Blogroll Effectiveness - What Do You Think?
I’ve had this discussion a number of times on other blogs. With Mitch at least once, on BloggingQuestions, and several others which I can no longer remember.
I do not currently use one, nor do I have any real plans to add one in the coming days. The reasons for this are 3fold (at least the three most prominent in my mind).
1. SEO:
Blogrolls are inherently do-follow links. As my regulars are well aware, I give PLENTY of linklove when it’s appropriate. The rolls just suck it right off the homepage for no real good reason that I can see.
Contextual links (links within a post) are far superior all the way around. Search engines read text first, then go for the links IF at all. Plus, visitors are far more prone to clicking intext links, then sidebar links.
2. Link Exchanges:
Blogrolls are most commnly used for one blog to exchange links with another. A nice idea, sure. It gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling, don’t it? However, it has a some flaws.
Although somewhat still usefull I suppose (read:do-follow links), they are not even remotely close to having the effectiveness that they once had. If you wish to swap links, why not swap posts (reviews perhaps). Remember intext links?
The real kick in the teeth with blogroll link swaps is the ease of which the 2nd party can screw you and you may not even realize it for who knows how long. Are you going to consistently check all the backlinks to make sure your link is still on the other roll? Most likely, no.
3. Sidebar Real Estate:
Even the newbiest of beginners quickly come to realize the value of sidebar space, especially if you only use one. I know at least one Internet Marketing Strategist that will agree. Point being, your VRE (Virtual Real Estate), can be much better served elsewhere.
————————————
OK I’ve said my piece, and you can take it or leave it as simply one mans opinion based on personal experience. Now my readers and I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject…
Do you agree with what I’ve said above?
Do you use a blogroll?
Do you read other blogrolls?
What is the overall effectiveness in today’s blogging society?
Any other thoughts on the subject?
Answer any or all, but try as you can for one neat/tidy comment, making replies confusion free 
.
Let’s get into it 
.
Dennis
No related posts.
Tags: blogroll link swaps, Blogrolls, Contextual links, do-follow links, Internet Marketing Strategies, Link Exchanges, seo, Virtual Real Estate, VRE
Jaq @ Net Age Web Design
Kev
Latief@AnotherBlogger
sherry
January 16th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Well, you know my take on it, so here’s the other side. The other link love you give is nice, but if there are blogs you like, highlighting them for your readers isn’t a bad thing.
Your link love pretty much says people have to come here to get it, but obviously I don’t make it a requirement that someone I like to follow comes to me. I mean, Problogger isn’t coming to my blog, but I have his link because I think he does wonderful stuff. As for the value of the sidebar,… well, if I can’t give a little bit of love to those sites that ultimately entertain me in some fashion, then what’s the point of it being a blog in the first place?
Thanks for the trackback; I hope this one gets a lot of comments, though I’m betting most of them will be agreeing with you more than me.
Mitch´s last blog post..My Big RSS Subscriber Contest!
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Mitch, I’ll take this a step at a time lol.
1st. You MUST be joking. If I blogrolled all the blogs I subscribe to/enjoy Google would send “da boys” over for a late supper. LMAO!
The only link love folks have to show up for is comments, which isn’t even half the love I give. Besides, I also plan on doing a series of “blogs I read” posts, once I finish narrowing.
The main point of a blog is to show off other blogs one reads?? That’s the way it sounds anyway.
Your welcome! And from the way it looks below, you do have a few supporters.
Mitch Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:51 am
@Dennis Edell, Well Dennis, let me ask you this. I have your blog on my blogroll; if you don’t think a blogroll is worth it, then should I remove your blog from it?
I understand that one might not be able to add every single blog they read; after all, I subscribe to close to 150 blogs myself. But I have highlighted some blogs that I really like and want to share with others.
And yes, I do believe a big point of a blog is in sharing information and being as honest with people as possible, and what’s more honest than sharing with your readers some of what you consider are your favorite blogs on a consistent basis?
Mitch´s last blog post..The Sense Or Nonsense Of Captcha
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
@Mitch, heh good one! LOL Hey man if my blog there works for ya, keep it.
All kidding aside, I totally believe in sharing information and being as honest with people as possible. I hope that’s apparent!
In this case, I just believe both parties are better served via article then link list. To each there own though, that’s what makes the world go ’round.
Nick Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
@Dennis Edell, better served? Perhaps, but just because you’re “better served” by the features and functionality of the big screen TV in your living room doesn’t mean you’re going to get rid of the old 20″ TV in your office does it?
Nick´s last blog post..Sunday Snapshots - 013
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 9:27 am
@Nick, perhaps, but it is only seen by me.
Nick Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
@Dennis Edell, just making a point that you don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other…nothing wrong with having/keeping both.
Nick´s last blog post..Vacation Rentals Is Giving Away $500.00
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
@Nick, unless you don’t believe in blogrolls…which is the main point of this post.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:20 am
@Mitch,
Btw, holy crap @ 150 dude lol. I haven’t counted mine lately but I doubt it’s quite that high yet….do you comment on all of them?
Mitch Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:26 am
@Dennis Edell, I have commented on most of them at least once. The news feeds I don’t comment on because, well, they’re news feeds. But the others,… I did mention I have a lot of interests, right?
Good thing I can speed read.
Mitch´s last blog post..The Sense Or Nonsense Of Captcha
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:28 am
@Mitch, oh I know you have a lot of interests.
Speed reading is one of the main points I try to get across when discussing blog commenting….even those that didn’t have the ability to start with, will gain it for sure.
Mitch Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
@Dennis Edell, Sire thought he had it, then realized that it just meant he wasn’t really reading the posts in the first place. lol
And look, all of this controversy has pushed me up to 5th in the commenting race!
