After getting my e-Pro designation, I signed up with IREAgents.com in order to participate in their mass link exchange. The way it works is, once a month you get updated "master HTML code" that you paste into a page on your site, and the master code includes links to all the other paid members' sites. Since everyone's required to update their master code on a monthly basis, everyone regularly adds the new participants (and deletes those who don't continue their subscription). This is only available to people with an e-Pro designation.

My question is, is this helping me in Google's SERPS? Is it hurting me because it's a link exchange?

__________________
Santa Cruz Real Estate | Santa Cruz MLS | Santa Cruz County Real Estate

In the end, same as your question about the link directories, this will hurt your rankings. It's best if you avoid link exchanges..

__________________
Nicholas May
Creative Linking Team
Real Estate Webmasters

What about the triangular link exchanges I paid REW so much to generate? Are those okay? (That is, the 5 links that you added to the bottom of various pages throughout my site...)

__________________
Santa Cruz Real Estate | Santa Cruz MLS | Santa Cruz County Real Estate

I think you are okay with those, but Google is definitely coming down hard on traditional link exchanges now.

__________________
Celebrate the moment

Smith Mountain Lake real estate

I would stay away from the link exchanges as well. Too many people have dropped in rankings because of all their reciprical links.

__________________
Holland Michigan Real Estate | Real Estate Holland Michigan | Holland MI Real Estate

It sounds like it's excessive so I'd stay away from it. There's nothing wrong with doing it in moderation - IMO.

Answering your inquiry about rankings, it may help initially but, as Nick pointed out, it's all bad in the end.

Plus, it's unlikely that many of the link pages your links are on get indexed and stay indexed.

__________________

REW stopped doing that because they didn't want to take a chance on having their clients being penalized. All SEO is a learning experience and webmasters are constantly learning and changing what works and what doesn't work. All SEO is trial and error. Just keep doing the right thing, although it may take longer you'll be holding the torch if you do it right.

__________________
MARK Z. & Associates

Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Northville, MI 48168
(248)675-6908
Northville MI Real Estate
West Bloomfield MI Real Estate
Commerce Township MI Real Estate

Servicing the entire Metropolitan Detroit Real Estate market. If you know of anyone looking to relocate to Michigan, call me with their name and number. I am willing to pay you up to a 30% referral fee.

Besides whats mentioned above already...the cost you pay per year could instead be spent on one of REW's basic template sites. IMHO that's a much better investment. I've been an e-Pro for several years and never once did I think of joining that link exchange.

I think the e-Pro community would be better served with all of those that passed that simple class being listed at one site like we enjoy with CRS. Any link that you received from your directory listing would at least have the desired appearance as being a member of a certain designation instead from the current form...a link farm. Just my two cents.

__________________
Jerry Campbell, CRS, GRI
Muljat Group
Bellingham, WA 98225
Professional REALTOR for 15 years
Bellingham Real Estate | Whatcom County Real Estate | Bellingham Homes For Sale

I agree with Bhamhomes. They should have one page or maybe a directory by state of all the e-pro certified realtors with a link back to their sites. I don't have my e-pro yet but plan on getting it this year. Any advise on it?

__________________
Ryan Tollefsen
Prudential Jack White Vista Real Estate

Alaska Real Estate | Anchorage Real Estate | Alaska Market Snapshot

Ryan - I would just take the on-line class. You can start the class and I believe you have several months to complete it. I needed the class hours when I took it...so it only took me a couple days. I thought it was pretty easy...but then again I do have a BA in Management of Information's Systems...so it did seem pretty basic to me. Good luck.

__________________
Jerry Campbell, CRS, GRI
Muljat Group
Bellingham, WA 98225
Professional REALTOR for 15 years
Bellingham Real Estate | Whatcom County Real Estate | Bellingham Homes For Sale