I’m currently in the middle of writing an in-depth article about links, why you need them, and how to build up inbound links most effectively and efficiently. Link exchanges as they are commonly employed just don’t even feature in the list. Links have meaning, and say a lot about both the persons giving the link, and of course about the content the link points to.

Modern algorithms that include link-popularity try to reflect this. It is a mistake to think that the search engines invented the idea of links carrying meaning. Modern methods of semantic analysis are simply based on the assessments we make for ourselves all the time. Without spoiling the up-coming article too much, I thought I’d share a real-world analogy that is important to understand.

Let me give a simple illustration from my own life experiences. I was working for a while in an area of the city I didn’t know very well. During my lunch-break one day, I went shopping in the local high street for a data modem for my mobile phone, which would allow me to connect to the Internet via my mobile connection when away from a telephone line.

I guess these were not in high demand, since the first large electrical store (we’ll call this Store A) that I called into had not heard of these devices. I asked if they knew anywhere that might have them locally. The assistant directed me to a reasonably large specialist mobile phone store nearby.

The large specialist store (Store B) didn’t have one either, but offered to order one in for me if I could wait a couple of weeks until the next delivery. I told the salesman that I really didn’t want to wait that long, and asked if he knew of anywhere else I could try. His response was to offer to order one especially for me, (at an extra fee, naturally), and I could have it within a week.

I said that if I couldn’t find one anywhere else then I’d certainly consider that, but I’d rather see if any other local stores might have one ready to take away at once. I asked again if he knew of anywhere else I might try. He told me he didn’t.

The next store I tried, (Store C), was another electrical store that sold modems and mobile phones, along with all sorts of computer hardware. Again, they didn’t have what I wanted, but even without prompting, the kindly salesman recommended a couple of other places I could try. One of his recommendations was one I’d already tried, but the other was so close I decided to try it.

Bingo. This little mobile phone store on the corner had exactly what I wanted in stock. I’d found what I wanted and could take it away at once. I bought the device, and on my way back to the office, called back into the electrical store that had referred me to the shop and thanked the salesman for his help.

When buying a new inkjet printer a few days later, I went straight to that helpful electrical store, (Store C). They’d earned my trust and loyalty with that simple kindly referral to help me get what I was looking for. I knew I could trust Store C to serve me, not just sell to me.

Over the following few months while I worked nearby, Store C got quite a lot of business from me. Store B got nothing but my contempt. To the extent that I still think poorly of that salesman all these years later.

I am sure that you can see the direct analogy.

Store A provided me a link that I’m sure was a mutual arrangement. It was a poor quality link it turned out, so I carried no positive experience of Store A away with me. In fact, they linked to a site that gave me bad service, and so I associated Store A with the same bad service.

Be careful with whom and with what your links associate you.

Store B was link hoarding. That salesman didn’t want to let me go anywhere else even though this was London, and I could surely have bought what I was seeking for less money from a hundred other sources faster than they could order it. He didn’t lose a sale, because he’d never had it to lose. I knew full well I could pick up what I wanted anytime I could find time for a short trip to a bigger shopping area of the city. All he really lost was a chance to give me a positive experience.

Store C provided me with some excellent links. They couldn’t serve me with what they had in stock, so sent me to where I could get what I wanted and with a very positive experience of their service levels. I didn’t buy from that store because they didn’t have what I wanted, but I mentally book marked them, and over the coming months returned time and again as a happy customer.

That’s a genuine story, not one made up to illustrate the point.

The most important thing for any business is to serve the customer. You’ll hope to do that by selling them something, but when that isn’t possible, it is better to serve them in another way than to pretend you are the only merchant in the world. It’s better to have no sale but a positive branding experience, than no sale and a negative one. Your links should serve the customers first and foremost, not your link popularity.