Mitch´s last blog post..The Sense Or Nonsense Of Captcha
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
@Mitch, LOL yea definitely something to watch out for.
Shhh, we don’t want people posting just to post.
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
@Mitch, Wow I see a chat going on here! By the way, its nice to show blogs and link to them at your sidebar, no harm with that! But there are people who exchange blogroll link with thousands of other blogs and clutter them at the sidebar.
Thats annoying!
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
Mitch Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
@Ben Pei, Yes Ben, I’ve been really active most of today. And you’re right, I’ve seen some of those blogs that have tons and tons of links, mainly Blogger blogs (remember my rant about those?), but I don’t overly mind because it gives me something new to look at from time to time.
Nick Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
@Ben Pei, I agree. It’s rather annoying when someone has a huge list of sites in the blogroll. Just looks cluttered and unprofessional!
Funny how when I am on one of those lists I don’t really care and almost cringe sometimes, but when I make the shorter lists that some people have, it makes me feel pretty good about myself
Nick´s last blog post..Sunday Snapshots - 013
January 16th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
No, I don’t use a blogroll. I don’t see the point. If a blog is important or relevant, then I will link to it within an article. After all, as you point out, those links within context are worth more anyway.
The only links I give are to ‘Top Commentators’, which is more of a dynamic list.
Shirley´s last blog post..Why Are Bloggers Writing Shorter And Shorter Posts?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
@Shirley, exactly my thoughts. Do a review or give trackback credit where it’s due. It’s worth more all the way around.
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
@Shirley, Lol shirley, your name reminds me of a song. Yeah like I commented below, haven’t been really crazy over blogroll like many other new bloggers are.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
January 16th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I think you’re right on all three counts. The day of the long sidebar blogroll should be going the way of the dodo bird.
In-post links make so much more sense and you’re right to protect the potentially commercially-viable sidebar zone.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:26 am
@Michael, LOL dodo bird. Thanks Michael!
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
@Michael, Yeah dude, giving link love and mentioning names make more sense and love for your respected blogger. Isnt it?
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
January 16th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
have it, love it, use it
anyways, that is how I feel about it on my more personal blog. got the roll there, the blogs i have listed are blogs i like to visit and i don´t particularly care whether they have me on theirs on not.
I see the blogroll more to be for my easy and enjoyment than anything else and to be honest, not too bothered about the “real estate value” since it is at the bottom anyways and I am not asking money for anything anyways.
so … mostly agree with Mitch here
Mirjam´s last blog post..Ever Thought of Monetizing Your Exit Traffic?
Mitch Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@Mirjam, All right, support! Love it, Mirjam!
Mitch´s last blog post..The Sense Or Nonsense Of Captcha
Mirjam Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
@Mitch, yeah, but we are probably going to be the only ones ROFL
@ Dennis… I guess it all depends on how you define “effectiveness” … effective in terms of monetization? effective in terms of PR? effective in an egoistical manner? ….
Mirjam´s last blog post..Ever Thought of Monetizing Your Exit Traffic?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:37 am
@Mirjam, I suppose I meant, does either party really get anything from it?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:31 am
@Mirjam,
I see the blogroll more to be for my easy and enjoyment than anything else.”
Awesome, but as I said to Mitch above, there’s no way I could do that…you’d scroll for weeks. LOL
Funny you should say that though. People keep telling me to remove the meta links at the bottom - I use those for easy access to my admin.
Mirjam Reply:
January 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am
@Dennis Edell, ok so than there is one thing I don´t understand…. the only reason I see for changing the standard admin login to another page, is to secure your blog from being hacked.
Please correct me if I am wrong with my assumption that you changed the standard login page for security reasons.
But seeing that you have changed the standard login page to something else, ie, making your blog more secure, why would you want to share that page with others and by doing that actually not profit from having a more secure admin page?
Mirjam´s last blog post..Ever Thought of Monetizing Your Exit Traffic?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
@Mirjam,
Actually most tell me to remove it because they consider it “ugly”, not for security reasons.
I haven’t changed the login page or anything. To be honest, if anyone really wanted to get into my silly little blog, there’s other (and easier) ways to do it then sitting all day trying to figure out my passwords.
January 16th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
First I completely agree with everything Mitch said.
As far as recips, yes checking recips is a task, but when well organized for tracking it is not that difficult and is quite worth it. Contrary to some popular belief recips are still quite strong and do work.
From an SEO perspective home page links and within content links are the best, and the blogroll is still an important part of that, especially since it is a home page link as opposed to the “within content links” that may take months to gain PR for those individual post pages and so many of them are PR N/A.
While do-follow comments for instance are good backlinks, a blogroll link is stronger for SEO and Page Rank. So, if I had to choose from 10 PR2 do-follow comment blog links or 1 PR2 Blogroll link, I would go with the blogroll link any time.
You always hear talk and rumors about what Google counts and does not count, and the “blogroll” actually got slammed into the “bad” mix when Google was slamming sites for paid links and many figured that the blogroll would be frowned upon because it indicates that links maybe being sold.
But, I just build links, a variety of different kinds, some natural and most manual and I do not worry too much about the rumors and I see results in the SERPS and the results are all that matter.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Strategies - Free vs. Self Hosted Blogs
Mitch Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies, Glad you’re on my side, JR. The other side isn’t necessarily wrong, we just don’t agree with it. But I am amazed that there were two other people who agreed with me; thanks.
Mitch´s last blog post..The Sense Or Nonsense Of Captcha
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
@Mitch,
No you are right, no right or wrong, everyone has their way of doing this and everything else
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Strategies - Free vs. Self Hosted Blogs
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
@Mitch, Make it three now? No?
