Some SEO and link building companies wil go to any lengths to get links. Definitely avoid them, they're a complete pain inthe buttocks!! Since reopening the access to the reciprocal links area it has been a steady request of what I would guage is a reasonable amount of reciprocal link requests received per week, about 3 or 4. Imagine my surprise when about 20 were received in a period of under 2 hours.

I duly started to check that a link to my site was inplace at the location specified, then added the first link, then started to add a second.  STOP!!! Something familiar here. Different domains looking for a link, but the domain providing the link, they're all the same. OK who's the con artist. If looking for reciprocal links, be honest, don't try to pull a fast one.I had never rejected so many potential link partners in one go before.

As someone who deals with SEO I can say that reciprocal links do provide some value, but not as much as one way links. Here's some of the scams that the less than totally honest SEOs use.

  1. Requesting a reciprocal link, leave the link up for some time, long enough for you to check it, then change the URL of the link page, starting again with a blank canvas. Result is you've been duped into providing a one way link. 
    HOW TO BEAT THIS - use a link checker program regularly and delete the link if the reciprocal link is not shown.
  2. The second scam here is that some sites will have a link page but will never be found by the search engines as there is no link to the page. Check this in the list of pages that search engines know about for the domain. Result is you've been duped into providing a one way link for a second time. 
    HOW TO BEAT THIS - The search engine spiders follow links on your pages, Change the URL to the linking site to the links page, you'll be doing others a favour too.
  3. Some put up your, leave it until you've checked, then take it down again. Result is you've been duped again.
    HOW TO BEAT THIS - Take down the link.

It is sad that this happens, but wise up it does, and it did happen too me.