Off-Page SEO & Links

Three-Way Link Exchange

Quick Definition

A three-way link exchange has Site A link to Site B, Site B link to Site C, and Site C link back to Site A — meant to disguise reciprocal linking.

In context

Google detects multi-hop link exchange patterns. Don't participate in any organized link exchange scheme regardless of structure.

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Related terms

Guest Post

A guest post is an article you write for another publisher's site, usually including a link back to your own site.

Brand Citation Without Link

A brand citation without a link is a mention of a brand name in third-party content with no clickable hyperlink — historically lower-value than linked mentions, increasingly meaningful as a brand-trust signal.

Link Reclamation

Link reclamation finds existing brand mentions or broken backlinks and converts them into proper, working links.

Paid Link

A paid link is any link acquired in exchange for money or other consideration. Paid links must be marked rel='sponsored' or rel='nofollow'.

UGC Link (rel='ugc')

rel='ugc' marks links from user-generated content like comments, forum posts, and reviews.

Toxic Backlink

A toxic backlink is one that could potentially harm rankings — links from spam sites, link farms, hacked sites, or sites unrelated to your industry.

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