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:53 am
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies, sure JR make me think on a weekend, that’s not very nice.
They do work to a point, absolutely. I’m not sure I’d agree with “quite strong”, but a good link is a good link.
Contextual links may not gain the PR quickly, but they are indexed immediately along with the article they’re in…..worth a lot in my book.
I totally agree that comment do follow isn’t worth a heck of a lot, at least until the page itself gains some. To me that’s just a small thanks for participating.
I actually agreed with Google on that one. I’m highly doubtful that 50-link blogrolls are all “friends”. LOL
I totally agree. Link building is what it is, just with different styles is all. Don’t get me wrong, one of the main reasons I’m subscribed to you is your ninja like link building abilities.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
@Dennis Edell
Ninja… Maybe that should be my tagline
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Strategies - Free vs. Self Hosted Blogs
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies, then you need to make a character that links to your link building posts!
January 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I do have a double take about blogrolls and its really effectiveness. For blogs that I read (like yours) I will add them to my google reader. I have placed links - some badges of groups that I joined on a “Links” page so they do not clutter up my main page.
Dominique´s last blog post..Motivating your child through rewards
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am
@Dominique, cool idea on the separate page. If the page is only there for your ease and convenience though, I suggest you no-follow the links.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I will be brave.
I have no idea who does or doesn’t have a blog roll on their page. I never pay attention. I think much of that comes from the ‘crap’ blog rolls that people had ran before where the owner of the blog joined a group and it was just random crap links that all members exchanged.
Now, if I see a person leave a comment then I know they are possibly interesting (not just a random link on the side rail). If an article contains a link then I will click on it because it is relevant to the info I am reading.
So, I do mind if people have blog rolls - they own the space. Just don’t expect me to notice. I am much more likely to check out the links in a post where a blog owner makes an actual post stating their fav blogs.
Sheryl Loch´s last blog post..Could a Monkey Post Your Blog?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:02 am
@Sheryl Loch, LOL@brave - constructive disagreements are healthy and encouraged (even when they disagree with me)
You brought up one of my main points also. Do visitors really skim them? I know I rarely do as well.
January 16th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I will follow Sheryl bravery. I think I have only clicked on one blogroll ever. I like links in the posts better you usually have an idea of what you are linking to so you are not wasting your time going to a random blog that you have no interest in.
With links in posts you know the author of the post thought the article was good enoug to mention- with blogrolls you never know what you are going to get.
Jen´s last blog post..Blogging- So Much More Than Just Writing
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
@Jen, excellent point on the randomness of it all, thanks Jen!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
@ Jen and Sheryl
There is a difference in using a blogroll for traffic and using it for SEO. I have probably clicked on 2 links in my whole online life on a blogroll, so I agree that blogroll’s are not the good sources of direct traffic, their main function is best for backlinks.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Strategies - Free vs. Self Hosted Blogs
Mitch Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies, And I’m obviously the different one, because I do tend to look at blogrolls and visit some of the sites listed because I’m always looking for new, intriguing blogs to follow.
Mitch´s last blog post..My Search Engine SERP Tests
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies Reply:
January 16th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
@Mitch
I wish I had the time, I can barely keep up with the blogs I read regularly with all the work I have to do. But you are totally right where you are looking, if I was looking for blog recommendations, then I would surely look to my fave bloggers blogroll, probably the best source for a recommend.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Strategies - Free vs. Self Hosted Blogs
Mirjam Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 4:49 am
@Mitch, gotta agree with ya again LOL I too look at other people´s blogrolls but only if I have been following the blog and thus find it interesting.
Curiosity kills the cat … if I find a bloggers opinions interesting, I wanna see what blogs that blogger finds interesting too.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies, then I suggest an easy to manage list…no more then 10 MAX…of equal or greater PR. How simple is that?
January 17th, 2009 at 5:56 am
On some niche blog I have a few links but they’re blogs that I genuinely like - on others, none. It depends on whether it will help the reader.
James Mangosteen Dean
James Mangosteen Dean´s last blog post..Mangosteen Juice Effects For Helping The Kidneys Function Better, Testimonial # 1 - 2
January 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Excellent stuff so far folks! Keep the thoughts coming, no matter what side you’re on.
January 17th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Good morning, Dennis.
I have a small blogroll and it links to only blogs that I read as often as I can and which I personally recommend to my readers.
I don’t consider link luv, PR, SEO, or anything else. I don’t care if the blogs I link to link back to me. I do it because I want to.
I have to read a blog for a long time before I’d consider adding it to my blogroll.
I agee that intext links are a good way to reference other blog posts and I do that when appropriate.
I don’t see a conflict between intext links and blogroll links.
Act on your dream!
JD
John Dilbeck´s last blog post..Site Build It! or WordPress? Which is Best? Why?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
@John Dilbeck,
An excellent use of the roll John. Unfortunately the majority of visitors can’t tell the difference between “highly recommended” or plain garbage rolls like most.
On top of that, if you label it “recommended”, the majority…and worse, Google…will suspect paid inclusion.
Thoughts?
John Dilbeck Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 11:52 am
@Dennis Edell, Good morning, Dennis.
I really don’t have any thoughts on the points you raised.
I just have my little blogroll and maintain it as it pleases me.
I don’t take Google into consideration, at all.
As far as labeling it “recommended,” I don’t do that. I just have a small blogroll labeled “Blogs” that is located down toward the bottom of my right column.
If it helps my readers find a high-quality blog to read, then it’s done it’s job. I’ve learned a lot from the people who write those blogs. This is just a small way of thanking them.
