{"id":8384,"date":"2022-02-01T04:16:23","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T04:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/01\/google-affirms-reciprocal-linking-is-natural-in-many-cases\/"},"modified":"2022-02-01T04:16:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T04:16:23","slug":"google-affirms-reciprocal-linking-is-natural-in-many-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/01\/google-affirms-reciprocal-linking-is-natural-in-many-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Affirms Reciprocal Linking Is Natural In Many Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Reciprocal linking isn\u2019t always bad, in Google\u2019s view. In many cases it\u2019s natural to link back to a site that links to yours.<\/p>\n

This is stated by Google\u2019s Search Advocate John Mueller during the Google Search Central SEO office hours hangout recorded on January 28.<\/p>\n

An SEO professional named Seth Mendelsohn joins the livestream with concerns regarding preserving the value of backlinks.<\/p>\n

He asks if any value will be lost from inbound links pointing to his site if he links to those sites in return.<\/p>\n

Mendelsohn clarifies he\u2019s not looking to do this as part of a link exchange. Rather, he believes the links would be beneficial to visitors.<\/p>\n

Would the inbound links pointing to his site lose value if he were to link back to those domains?<\/p>\n

Or worse, would Google see this as a form of unnatural link building?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Mueller says.\n<\/p>\n

Reciprocal Links Aren\u2019t Always Bad<\/h2>\n

Certain forms of reciprocal linking are against Google\u2019s webmaster guidelines, which is why Mendelsohn is being extra cautious about which pages he links to.<\/p>\n

A link exchange, where two sites agree to link to each other in an attempt to manipulate search rankings, is strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n

This situation, on the other hand, is not a link exchange as defined in Google\u2019s guidelines. Rather, it\u2019s a natural form of reciprocal linking.<\/p>\n

Mueller explains:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s perfectly fine. It\u2019s also kind of natural. Especially if you\u2019re a local business, you link to your neighbors. Or if you\u2019re mentioned in the news somewhere you kind of mention that on your website like \u2018I was featured here in the news\u2019 and essentially you\u2019re kind of linking back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although two sites linking to each other technically qualifies as reciprocal linking, Google can tell the difference between natural linking and a link scheme.<\/p>\n

Mueller continues:<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a reciprocal link essentially, but it\u2019s a natural kind of link. It\u2019s not something that\u2019s there because you\u2019re doing some kind of crazy link scheme. So from that point of view, I think it\u2019s easy to overthink it. And if you\u2019re doing something naturally, if you\u2019re not kind of making weird deals, behind the scenes, then I really wouldn\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For more guidance related to reciprocal linking, see:<\/p>\n

Hear the full discussion on reciprocal links in the video below:<\/p>\n