Free Linking is no more - Ive had enough, cant take it anymore - what a struggle!

[highlander]

4 years ago, my linking was sweet, perfect, easy in a crazy way - but not now. The first version of my website got a disgusting amount of links, those links are now all gone, actually they went 2 years back, and now, well, now getting links is a bitch of a tough thing these days.

Doesnt matter what my site looks like, what it does - getting businesses/sites to swap is just nearly impossible, so much so I'm considering removing my link swap webpage (its devalued by Google anyway), what with, websites charging for links/adverts, link page depth, unfavourable link swap tactics etc, its just not worth the large effort for small rewards.

This is something I noticed over the last few years, and its real! People just dont want to swap as much as they did, and my theory is money! the web has simply changed a lot, and all thats left is the desperate link chasers with no money and crap websites, and I wont link with those types anyway.

Swapping links is old, maybe thats the problem, the way its done is old, and the low traffic/ROI involved just isnt worth the time it takes to add a link to my site anymore. One ways, hmmm - dont hold much hope of getting many of those as its too valuable a web space for free.

Now I do the odd one here and there, but wont rely on it as my other methods are superior. So its bye bye links and thanks for the memories!

[Emily Maxin]

If not links there are the ARTICLES! What I think that it's more better than links!

[highlander]

If not links there are the ARTICLES! What I think that it's more better than links!

No Thank You, thats even worse a suggestion. They are useless and pointless

[bailey.rein]

we all know that there are still free links that will help your website generate traffic... you just have to patient on finding them.

[highlander]

we all know that there are still free links that will help your website generate traffic... you just have to patient on finding them.

Yeah true - VERY patient! Like waste much time for little reward. Been there, done it and got the tee shirt.

Link are fine when attracting search bots, but too time consuming for Mass link-building purposes. The uneducated will find out, much to their detriment Im afraid lol.

[surreypcsupport]

If not links there are the ARTICLES! What I think that it's more better than links!

I like articles too. You get a nice variety of backlinks from different domains and because you set the topical nature of the page with the first paragraph of your article it works out well for optimisation purposes.

Forget about generating traffic directly from the article backlinks though. Most of the sites where your articles will appear are often low on visitor numbers themselves.

But it is useful for influencing backlink anchor text keywords that Google finds.

[highlander]

been there, its way too much hassle - writing even a half page article is far too much effort to gain 1 single and likely worthless link in traffic terms.

I laugh when people recommend article writing as effective or some great result. How can tens of visitors a year be good lol.

And SEO can be done without articles, so their totally worthless as a direct promotion enhancer. Link swapping gives more weight than any poorly written article ever will - I dont believe anyone with a serious business reads articles that some 15 year old spotty kid wrote, never mind trawling the web looking for such trash hehe.

[surreypcsupport]

I can knock up a quality short article in around an hour. No effort at all really. Not only do I benefit from the backlinks which have a very positive affect on my SERPs for my targeted keyphrases, but also people get to used to seeing my name. They read my articles and they can see that I know what I'm talking about. It enhances my reputation as well as improving my SERPs.

It works for me anyway.

[highlander]

They read my articles and they can see that I know what I'm talking about

Not if their a novice they wont, and all they got to go on is a quickly written article from a salesman flogging a link - which is basically why articles are used.

Articles are percieved as a link-dropping tool, they are NOT a run down of services, their amateurish, stink of desperation, also the surest form of unprofessional behaviour in that its a lazy, cheap sales pitch, and will be discovered as sloppy in about 5 seconds flat, this leaves any reader with feelings of 'kiddy attack', and no truly serious, professional person would even think about nor bother reading some cheap article to find a professional service.

No way would I even approach someone that uses articles to attract or impress. Anyone that needs to use cheap ramblings in order to impress, says to me they cant be bothered to write a simple sales pitch on their website, or put up a professional services page, contact me by phone, or use the dozens of other more effective ways to market themselves.

In short, the cheap article sales waffle, that drive ego, just cost you sales many times over. Expensive price to pay for that 'expert feeling'.

Save the expert bit for a telephone or face to face meeting, once the first contact phase is over.

Ego is the biggest mistake made on the web, and it happens every day, thousands of times for each website ever built! Its a lesson, never learnt, never corrected, ruins first contact, costs sales and is undetected/invisible bcos of emotion. Why are you writing articles instead of talking with your customers?

Articles have no personal touch - its just faceless text, and anybody can copy from a book cant they. Far better ways to drive traffic that wont waste an hour per article for 1 single link that nobody will bother reading or clicking, never mind buying off this incredible expertise of the guru article spammers.

Articles are the blind leading the blind - what next, electronic t-shirts? oh dear.

[webbizideas]

Hi,

Just because internet marketers put a bad name to "Article Marketing" does not mean it does not work. in fact, Google's Matt Cutts recommends article marketing...They just call it "Writing Useful Articles."

Type into Google "Writing useful articles that readers will love" to read Google's Matt Cuff's thoughts on the matter.

Article marketing does not work the way internet marketers do it now, but producing relevant content that relates to your industry and then influencing others with that content does work.

If you are going to say that article marketing does not work you may as well say Google does not work, because Google is looking for good content/articles.

Jeff