As far as what others do with their blogrolls, that’s up to them.
Act on your dream!
JD
John Dilbeck´s last blog post..Site Build It! or WordPress? Which is Best? Why?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
@John Dilbeck, what ever works or one John and it sounds like it works for you.
January 17th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I agree with all the points you have made about the ineffectiveness of blogrolls. If some how you could make them “nofollow,” I think it would be more beneficial to all the people on your blogroll
Donny Gamble´s last blog post..Why I Don’t Believe in Dofollow Comments
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@Donny Gamble,
I did recently read one blogger bitching about another turning his blogroll no follow. I don’t know how he did it though.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I do use a blogroll on my site and like it when others do too. When I find a blog that I particularly like, I want to see what they like too, so if they have a blogroll it is super easy to find others blogs that I like too.
Without blogrolls, I would be mindlessly searching the internet in the hopes of finding a writer I thought was funny, positive, intersting and that I could relate to, but blogrolls make it a lot easier.
I DO NOT like the automatic blogrolls that are rotated through on sites. I think those are tacky.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
@Awnya Boam, automated blogrolls?
Oh and welcome to the community!
Awnya Boam Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
@Dennis Edell, Thank you! yes. Most times you sign up on a site and then you add their coding to your sidebar and they will rotate through the different members of the blogroll community. You are in the loop, but I would rather have more control over the other blogs displayed on my site. And when I see them on other sites I don’t follow any of the links. HTH!
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
@Awnya Boam, oh ugh that does sound horrible, thanks for the heads up!
January 17th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
A quality blogroll is a great place to find the best blogs related to the one I’m visiting. When I saw that AllTop had put Avinash under something other than Web Analytics I was able to suggest a new category which they quickly and easily populated with the blogroll from a link to his blog that I sent them.
Putting a site in your blograll is a tacit recommendation. I wish I could put a different blogroll that relates to a specific post showing the bloggers who most cover that topic. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet but believe it would be a great value. .
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Twitter Usability Grade: C Minus - and We’re Being Generous
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
@Internet Strategist, Well I mean if you’re into link exchange, you probably could have a list of blogroll on your blog but be careful where you place it. Just don’t make your readers think like you’re only a link exchange machine.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
Internet Strategist Reply:
January 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
@Ben Pei, While blogrolls obviously are links I don’t view them as link exchanges (although often they will be). I see them as additional resources for my readers.
For example, if my current post is about analytics if I could dynamically get my blogroll into the right sidebar and show my favorite analytics blogs I would because someone reading that post is obviously seeking information about analytics and the blogs I would recommend are the best in their niche.
If my current post was on link building I’d love to share a different blogroll list of recommended bloggers who specialize in link building.
Some niche bloggers (such as analytics) are quite specific while others like mine are more big picture. Who better to recommend the best bloggers in each niche than someone who sees the big picture and knows who really is sharp and who is playing the part?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
@Internet Strategist, you could make up your own manual link list for that, no?
Internet Strategist Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
@Dennis Edell, Yes, I do provide additional resources sections at the bottom of most of my posts that serve a similar purpose. They recommend specific posts rather than specific blogs related to my post.
I do create these manually and add to them as I come across related quality content. I see my blog as a reference resource rather than a breaking news service (although I do sometimes blog about that too).
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Ecommerce Tip: How to Increase Profitability On Shopping Comparison Clicks
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
@Internet Strategist, you do a good job of it too.
Internet Strategist Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
@Dennis Edell, Thanks. I do what I can.
Any time you can suggest a post I’ve missed do let me know. I’d love to have bloggers volunteer their related posts in the comments of posts on subjects they’ve covered so I can just move them up into the resources sections. I know only those who have quality posts like yours will bother.
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Ecommerce Tip: How to Increase Profitability On Shopping Comparison Clicks
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 9:20 am
@Internet Strategist, thanks for the kudos; very appreciated. Thanks also for the OK to link…I allow that as well as long as it relevant.
January 17th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Honestly, I haven’t really crazy about blogroll links or exchange. I only have two at the moment and they are both initiated by other parties.
I guess its not a total bad idea since some people have found good use for it e.g increase in PR. But well.. still not very active about that ATM..
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
@Ben Pei, plus some might notice specific oddities if you’re doing it straight for PR - suspicions would rise.
Ben Pei Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
@Dennis Edell, Definitely dennis.. any “spams” are easily spotted. By the way thanks for the quicky reply! I have just contacted you regarding the subscriber’s page.
Check your mail =)
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Why I Think It’s Important To Have A “Must Read” Section
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 17th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
@Ben Pei, I’m logging off in a bit so it will be morning, but I’ll look for yours first.
January 18th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I do use and read blogroll. I even have sold some of my space in the blogroll to some people (just shhh… to Google, ok ?)
Yeah, I agree about the intext links, one thing is that people love to click them, and the second that is Google gives more love to the links that are intext, as Google thinks they’re “natural”.
Great post, and all the best,
The Moneyac
The Moneyac´s last blog post..NoFollow Links - Are they Really Useless ?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 18th, 2009 at 7:33 am
@The Moneyac, naughty naughty but kinda my point lol.
Thanks for the input.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Dennis, I have read somewhere that if we have the same blogroll links on all pages. It affects our PR.
Is that true? I am not sure about this. but i got this info from my friend.
Any body here could throw some light on it?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 18th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
@Nihar, it does drain on the PR, as they are do follow links.
Internet Strategist Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
@Nihar, My philosophy is that my blog is for my readers and not for the search engines. You can either worry about PR and try to keep it for yourself in hopes you’ll benefit from more search traffic or ignore PR and focus on increasing your community and sharing LinkLove and readers with them.
