Dumb Link Requests Revisited

It's Friday so I'm going to indulge in a rant today. I've complained about receiving dumb link requests before, but I've received so many lately that I think it's a topic worth revisiting.

If you're a webmaster, please note that it is pointless, yes POINTLESS, to swap links with a web site that has zero in common with your own site. Think that it will magically boost your search engine rankings? You're wrong. It's retro spam - any search engine benefits from reciprocal linking dried up a long time ago. Think that it will make your site more popular? Wrong again. You're more likely to isolate or confuse your visitors if you start linking willy-nilly to sites that have nothing to do with your topic, product or services.

The ONLY good reason to link out to another site is if you feel it adds value to your site or offers something useful to your own site visitors. Same goes for asking other sites to link to you - do so ONLY if you think your site offers useful and unique information for visitors to the site you're requesting the link from.

Clearly, the author of the link request I received today didn't follow this rule. The email started out quite promisingly but soon revealed itself as cookie-cutter cr@p:

Hello -

For the second time in a week I found myself visiting your website, so I figured hey "why not drop a request while I'm here this time around" :-)

I actually found your site by accident actually while searching on Google last week and ended up cliking on the link. I checked out a few of the pages and so far so good. I hope you keep updating the content, cause I'll probably be checking back again.........By the way, I'm also currently doing a link exchange for [URL removed] (a quality well kept PR5 site) and thought to ask if you would be interested in having us as an honest link exchange partner.

We try to be extremely selective when it comes to link exchanges, so I only write this because your site seems worthwhile and useful to any visitors, so it would be cool to help you get some good valid & mutual traffic.

If interested, all you have to do is put up a link to [URL removed] (and let me know where you put it) and I'll immidiately (sic) get you a high traffic permanent link pointing to your site that will surely help to increase your traffic.

Our link info:

Title: Wheels & Tires shipped to your door.
URL: [removed]
Description: Shipping wheels & Tires all over the world. Wheel & Tire packages available

Thanks
[Company name removed]

UGH! Do my readers come here to learn where they can buy tires for their cars? Nope. Imagine if I started linking this blog to every Tom, Dick and Harry's web site just because they ask me to? I'd soon lose my audience and the search engines would start to wonder about the relevance of my site. Same goes for your own sites - your audience is too important. Avoid dumb link requests like the one above.

At least it provided our Retro Spam Tactic of the Week!