Should I be picky about hardlink trades
 

Hi,

I'm doing some hard link trades and was wondering if I should be more picky. Obviously I check to make sure they are not blacklisted by google by checking page rank. But other than that the only thing i require is that they are an adult site. I do actively look for similar sites and similar category pages but will also accept any other trade as well.

Is this a bad thing?

I'm under the impression that the more hardlinks to your site the better and relevant links on relevant pages are even better. Having a link on a not directly related page (just any adult site), although not as good as a relevant link is still benificial. Right or wrong??

It's a judgement call. Some people seem to do fairly well with 'anything goes' linking.

In theory you will get better ranking with 'relevancy' or theme-to-theme linking.

In practice it depends on a lot of other factors as well- keyword focus, the number of competing pages, quite a few others.

Then theres the contrast between 'traffic trading' and 'SE linking', a whole other dimension which affects your profit.

Build one site with anything goes, build another with relevancy, and see which one makes more sales.

I've seen both work.

Be careful that return traffic isn't from a CJ SCRIPT! Many TGPs are asking for link exchanges and then send nothing but CJ traffic.

What do you mean by CJ traffic.

I'm going to install a decent trade script that works on productivity so hopefully that will overcome the problem of being sent crap traffic.

Yep - if then you're starting to 'skim' (eg. send 40% of your link clicks to trades) then it's called CJ traffic (circle jerk - from one site to the next) = that's not a HARD LINK EXCHANGE and by far not as productive, because surfers didn't chose to go to the site!

Yup, you'll be the one sending the crap traffic. :D As George pointed out, you have your terminology all messed up. Hard links don't involve a script.

nice read , cool

Sorry once you started talking about traffic script things I did too. Getting myself confused.

I know the difference between hardlinks and scripted links.

I wouldn't be doing hardlink trades for traffic but for PR and SERPs.

I dont really understand why TGPs would send you CJ traffic if you have done a hardlink trade with them, unless they are trying to pretend they still have your hardlink by sending you traffic through CJ?? Could someone please explain thier motive for this?? I'm getting a little confused.

Also:
I wouldn't be doing skimming I keep my hardlink trades and traffic trades seperate (with some sites occasionally having both).

I ussually only looks at PR and about niche and that are not a farm list but many other persons also doesnt want (/) slashes on the url's

Typically they wouldn't. If you hard link to them, then they should be doing the same in return. With hard links, you don't need a script to inform you about productivity since the traffic produced by them is inherently productive. If one really needs to know the quantity being received, they can just check their server stats.

I don't think anyone would bother sending traffic to you via a trade script if you aren't linking to them in the same manner since your site isn't going to 'react' to the influx of traffic and automatically send them more in return. We just got off on a tangent and when the trade script was mentioned.

Sorry, but my experience tells me otherwise: I had a number of TGPs asking me for link exchange and then sending ton's of unproductive CJ traffic.
...probably because they don't know any other way to trade.

I have noticed that with some smaller TGPs and some other sites that just dont seem to bother with hard links. But I think as long as your clear with them that you want a hardlink and not to be in a trade script ytou should be okay.

Any ideas on how to find out if they are blacklisted by google (e.g as a link farm).

Do you just check toolbar PR??