I receive more visitors from Social Networking sites such as FriendFeed and Twitter and other blogs such as this one - and those visitors are active and send even more visitors.
Obviously I focus on what is best for my readers and let the search engine issue take care of itself.
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Ecommerce Tip: How to Increase Profitability On Shopping Comparison Clicks
January 18th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
@Dennis, Then how do i make them appear only on my home page not on other pages or post?
Have you done anything to only display on some pages?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 7:28 am
@Nihar,
I’m not too sure; I don’t use a blogroll. The top commenter plugin I use has a check box for whether or not it appears on all pages, but that’s different.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:42 am
I am not sure how WP works but, if I were to run a BlogRoll on my blog I would put it in a HTML side box plug in. Then I can make the links Do or No Follow since it would be me writing the link code.
I am guessing here but, could you use a plug in box like you have for your button ads, adjust the size and insert any links you want and also have the Do or No follow?
If you look at some of the bigger blogs they have many of their side links as no follow, unless they are a paid ad.
Ok, I’ll leave now that I have shown my total lack of knowledge about WP script.
Sheryl Loch´s last blog post..Could a Monkey Post Your Blog?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 19th, 2009 at 7:46 am
@Sheryl Loch, you’re 100% correct.
Manual linking is the best way to have full control. But I must add, the smart ones nowadays have the paid link no-follow as well to avoid getting slammed by Google.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I maintain a blogroll on my site (which reminds me, I need to make some changes to it again) but don’t list all of the sites I read. I generally list about 10 of my more favoured blogs (usually more personal sites than anything) that I truely would recommend to my readers. I do have a seperate “text links for sale” section but keep it seperate from the blogroll.
As for the sites on my blogroll, I don’t care whether they return the favor or not because the link is their for my readers as much as for them. In this way, it’s a sort of quick-reference for my readers to find some other sites and sites of people I like to read.
I agree with the value of in-post links, but those fade away to the archives and are not always accessible to readers and casual visitors. Plus, by having a blogroll, I can continue to share the love with the sites in it at the time without having to be concerned about who I link to how often in the posts.
Nick´s last blog post..Sunday Snapshots - 013
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 9:22 am
@Nick, that’s a healthy way to look at it.
I do say though, as long as your current content is sticky, you’d be surprised how many visitors will go into your archives.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:19 am
Hey, I have blogrolls on my blogs, but most of them point to my other blogs with a few pointing to mates aka Mitch, and blogs of special interest. As for bleeding my PR, those who know me know what I think of that.
Sire´s last blog post..Blogging The Money Way With Plugins
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Sire, we know we know.
As for pointing to my other blogs, check out my new bottom sidebar additions.
Sire Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
@Dennis Edell, anyone would think that I have a tendency to repeat myself
What am I looking for in the sidebar?
Sire´s last blog post..Blogging The Money Way With Plugins
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 10:33 am
@Sire, the bottom sidebar. I realize it’s not on the side but that’s what it’s called. LOL
Nick Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 10:36 am
@Dennis Edell, actually, I think most people refer to that as the footer
Nick´s last blog post..Why I’m Not Going To Write A Post About The Inauguration
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 10:43 am
@Nick, in the admin section (at least my admin section) it’s the bottom side bar…the top 3 boxes are the top sidebar.
The copyright is the footer.
Nick Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 11:31 am
@Dennis Edell, ah I see, you’re speaking in reference to where it is located within the WordPress admin. I was thinking in terms of page layout
Nick´s last blog post..Why I’m Not Going To Write A Post About The Inauguration
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
@Nick, actually I was speaking in terms of both. If someone says “put this line of code in your footer”, it’s not going to go where those 3 boxes are.
Sire Reply:
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:19 am
@Nick, Thank you Nick, that’s what I would have called it, but what would I know, I’m just a dumb blogger
As usual Dennis has an answer for everything.
Sire´s last blog post..Biggest Ever Blogging Contest To Be Had
January 20th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Hi
Great insights.
You have nicely described.
Thanks for the post…
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Jecob - Web Design Los Angeles,
Thanks Jecob and welcome aboard!
January 20th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
[...] used this one personally although after reading some of the comments on Dennis Edell’s post Blogroll Effectiveness- What Do You Think? I may start paying more attention to them. There was a lot of debate on whether the blogs in the [...]
January 21st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I have a blogroll. I think aside from the SEO benefits.if someone is perusing blogs about marketing, and they see your link on a lot of those blogrolls, then it will make the reader more likely to check out your site.
~ Kristi
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography´s last blog post..My Flickr Meme - Creating A Mosaic
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 7:01 pm
@Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, ah yes that may be true. However I prefer to get those perks through blog commenting!
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
@Dennis Edell, That is another way to do it. I think being on someone’s blogroll says a bit more. Like I can comment on ProBlogger all the time, which is good, but if they listed my blog on their blogroll, it seems I would get more credibility that way.
~ Kristi
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography´s last blog post..My Flickr Meme - Creating A Mosaic
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 7:30 pm
@Kikolani | Poetry, Photography,
If you’re into those blogs then perhaps, but what are the odds? Plus credibility is a huge issue on those blogs. The bigger the blog, the more I’m going to think it’s a paid link, unless it’s one of their known friends, which isn’t difficult to spot either.
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography Reply:
January 21st, 2009 at 7:33 pm
@Dennis Edell, That’s true. Maybe not someone that high up the blogging food chain, and maybe not on the blogroll. But if, say one of your articles gets referenced as a source / inspiration, that is more credibility.
~ Kristi
Kikolani | Poetry, Photography´s last blog post..My Flickr Meme - Creating A Mosaic
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am
@Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, exactly right! That all starts with being written about within a blog article.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:04 am
Hi,
It’s great.
