How long have you been doing SEO? If you’ve started doing SEO during the reciprocal linking boom, when Search Engines were very lenient with the quality of reciprocal links obtained or provided by different websites and blogs, then you’re sure to cringe a little bit when you hear that reciprocal linking is breaking down rapidly like the Earth’s ozone layer.

Reciprocal linking used to be viewed as one of the most important SEO strategies that could land a website a ballpark rank on the top Search Engine Results Pages or SERPs. Of course reciprocal links were always regarded as 2nd rate only to one way or direct linking strategies.

Nonetheless they gained prominence for a couple of years due to the link neighborhood boom and the many revisions on various Search Engine algorithms which supported the procedure. Many SEO managers used to advise their link building teams to focus on getting reciprocal links with authority sites, bearing relative or categorical semblance to their project website. And many websites did get a boost in their rankings after getting a few indexed links over a period of time, from their categorical neighbors. There also came a time when a website’s Google PR determined the requirements for reciprocal links.

So many variations in strategies were implemented to get as many reciprocal links over a period of time, while evading the sandbox penalties. And for a time, this situation pleased many webmasters and SEO managers.

However, as the Search technology evolves and Search Engine algorithms get their seasonal overhauls, some SEO strategies come under fire. Reciprocal linking strategies are starting to get the “hot seat” treatment from many online groups.

At this point when reciprocal linking is starting to become merely a generic activity done by scripts or automated systems, and where SEO managers are diluting their linking pools with low-quality and non-authority websites, the backlash of several Search Engines toward the reciprocal linking strategies is severely affecting a lot of people. Spamvertisers tend to pollute a website’s link directory with a lot of useless or poorly conceived links that tend to increase a website’s chance of getting closer to a penalty than lifting it to the top ranks.

Search Engines are tired of seeing webmaster or SEO managers who exchange links just for the sake of exchanging them, without giving value to the content of those they trade with or how it may affect different users. Thus several Search Engines have started a strict campaign which will continuously scrutinize all reciprocal linking strategies.

At this point, webmasters and SEO managers have no choice but to adjust to the new development and start building one way linking strategies with their categorical neighbors instead of focusing on the rapidly deteriorating reciprocal linking conditions. And it seems to be for the best.