When using various link exchanges online, you need to think about how you are going to maximize the return of your efforts. There are many, different types of services, all offering some form of link exchange ? more or less automated. Not all exchanges produce the same quality links, nor do they have the same features. In order to choose service, you should consider a few things.

There are three common types of link exchange services;

Automated link exchanges:

You often upload a new page, or insert a script on part ? or all ? your pages. These services often charge a fee, and they almost always have many features, making it easy to decide where to link to and what inbound links to focus on. Some services take this one step further and offer relevant links within content. No links pages, real content.

The downside is the lack of control over your outbound links ? You have to trust the people running the link exchange to find the bad neighborhoods. This, however, is their job, and most of them are very good at it.

If you offer many outbound links, this can be a very easy way of getting many, many new inbound links. It's fast, very manageable and not very expensive. Add the possibilities of getting links from content filled pages, and this makes for a good idea. Many offer affiliate programs, making it possible to earn commission as you gain linkpopularity.

Regular link exchanges:

Here, you need to send ? or receive ? a link exchange request for an exchange to take place. After both parties agree, it's up to you both to add the link manually ? and use the link exchange service to authenticate it. This is the most common service out there, it is often free, but limited to five request a day ? with an option to upgrade for unlimited requests. With these services, you and no one else will check the sites you link out to, which is both good and bad. You don't risk linking to a bad site ? unless YOU choose to ? but it's also very time consuming. These services? lack of control over their users link pages will naturally make their ability to detect cheaters bad, and many of them don't even seem to be doing any form of control. It's up to you.

The only limit to the amount of new inbound links is time ? It is very time consuming, but with endless possibilities. You can find many of these services for free, making it the perfect choice for the webmaster on a low budget.

Link exchange directories:

This is basically a directory of websites, added by their webmasters as an indication of interest in exchanging links. These directories are excellent browsing for highly relevant link exchanges. These directories don't have any fancy software, instead you have to check the potential link partner's site and mail him or her, letting them know you are interested in exchanging links. The links exchanged are often of very high quality, s imply due to the actual mail conversation. You can together decide how and where the links should be placed. This takes some time, but because of the personal nature of these exchanges you will rarely be cheated.

A very, very time consuming link exchange method. Don't expect many links using these directories - expect a few, good quality links.

Trying to move up the search engines, using nothing but link exchanges, is a difficult task, all though very much possible. It is a very good complement to your normal SEO strategies, and it can even be done for free. If you find a link exchange with an affiliate program, you can add a potential income to your rewards.