Such nice comments by all.
I found Good Information.
Thanks
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
do you guys figure it’s safe to assume that most people in a professional looking blog’s blogroll are paid links?
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: 1.21.09
Nick Reply:
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
@Matty Byloos, I would say no simply because I feel my blog is somewhat professional looking (and it wouldn’t take much effort to make it more so if I desired) yet all of the blogroll links are there simply because I wanted them to be and I’m not paid for any of them.
By this line of thinking, I see no reason why on a more professional looking blog, the webmaster wouldn’t feel the same way.
Nick´s last blog post..Free Cosmetics From Many Retailers
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
@Matty Byloos, personally I feel (from looking at them) that “top blogger” blogrolls are either friends or paid…usually friends as they are all in each others rolls.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
One more link-xchange tool can’t hurt…can it?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
@Caleb, not if you’re into those types of link exchanges.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I am confused. I don’t often look down the sidebar of a blog unless I am looking for another article to peak my interest. I do not care if you have 50 entries in your blogroll.
My question is how much do you really care about your pagerank? It is a Mythical number. You are getting lots of lively conversation at your blog which will definitely be good. How many people came to your site from Google?
I came from comments you made on Josh’s Blog. I have also seen your comments on Caroline Middlebrooks blog.
I think giving link love through Lucia’s or something like that is awesome.
Rick
Rick Hoover´s last blog post..Hoover S3765040 Canister Vacuum Review
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
@Rick Hoover,
No need for confusion, blogrolls just seem to be a personal preference thing I guess. I just have my issues with them. LOL
I do care about PR because potential advertisers care about PR…that’s good enough for me.
Honestly, I don’t know my search engine traffic percentages as well as I should, as I don’t check stats nearly as often as I should.
That’s going to change soon though. I’ll be putting up my advertising page and will be going over ALL stats with a fine tooth comb to be sure I’m accurate.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I use a random blog roll rotator to rotate 10 random links in and out of my sidebar blogroll from a list of about 70 links. It’s kind of PR roulette. All of the links are to sites that I trust and I don’t do direct exchanges.
Frank Carr´s last blog post..Earn Online Cash with These Traffic Generators
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
@Frank Carr, Where does the list exist? Where is it pulling the links from.
Frank Carr Reply:
February 11th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
@Dennis Edell, It’s just the regular WordPress blogroll. I use the Goldfries Random Blogroll plugin to rotate them.
Frank Carr´s last blog post..How To Earn Cash Online: Boring Memo WordPress Theme
NIck Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
@Frank Carr, that’s a pretty good idea. I do something similar with my 125×125 ads, but never thought of doing it with text links!
NIck´s last blog post..Reviews For Dennis - A Contest Entry
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
@NIck, This idea of rotating selections out from a larger list, provided one has the traffic to offer sponsors, does sound like a pretty amazing one. Really maximizes the amount of sponsors one can pull in.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Raveonettes at the Henry Fonda Theater
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
@Matty Byloos,
Unless I’m missing something, that sure sounds like selling blogroll links….again, just one reason why I barely glance at them.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
That’s an awesome idea Frank. Had no idea that there was even such a thing as a blog roll rotator
February 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am
[...] Dennis Edell [...]
February 4th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I can see both sides of the fence. I currently don’t use a blogroll. I’m working on other ways to promote blogs that I would normally place in one.
The real question is do you look threw others blogroll and visit sites there?
The Blogger Source´s last blog post..Exclude Your Visits From Google Analytics
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
@The Blogger Source,
Me? No. I may glance on the rare occasion and may have even clicked a link or two (literally) in the past several years…perhaps more when I first came online many moons ago, but that’s it.
Matty Byloos Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
@Dennis Edell, If I am really into a blogger and there is a provision of super important and interesting information at their site, then I naturally get curious who else they’re friends with, recommending or even reading. Which is what I figure they’re using the blogroll for.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: 2.04.09
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
@Matty Byloos,
You’re a lot less jaded then I my friend lol. I automatically assume they are either just friends of the blogger (which could also be recommendations, sure) or people are paying to be on the “super important” blog.
Matty Byloos Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
@Dennis Edell, I’m pleased to hear myself not referred to as jaded! Very good news. But yes — cynical after growing up in Los Angeles, but very ideal thinking about some of these online projects.
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
@Matty Byloos, The best of both worlds.
NIck Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
@The Blogger Source, I do when I’m looking for new sites to read. By this I mean that on the rare occasion when I have everything caught up and decide I should find a new interesting site to add to my RSS reader. I will look through the blogrolls of a few of my favorite sites and find a new site to subscribe to.
NIck´s last blog post..Housekeeping - February 2009
February 7th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I did away with my blogroll altogether and replaced it with a separate page dedicated for those links. I think it helps page loading. I’m not sure if it adds to the weight of the link but it sure does make it easy on me when I want to find a friends link.
I don’t have any paid links but if someone wants to send me cash I’ll take it. Of course I would have to add the no-follow tag to it lol
Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog post..Interview with Yan Susanto, Blogger Turned Internet Marketer
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 7th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
@Brian D. Hawkins, A good idea but my fear there would be Google assumption. It’s not unlike them to penalize just for suspicion of sales
February 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I have seriously pruned my blogroll for exactly this reason:
>>The real kick in the teeth with blogroll link swaps is the ease of which the 2nd party can screw you and you may not even realize it for who knows how long. Are you going to consistently check all the backlinks to make sure your link is still on the other roll? Most likely, no.<<
I still have one, but I’m very selective.
