Definition of Reciprocal Link

A reciprocal link refers to one that is placed on a website in return for a similar link being placed on the other website. In essence, site A places a link to site B on one of their webpages. In return, site B places a link to site A on their own website. An element of trust comes into play since neither site A nor site B are going to continually monitor each other to see if the link is in place. Ideally, websites should only consider linking to other websites that offer valuable content, products, or services.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case since reciprocal links are party to search engine optimisation practices. In fact, reciprocal links are vital to any marketing campaign or promotional effort made by a website. The primary purpose of reciprocal links is to increase a specific website’s page rank in order to generate more traffic to the site.

External links:

• Wikipedia explanation of Reciprocal Link
• Igold rush explanation
• Associate programs reciprokal link explanation
• About.com article: link exchange rules