SEO glossary · R

Reciprocal Links

What are Reciprocal Links? Definition and Meaning

Reciprocal links are links that two websites exchange: site A links to site B, and site B links back to site A. They happen naturally between partners, but trading links on purpose to boost rankings breaks Google’s spam policies. Reciprocal link meaning in short: a two-way link exchange between two sites, also called a link swap or mutual link. The word reciprocal means each side gives the other the same thing, here a link.

  • Natural: a supplier and a customer link to each other because they work together, or two sites cite each other’s research. Some reciprocal links are normal.
  • Manipulative: “link to me and I’ll link to you” deals and link pages full of partner links, made mainly for rankings. Google names excessive link exchanges as a link scheme.

How search engines treat them

Google’s systems largely discount links that look traded, so large-scale exchanges rarely help, and they can lead to a manual action. Three-way exchanges (A links to B, B to C and C to A) are the same thing in disguise.

Good practice

  • Link to other sites because it helps your readers, not as a trade.
  • Keep partner and supplier links genuine and relevant.
  • If a link is part of a commercial deal, mark it with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".

A wedding photographer and a florist work together at weddings and each recommends the other on their sites: “Our florist partner” and “Our photographer partner”. These links help couples and exist for a real reason. A different site sends 200 emails saying “link to me and I’ll link to you” and builds a page of 80 unrelated partner links. That is a link scheme.

  1. List pages on your site that link to many other sites, such as “partners” or “resources” pages.
  2. For each link, ask: would I recommend this site to a customer?
  3. Remove links that exist only because of a swap.
  4. Mark any paid or exchanged links with rel=”sponsored” or “nofollow”.
  5. Review incoming link requests and decline mass swaps.
  • Building a “links” page that links to anyone who asks.
  • Exchanging links with unrelated sites in different industries or countries.
  • Three-way swaps to hide the exchange. These are also link schemes.

No. Natural ones between real partners are fine. Excessive exchanges for ranking are not. See link profile and backlinks.

With useful resources and real relationships. See skyscraper technique and nofollow links.

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