Andy | West Florida Components´s last blog post..New Mystery Part: SCR5162-005 by Motorola
February 15th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I still use blogroll. I’ve never thought much of blogroll getting me more traffic. I used it more for link building. I agree with you contextual link exchanges are better and I’ve done this too. I also do blogroll exchanges with other bloggers to link to my other PIPS static homepage since I don’t include this url when I do blog commenting. I think blogroll still serves some purpose for me.
Peter
Peter@passive income ideas´s last blog post..Link Love No.20-Increase Blog Traffic, Blog Monetization, Keywords
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
@Peter@passive income ideas, Hey man, as long as it still serves it’s purpose for ya, keep it going!
February 17th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Hey Dennis
I been by before the site’s looking better and better.
I was just on Sire’s blog and reading a post about brown nose commenters etc, So I will just say right what I think.
Every link on my blog is followed,I don’t think it’s “cool” to act all stuck up and try to sculpt page rank,I don’t respond often to my commenters in this section like many here do I always thought it was tacky to inflate a comment count with Hey Sup OK etc chit chat. I do answer, stumble,visit everyone that comments on my blog.I think when it’s all said and done if I end up with a zero or a 7 page rank at least I can say I gave it all away and that’s the LINK LUV I’m talking about. I hope you use Lucky links or something like that and after a person comments 3 times it’s followed, I have seen bloggers comment to themselves and edit the nofollow after the fact to me that is just plain lame.
PS I have never left a comment just because it’s do follow but I have often NOT because I said why bother.I been to some awesome blogs but hoarding page rank is beyond lame. Who cares it’s free anyway
I do think you have an awesome blog and following and I wish you only the best, Stumbled Thanks
John Sullivan´s last blog post..Blog tips
Matty Byloos Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
@John Sullivan, I totally appreciate your sentiments here. Get in there, do the work, support your fellow bloggers with link luv and whatever happens at the end of the day in terms of PR and “success” so be it.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Van Hammersly: Famous Billiards Player
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
@John Sullivan,
Hey John, good to see you again. Thanks for the kudos, it’s greatly appreciated.
You made several good points here, but there are some big differences also.
I would never follow EVERY link for a couple reasons; some just don’t need it like affiliate links, and Google could get really upset…not only chop PR but they could boot you completely; that’s not good at all.
It’s pretty well known that I’m a firm believer in link-luv, but hey, ya gotta look out for yourself once in a while too.
I don’t really understand sculpting, but from what I’ve seen and heard, you’re right it’s not very cool at all. I know of at least one “link tips” blog that posts almost daily about do follow sites…..yet his own comments section is no follow.
Responding to comments - that’s just good sense and common courtesy. A lot of readers will never return if they feel they are being ignored. (Check out my 3rd most popular article.)
That said though, no I do not believe in artificial inflation, either by the blogger or the commenter by leaving crappy comments…another reason for my comment policy. I do you Lucia’s but it’s higher then 3
.
For all the yays and nays regarding PR it is still somewhat useful, if only for the fact that potential advertisers still like to see it!
February 27th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Blog Roll is one of my favorite tool in SEO as well as contextual link inside a very nice article. Thanks for this nice post.
Ligoy na Bata´s last blog post..Some Lessons Learned
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Thanks and welcome to the blog!
April 11th, 2009 at 5:20 am
For me blogroll are more important for building up a community of bloggers rather then forming a link farm. Though putting other blog post along with anchor text is much better technique and I prefer asking other bloggers to do it.
This become a mutual process and you rank high in SERP’s
Harsh Agrawal´s last blog post..How you can make money by using Twitter : Adjix and linkbee
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm
wow thanks for bringing this to my attention i never quite understand why people used blog rolls or what its effectiveness but i now understand the concept by it i also agree that people are far more prone to click on text links than any link on the sidebar because they are more interested in the content alone than anything else your blog has to offer
and to answer the question i think their necessary only for the link juice they serve but from a standpoint of having to have it on your site than i wouldn’t use it because it does take a lot away from any site that uses it since it can make your site look congested
almir´s last blog post..Vital Tips That Can Aid Any Blogger
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
although i don’t use blog rolls i don’t think its a bad idea but i do think it adds to the clustering of sites
almir´s last blog post..Vital Tips That Can Aid Any Blogger
Matty Byloos Reply:
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
@almir, What do you mean by “the clustering of sites”?
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Keith Richards “Nearness of You” Video
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 am
what i mean by the clustering of sites is the amount of space the blog roll occupies on a site and not just one but many
almir´s last blog post..Vital Tips That Can Aid Any Blogger
May 8th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Hi
I think that the blogroll should really be reserved for blogs that you think are outstanding.
As for the benefit of blogroll link exchanges, I’m sure there is some. You’re probably right in saying that article exchanges with in-text links are much better. Human nature being what it is (I’m talking lazy) people will continue to do blogroll exchanges because they are so easy!
Neil
Neil´s last blog post..Making a Budget Is Not the Hard Part
Dennis Edell Reply:
May 8th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
@Neil, The one benefit being, rolls are inherently do follow…whether many actually look at them (the real reason to do it) is still an opinion up for grabs.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Personally, I’d really be more inclined to click on an intext link rather than one in a blogroll. Users go to your site for the content, and that’s where you want to put your links, where the readers will surely see it. Thanks!
May 20th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I think blogrolls are great traffic driving tools.
With each blogroll that your blog is listed on comes the possibility that readers of that blog will click on your link and visit your blog. Blogrolls equate to publicity and exposure across the blogosphere.
May 25th, 2009 at 8:36 am
i never thought blogrolls works like that, much info on this one. Now i know, thanks.
