Which Link Yields Higher Search Engine Rankings?
There are three types of links in a blog or website and it is often debated which one helps in ranking our site in search engines. Which one will yield a higher search ranking or does it really help at all for our site to appear in search?
Three Types of Links
One way link
This is a basic link wherein you cite a website in your post and the site doesn’t link back to you. For example, we are linking wikipedia for an article on hyperlinks. Wikipedia doesn’t link back to us so we created a one way link.
Two way or Reciprocal link
This refers to mutual linking of sites. This type of link help each other out in terms of traffic. Most often, bloggers of the same niche or category request each other to exchange links thus gaining more exposure. For example, blogrolls found on personal blogs are almost always placed there with an exchanged link from the other bloggers featured on the roll.
Three way Link
This is believed to be the most effective of all links if we are to listen to webmasters. Most webmasters think that one way link isn’t any good but so is the reciprocal link so they formulated the three way link concept.
This means that website 1 links to website 2, website 2 links to website 3 and website 3 links to website 1- completing the three way linking.
What do we think?
We don ‘t believe that three way linking is the best strategy in yielding higher search engine rankings. Sure it helps but so are the other types of link. We think all are equal and that reciprocal linking is only slightly better.
The most important thing to consider is that good inbound links are the links that will definitely help in getting higher search engine results. The bottomline is that careful consideration should be exercised when linking with other sites. Let us not be in the habit of exchanging links to anybody who asks or to any website we come across just to get a link. Links to our website should be related or within the same topic, niche or category to get better ranking.
If a reciprocal link is linked to a forgettable page then ‘forget’ about it. A one way or three way link that is linked to a low quality content is just as forgettable and would do us no good. Simply remember, links from high quality websites will greatly help in search engine rankings and links from trashy or low quality sites won’t. © 2007
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January 28th, 2008 at 7:32 am
When it comes to quality linking it’s important that the links come from sites “in the same neighbourhood”.
Simply put: fishes can link to boats and water, and also to recipes but it get’s abit weird when they link to bikes.
All the counting is IMHO not needed
January 28th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I agree, 3 way links are the way to go, and sites that link should be within the same genre or niche. thanks for supporting the no follow movement.
January 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I dont disagree with anything that you have said here but I would qualify it just a little. Links are too often I think only thought of in terms of how they pass Page rank and how they help search ranking.
However there is another aspect to links which goes back to what they are fundamentally about – they are a way for people to reach you. Looked at from that angle almost any link to you is a good link because it provides another route for people to reach your site.
The bottom line for any site is visitors. Obviously qualified vistors who are “on topic” ideally. However people can also find you through less topical links and may find something of interest or return another day.
I am not saying this should be a major part of a link building strategy just that its another factor.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:10 am
Quality over quantity, and keyword rich anchor text is the best tactic for link building.
You gain a higher roi on your seo though via linkbaiting. This is an area we need to work harder on, seomoz and pro are masters the art of linkbaiting!
Is this post linkbait ?
February 9th, 2008 at 6:08 am
I agree with Bristol, links from relevant sites pointing to your blog are far more valuable and will rank higher than reciprocal links, or links from sites that are not in the same niche as you.
Keyword density is also a factor.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:46 am
It is very nice article. Thanks for that.
My personally opinion is that every link count and that every link used with right anchor text will help you to increase your SERP.
Now we can discuss which strategy give more value to link (i’m still for one way link) but bottom line is that every link count.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Thank you all for your great input! In the end, it is the quality of the website that will keep its number up! For as long as there are interesting and useful articles on our sites, inbound links and traffic will just come.
Bristol opened another concept that is “linkbaiting”. It often has both positive and negative connotations. Perhaps this is a linkbait post but hopefully has some interesting inputs that makes it worthwhile to be called as such!
Linkbait becomes a negative concept when all the blog posts are intentionally controversial and has little credibility or none at all and is written just to draw traffic.
But readers are intelligent enough to distinguish and filter quality blogs from spam blogs. So in the end, linkbaiting does not work for every blogger.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Quality is the keyword, link building on not indexed pages and on linkfarm pages should be avoided at all costs
February 28th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Of the three types you list 3-way is the best- if relevant. Goes without saying that a natural link- a link some one makes because your content is so great – is the best. Balance and active link campaign with passive links- create outstanding content for your site.
Another good one is the A-B C-D model. You link my site A to B and I’ll link your site B to my site D, etc. This is probably the least likely to be detected as a network.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Google has ruined the web with this pagerank thing. A new webmaster now needs to concentrate more on link building and SEO than on quality.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 am
I too only go for quality link exchange with same theme or related theme sites like mine…. i look more on traffic rather then going for getting higher PR to my site.
but i had a Q here … if we do 3 way exchange .. then will google take our link as a paid link ? m very much worried about this … as many sites , blogs n dir’s have got penalised for this thing…wat do u say frd ?
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I try not to rely on 3 way linking except in special cases if the quality would really be higher (either traffic or juice).
When a search engine looks at the link neighborhood for a website and sees a pattern of 3 way links I do not think there is any doubt from them what you are trying to do. A limited number of these links could occur naturally, but I believe some take it too far.
Quality one-way inbound links are without a question the best.
Also agree on the link-baiting they are pros at it over seomoz. Automotive baiting is difficult though since no one wants to link with most of my clients and when they do typically it’s not with very favorable content or anchor text.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
It is pretty clear that 1 way linking will generate the best results.. but it is a lot more work than recip or three way linking… much more rewarding though
November 28th, 2008 at 8:04 am
The value of one way, outgoing links is in the credibility it gives you as a resource for google customers. dont link to competitors and you will do fine
November 28th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Remember that one way outbound links (to non competitors) helps build your credibility score with the search engines.
I link out to wikipedia amongst others.
Google is interested in the lifetime value to them of a person using their browser. Any company that offers a great visitor experience is held in good regard,
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 am
Good post! however i think Link Popularity isn’t a chemical formula that can be attained by mixing two or more components. Gaining maximum number of links pointing to your website requires skills, backed up by your website’s worthiness. If your site is worthy of a link, you can earn a great profit with Link Popularity. And if it isn’t, all your Link Building efforts might go in vain! So, Real Success of any link building campaign depends more on site’s worthiness rather than type of link building.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I find it interesting how google seems to be listing a lot more pages from the website you are doing the link: search on. I saw a site the other day, with PR4 that when I used the google link search, saw that ever link listed was from the same site. I didn’t bookmark the search, or take a screenshot of it, but I sure wish I had….
July 10th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Good information! Liked the post and also came across some unknown topics.