subject: How Does 3-way Link Building Work? [print this page] Link building as a strategy Link building as a strategy
We know that link building plays an important role in site ranking. Search engines give more importance to sites that are well-mentioned, because it is a sign of authority.
A one way link is the best kind of link you can get, especially if it's coming from another authority site, which includes your competition. Search engines give priority to one way links because these are hard to manipulate, hence, more legitimate.
It's not that easy to ask other webmasters to link to your site without offering something in return. That's why 2-way links through link exchanges have become popular when doing SEO in the past years. Recently however, 2-way links have begun to look bad in the eyes of search engines.
The link pyramid
2-way links, or reciprocal links, are very easy to come by because of its barter nature. But over the years, the complexity of Google's PageRank and other factors have made reciprocal links less significant in search ranking. Because of this, 3-way links (link pyramids) are looking like a better option.
An owner of two websites, Website A and Website B, for example, can offer a link exchange with the owner of Website C. The way it is usually set up, Website A is the main website while Website B is a secondary site. The owner will offer a link to Website C from Website B. In return, Website C will link to Website A.
Pros and Cons of 3-way link exchange
This 3-way link exchange will make the links look like one-way links, which is generally good for ranking. Many SEO practitioners are aware of this strategy, there are even tools made to create these links automatically - on a larger scale.
Taking part in a 3-way link exchange sounds like shady business. Using tools to jack up one's backlinks might be detected by search engines sooner or later, so take caution when getting involved in this trade. Do your research and make sure you will benefit from it before jumping in.
Make sure the quality of the link you are getting is at par with the kind of link you have to offer. Otherwise, it may be better to get links from other more reliable and legitimate sources.
Just like 2-way link exchanges, 3-way link exchanging may not be for everyone. It depends on the kind of website that's being optimized. So, is 3-way linking good for your website?