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Linking to other blogs to me isn’t a problem even blogroll, although I don’t have one. I just wouldn’t allow over 100 outgoing link on my blog if im not linking to pageranks of 6 and up to support the legs of my blog. Awesome post!
jay@ work at home´s last blog post..Work At Home Job Or Business?
June 4th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Well my blog too have a blogroll and I think it really helps do create a good blogging society by linking to the blogs.
Typhoon´s last blog post..Make Money Online by bidding on projects at Freelance Marketplaces
Dennis Edell Reply:
June 4th, 2009 at 7:46 am
@Typhoon, True, I’m just saying it’s actually better all aound to link within the article, then a sidebar link such as that, that others may or may not even look at.
June 16th, 2009 at 6:42 am
I’ve only recently started a blog and todate have only had spammers paying it any attention. My problem is the blog doesn’t have any well matched keywords so I’ve had to shoehorn it into the best fit. Blogging advice like anything else on the internet is awash with so much opinion I’m finding it hard to select which is the best route to get visitors, indeed blogroll is a new term I’ll be having a nosey at. I’ve also added commentluv so maybe that will attract folks.
Adrian Cowley´s last blog post..Internet Marketing
Dennis Edell Reply:
August 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
@Adrian Cowley, Hey Adrian, just dropping by a little late (see latest post) to welcome you to the community; I hope to see you around more often!
Please stick around some, I always try to give the most relevant advice possible. Shoot me an email if you wish to chat.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I totally agree with typhoon. blog rolls is another way to create quality backlinks to your website or blogs.
Free internet advertising´s last blog post..My review about EasyHits4u versus TrafficSwarm
July 4th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Blogroll is a good way to build relationships now that I see how it works. To help your link partners out I would use their keyword link for a greater benefit. Sweet post!
Regards,
Jermaine
Love poems & Love Quotes´s last blog post..Either Make Money Or Make A Million Dollars For Her
November 9th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Thanks for the information i didn’t know blogroll helps build up relationship.
November 28th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I wanted to comment on this even though the post in old. Briefly, I think that you’re right on the money; if you’re already generous enough to offer do-follow links elsewhere on your blog, then using a do-follow blogroll really isn’t necessary. With that said, I do think that a blogroll can be of value to readers, even if you make it a no-follow. Ultimately there should be an exchange between the author and the reader which is hopefully adequate for both.
Dennis Edell Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 9:01 am
@Russell: Disposable Medical Device,
First, welcome to the community! Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it and I hope to see you around more often.
No problem responding to the old as long as it’s not spammy
. You’re quite right here, unfortunately, I don’t think you can make the default blogroll no follow; there are other plugins to use though. 
December 6th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I’ve read in one forum that link exchange through blogrolls do not carry weight “anymore” as google has become smarter. People say that you really have to have sincere link exchanges within sites. For example you can go deeper to the pages of your link exchange partner and vice versa.
Dennis Edell Reply:
December 6th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
@Rian,
I’m not sure about blogrolls persay, but yes you heard right. Generally speaking the old school link swaps; sidebar/link pages, etc., hold little to no weight whatsoever anymore. In fact, you may even get penalized if they look too artificial.
“incontext links”, links within the body of a post are indeed the best.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Interesting. I didn’t realize blogrolls no longer hold much value, but it makes sense, with link swapping and text link sales all over the internet. The relevancy of search results can become diluted if blogrolls are taken into account.
When I made niche blogs (following a particular eCourse), I used a blogroll as part of my overal SEO strategy. Seemed to work pretty well, but incontent links do make a lot more sense. (The eCourse used those as well).
I do read other blog rolls if they catch my eye, but I find them hard to read sometimes. I’m much more likely to click an incontent link!
I do like blogrolls that actually link to blogs that relate to the topic I’m looking for information on. In that case, I hop from blog to blog, reading a post here and there. I’ve found tons of great blogs this way!
Dennis Edell Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
@Rose,
Well, as I said to Rian, I don’t know if blogrolls in particular have or haven’t lost value (good research topic).
Most people do use them as a simple shout out to other blogs they like and want others to see as well…no SEO in mind, really.
As you say it can be really good for finding blogs in a particular niche.
December 10th, 2009 at 5:31 am
When i read what you wrote under blogroll, all i could say was whooow! This is what really drew my interest “The real kick in the teeth with blogroll link swaps is the ease of which the 2nd party can screw you and you may not even realize it for who knows how long.” how can one handle this issue.
Dennis Edell Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am
@Tiensshop, It’s difficult which is why I don’t bother.
Please use a real name in the name field in front of your keywords.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:46 am
it was really vey easy to follow
Dennis Edell Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 8:52 am
@David, What was?
January 7th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I’ve read in one blog that blogrolls do not have much efficiency anymore compared to say 3 years ago. So my friends list are now stagnant lol
Rian´s last blog ..Unlimited Sushi with Sakae Sushi Japanese Restaurant 
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 8:35 am
@Rian,
Some folks do read them so you may want to update it or get rid of it; check for broken links and such.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Updates - Latest $10 Domain Winner, Latest Move News, and more. 
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:40 am
For me blogroll are more important for building up a community of bloggers. I have a small blogroll and it links to only blogs that I read as often as I can and which I personally recommend to my readers. I don’t care if the blogs I link to link back to me. I do it because I want to. I have to read a blog for a long time before I’d consider adding it to my blogroll.I agee that intext links are a good way to reference other blog posts and I do that when appropriate.I don’t see a conflict between intext links and blogroll links. Thanks for sharing it.
Linkmoko´s last blog ..Watch The Wolfman Movie Online
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:40 pm
@Linkmoko, Good job my friend, that’s the way they should be used if used at all.