules, but these are considerations you should go thru.

[Chrs Dowell]

I'm not interested in Page Rank. It is overhyped. When my site has a PR5 it is on the second page of my best keywords. When it is a PR3 it is on the first page of the best keywords. I would rather have a PR3 site on page 1, wouldn't you?

My linking strategy is to build good quality links plus content over a long period of time.

PR is good, but a better measure of a website is ROI. Isn't that the most important number?

[Nieruchomości Kraków]

Thanks, interesting article. Food for thought!!

[Mr Mogul]

I agree that too many links on a site "uglify" the site. But, you might get info on a product or service that hours of researching wouldn't have uncovered.

In the larger scheme of life, I'd allow fellow links on a site, why not? It's all a fleeting dream, when it comes down to it. A site doing well today, may not be around in a year, so what did it matter?

If you could help someone else today, this minute, why wouldn't you? The site sold tomorrow could be yours or mine.....