Is linking dead?
 

Used too, when I owned my other foot fetish site in 2000, seemed like all that you had to do to trade links was send an email. You both traded banners and that was that. I got 95 percent responses from every email that I sent.

Fast forward to 2009, I get 20 percent responses. In order to drive traffic from sources other than TGP's and Tube sites, some websites use twitter, myspace, youtube, toplists, directories, etc.

I am curious, in my peers opinion, is old school linking dead? Are toplists dead as well? You see, every quarter, I spend about a month linking and trying to aquire new traffic trades, etc. It seems that when I do searches on these topics, such as googling "foot fetish links" or "pantyhose links", "pantyhose video", etc. I get transported to sites that have not either been updated in ages, or have no link categories altogether.

In your opinions, what are the new and upcoming media outlets that you use to get your names out there so to speak.

Admittedly, I do very much miss the sense of community that niche fetish sites used to have. The "were all in this together" attitudes.

~thanks!

It's every man for himself out there..... seriously. Link trading is dead or dying.... every time I find a link partner myself, all they do is pull their links after a week or so... i'm slowly killing all my trades and interlinking within my own sites from now on - too much of a pain in the as to keep checking on cheaters and such.

You could hire a linking service. Then you can concentrate on updating your site's content as well as managing your profit margins. Let them worry about broken link trades and aquiring new one's.

I still get a steady amount of link trade requests the old way. I also have links to toplists that have been in place since the 90's.

Shoot me an ICQ, I'll arrange some link trades with you. 31024634

I see what you are saying. You would think that these selfish webmasters are just shooting themselves in the foot. But they don't care usually. I do the same thing.

What is the quality of these links usually? and what am I looking at as far as monthly fees. Saw your sig, what is the 411?

I go for lots of ip's and class c's backlinking. That's just my way of thinking. I believe the more inlinks the better, especially if you get to pick the anchor keyword ...the rest is up to your on page optimization.

As far as me... my service cost less that $20 a week. (paid annually) I'm not going to add 300 links and then take them down in a couple of months when you sell the site on dnforums/digitalpoint.(example) Too much hassle and my trading partners hate short term linkers.

The backlinks are managed monthly to replace any broken trades. We can work year by year. Multiple sites get a decent discount of course.

yup it's dead don't bother building links anymore sorry.

great, thank you ray, just bookmarked your site

no reason that it should be dead imho. but I will agree that the market for that type of traffic trade is a shadow of what it used to be.

Maybe they are thinking of the SEO value [or lack thereof] with relation to the old school form of link trades.

I dunno baddog, I think if you are trading with quality sites, that it would not be such an issue as opposed to link scripts, etc. Or perhaps I am wrong...

i'm still an active link trader via email, always have been.

Does your service still consist of creating exchanges on open linkex/lo exchanges for your clients and dropping worthless recips on massive linkfarms for whatever poor dumb webmasters are stupid enough to leave the exchanges up?

I submit A-B-C link trade request to sites using the linkex link trading script . I link to them, they link to my "A" site. I then maintain the links monthly and replace any broken link trades.

None of the sites I trade with have the same number of ingoing or outgoing links. Newer sites have fewer links, older = more links. So, as far as worthless, that is an opinion and you are entitled to your own. With hundreds of different sites, I'm sure some have too many outgoing links for your taste and I'm sure others are trading links with your very own linkex sites right now. I'll trade and maintain links with both. The more the merrier.

I know I use the linkex trading script for my own sites as well as finding higher PR/same niche link exchanges. So, I would use my A-B-C linking service in conjunction with other linking opportunities for maximum results.

Thanks for asking,
~Ray

Im using Link organizer, but I prefer interlinking

Sent you an email about your service Ray.

Good thread...good info :)

We still try and trade links :thumbsup

As with most things that were easy and of great benefit, assholes took advantage and
fucked it up.

Just create something good that's easy to get into and then wait to see how
long before you basically have to almost shut the whole thing down.

i still often get linked

If your really serious try us out over at TBN we offer the type of service being described in this thread. hit me up for details

I get tons of link requests in connection with my PR4 adult blogs. Sadly, they are 99% worthless, from sites who have nothing to offer.

That means that the emails I *do* get from sites that would make quality link partners don't get noticed unless it's from a site I'm already aware of and admire. I simply don't investigate most of the requests -- or respond to their emails -- because I've learned it's not worth my time.

I did do a link exchange with Ashley Renee's site on one of my bondage sites when she wrote and asked personally, but then again she was featured prominently in the first bondage porn I ever managed to get my greasy little post-adolescent paws on. She'd be hard to say "no" to. :helpme

Well it's still good to hear that some do it the old way. And I do agree, it was an easy thing to do and perhaps because of the "bad apples" out there... and most I would say that started doing that shit back in the day might not even be in the Biz anymore... that it ruined opportunities for honest webmasters.

Also common sense would say that if your website has been up for a month, that you wouldn't want to submit to a 4 year old site with an assortment of inbounds and quality outbounds because it would be a lopsided trade. I don't think that it used to be so much of an issue say 7-10 years ago, but now, established webmasters are looking in a different direction maybe. If I do get link requests, I do trade with them, but I trade to my lower traffic sites, if my alexa is 400k and theirs is 10 million as an example.