Consumer Reports Asking for Links
Posted: May 6th, 2009
I came across a noteworthy WebmasterWorld thread where WW member MichaelBluejay describes an incident in which a popular magazine, Consumer Reports, had contacted him in a quest for backlinks.
The thread opens:
Consumer Reports wrote to me, saying they’re “constantly seeking sites that complement our own,” how their ultimate goal is to help consumers get expert information, and how my site is an excellent resource for various specific reasons.
They then requested a link from a specific page of mine to a specific page of theirs, ending with “Hopefully together we can help users find reliable information on [widgets].”
But a careful reading of their message shows that they didn’t actually link to my site, or even say they’d do so if I linked to them - even though they’re supposedly so incredibly impressed by my site and its usefulness to consumers.
The strange thing is, why would such an established website be actively contacting webmasters one by one to request backlinks? It just goes to show that link building is a never-ending process. Also, Consumer Reports may have better luck if they had actually linked to websites that they considered to be “excellent resources.”
Tags: link building
I also just got special ‘newyear gift’ form...
It seems odd that they would want to link to anyone since they are so careful about not having any conflicts of interest.
I am often surprised by the link exchange requests I get that have absolutely nothing to do with my topics; not sure why they think I would be a good resource for them!
It sounds like you’re just getting spammed because your PageRank isn’t that bad (PR3). I generally ignore these canned requests - especially if their site shows no relevance to mine.