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We are a US based online recruitment and business solutions company focused on a niche (energy related). We have been aware of a "bottom creeper" competitor that has literally been imitating our service offerings which include: syndicated news & events information, affiliate research & white paper offerings among other offerings. Our source of revenue is based on recruiting and this was attempted by this competitor I think unsuccessfully - reason being recruitment option can no longer be found on their site.

Last week, I received an email from this competitor proposing a link exchange that would be helpful to us. How do you respond? How do you manage the risks or simply how do you go about pursuing what their real motives are.

FYI: I did respond to the email asking what their services/site is all about and the types of links they are suggesting.

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Thank you for all your suggestions and feedback, very helpful! – user8631 Mar 15 '11 at 14:19

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Who says you have to respond? They are as likely to be seeking information about you as you are about them. If you finding them to be "competitive" and "bottom creeping" and imitative of you, why would you want to risk any dialog with them?

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Good Point! I agree – user8631 Mar 15 '11 at 14:15
up vote 1 down vote

I think outgoing links on a business site, if the goal of that site is to attract and retain visitors, are undesirable. If that description fits you, you should concentrate on being linkable and if you engage in direct conversations with other site owners regarding them linking to you, find another way to reward them for the link, besides an exchange.

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up vote 1 down vote

I second Kenneth and I would strive to distance (positively) your commitment to an integrity relationship. Explain the tricks and tactics you don't do and explain how they damage your relationships as you're a boutique, not commodity, outfit that's about being synonymous with high standards and ethical practices.

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up vote 0 down vote

If you link to their site you are lending them your credibility and boosting their search rankings for search terms in your niche. You need to be getting something good in return. If they are smaller/less established than your company then a direct exchange of links is likely to be more beneficial to them than it is to you.

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