The Link Swapping Trap

If you want to make money on the web, you must get traffic
to your website. If you want to get traffic to your website,
you must have a high rank in google's search results. Google
ranks websites based upon the number of links that point to
the site.

Many novice webmasters believe they can trick Google into
giving their website a high rank by swapping links with
other webmasters. One reason they believe this, is because
"wanna-be" web marketing "experts" keep spouting that trash.

It's only partially true that Google ranks websites based
upon the number of links that point to the site. Google
uses a highly sophisticated page ranking formula that keeps
changing and evolving all the time. Google caught onto the
link swapping trick years ago.

Novice webmasters put all their link swaps on one
gigantically long page referred to as a "link farm". When
Google's robot finds a link farm, their ranking formula
penalizes the websites listed in the link farm. If Google
finds the same site listed in many link farms, they remove
that site from their search engine.

Just about every week I get an email message saying
"I placed a link to your website on my website. Please put
a link to my website on your website. Here's where you can
find your link on my website" ... followed by a link to a
single webpage containing hundreds of links ... a link farm.

I usually reply to such a message with a request to remove
the link to my website from their webpage. The novice
webmaster often responds with a message of pure astonishment.
Link swap requests have become so common lately that I have
been responding by clicking on the "Delete" button.

Every webmaster that wants to swap links has a website
with zero traffic. Even if Google didn't penalize websites
for being listed in a link farm, why would I want to send
traffic away from my website to a website that can't return
any traffic?

Not only are these novice webmasters not experienced in the
way of the web, they seem inexperienced in the way of the
world. The first rule of the universe is "you never get a
free lunch". If you want your website to rank high in Google,
you have to pay them. If you can't afford to pay them, you
have to do the work.

It's hard work to get traffic to your website. There is
only one method I know that works: put valuable, original
content on your website. Other websites, blogs, and forums
will post links to the valuable content on your website,
not with a link swap, but as a resource to their audience.

When someone places a legitimate link to valuable content
on their webpage, the webpage has low link density.
Google's page ranking formula gives the page a high score.
If a link to your webpage is found on a high scoring
webpage, that raises the rank of your webpage.

On the other hand, a page with a high link density, with
hundreds of links and little other content, gets a negative
score from Google. If a link to your webpage is found on a
webpage with a negative score, that lowers the rank of your
webpage.

Don't try to scam Google by swapping links, and don't
cooperate with foolish webmasters who think there is a
"free lunch". If you want to get a higher ranking in Google,
resulting in more traffic to your website, there is only
one way - good old fashion hard work.

----------------------------------------------------------
Permission is granted for the below article to forward,
reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,
offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long
as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the
resource box below is included.
----------------------------------------------------------

Copyright(C)2004 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain
your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web
site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com
To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit
http://bucarotechelp.com/search/subscribe.asp

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

The Link Swapping Trap

Web Site Promotion