WebProNews

Most webmasters know that reciprocal links are a great way to increase search engine rankings and boost targeted traffic to their websites. Many of them also believe that linking to a competitor's website is a mistake. I couldn't disagree more. Why? Let me explain...

First of all, it is very important to remove the emotional obstacle from the concept of linking to a competing site. Human nature tells us that sending your hard-won visitors to a competing site just can't be right. This is one case where human nature is misguided.

Sure, a link will send traffic from your site to your competitors, but his link will also send his valuable traffic to your site! It all balances out. Now consider the fact that this will be the most targeted traffic your website will ever receive! After all, when a visitor arrives via a link on a site that offers the same thing you offer, it's a darn good bet they're looking for whatever it is you're offering!

But in addition to the ultra-targeted traffic that you'll receive from your competitor's site, consider the powerful search engine benefits. You'll gain a valuable inbound link with anchor text that you can craft to target your best keyword(s).

And since this link is on a site that is similar to yours, the "theming" aspect just won't get any better. Your Google PageRank will increase along with your search engine rankings, boosting traffic even more.

What does all this mean? Refusing to exchange links with direct competitors can cost you big time. I have been actively seeking out link exchanges with my competitors for over a year now, and during that time I have seen my site's traffic increase from around 200 unique visitors a day to over 4,000!

Rick Rouse is the owner of RLROUSE Directory & Informational
Resources, one of the fastest growing Directories on the web. Visit
http://www.rlrouse.com and submit your URL!