Yes, you read that right. According to Google’s recently updated Webmaster’s Guidelines with regards to what Google calls “link schemes.”

Examples of link schemes can include:

Links intended to manipulate PageRank

Links to web spammers or bad neighborhoods on the web

Link exchange and reciprocal links schemes (”Link to me and I’ll link to you.”)

Buying or selling links

Now last time I checked swapping links with other websites predates Google. Hell, before we had search engines the only way you could find anything online was following links between sites, and a lot of those were reciprocal links, as that was the only way for website owners to bring in visitors to their sites. I can understand that some people use links to game Google’s results, instead of helping users find good content, but they are hardly the majority, and the outright banning of sites that exchange links is very heavy handed.

IMO Google is going to far here. They present a catch 22 where they recommend:

The best way to get other sites to create relevant links to yours is to create unique, relevant content that can quickly gain popularity in the Internet community. The more useful content you have, the greater the chances someone else will find that content valuable to their readers and link to it. Before making any single decision, you should ask yourself the question: Is this going to be beneficial for my page’s visitors?

It is not only the number of links you have pointing to your site that matters, but also the quality and relevance of those links. Creating good content pays off: Links are usually editorial votes given by choice, and the buzzing blogger community can be an excellent place to generate interest. In addition, submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.

I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve never used DMOZ or the Yahoo Directory when looking for anything. Also, Yahoo sells links in their directory for $299 a year ($600 for adult sites). Is Google recommending I violate their guidelines in an attempt to follow their guidelines?