If you are using link exchanges as a way to build your poker affiliate business, there are several important things that you need to be aware of and must look out for. Many webmasters employ little tricks that will rob you of the benefits gained from linking, in this article I'll be exposing some of these tactics so you'll be able to gain the maximum benefit from your link building campaign.

1. Robots.txt File - Many websites contain a Robots.txt file in their root directory that tells search engine spiders where to go and where not to go. By using the Robots.txt file to instruct the spiders not to follow their link to you, they are cheating and robbing you of any value that the link is providing you.

After setting up a linking partnership with a new site, grab their robots.txt file a few days later (by simply typing in their domain/robots.txt) and look for signs of cheating. Also, you can change the user agent of your browser to "Googlebot" and view their site. If your link doesn't appear, they're not linking back to you in an ethical manner.

2. Nofollow Tags - Take a peek at the source code for the page your link appears on and look for a "rel=nofollow" tag. If this is present, search engines won't follow the link and you won't get credit for it.

3. Javascript - Search engines don't spider javascript code, be wary of link partners who use java to link to your site.

4. Inline Frames - Inline frames are basically websites that are nested inside another site. If the site you're linking with is using frames, the linking relationship isn't going to benefit you.

5. Removing a Link - This may seem obvious, but many webmasters don't think to monitor it. When doing a link exchange with another site, it is important that you monitor their link back to you to confirm that it stays in place. You can do this manually, however the easiest way is to use an automated link management script.

Hopefully this article will arm you with the knowledge needed to avoid linking partnerships which aren't beneficial to your search engine rankings. Wishing you all the best in your poker promotion efforts!