Three-way link exchange

A three-way link exchange (also called ABC linking) is an arrangement where site A links to site B, B links to C, and C links back to A, so no two sites link to each other directly. It is usually done to make traded links look less like reciprocal swaps.

Updated: 2026-10-16 · Glossary: Links and link building

How it works

Instead of a direct pair, three or more sites form a loop. Often one participant owns two of the sites (“I'll link to you from site C if you link to my site A”). The loop hides the reciprocity from a quick look at either site's backlinks.

What the rules say

Search engines judge intent, not geometry. Google's spam policies treat links exchanged to manipulate rankings as link spam whether the trade is direct or routed through a third site; the same document says paid or sponsored links are fine when qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". So the honest version of a circle is labelled, useful content with qualified links, and the dishonest version is a disguised swap. A deeper walkthrough is in Three-way link exchange (ABC linking).

Why it matters for small sites

A circle solves a real problem: two small sites rarely need each other at the same moment, while a network can match each site with a host of a similar level. The risk is in how the links are presented, not in the number of participants.

How Satelo uses the circle

• Articles move A→B→C→A, paid in satellites: you earn by hosting and spend on articles about you.
• No direct A↔B: a site that your site published an article about within 180 days is never offered as a host for you.
• Hosts are matched by niche, language and the closest Quality Score.
• Every article is labelled as partner content and its links use rel="sponsored". No dofollow promise, no ranking promise.

Step by step: How Satelo works. Formats compared: link exchange hub.

Related terms

• Reciprocal link: A reciprocal link is a pair of links where site A links to site B and site B links back to site A, usually by agreement (“link to me and I'll link to you”).
• Backlink exchange: A backlink exchange is any arrangement in which websites trade links instead of earning them independently: direct reciprocal swaps, three-way loops, link-exchange platforms or article exchanges.
• rel="sponsored": rel="sponsored" is a value of the HTML rel attribute that marks a link as advertising, sponsorship or another kind of compensated placement.
• Satellites ◉ (Satelo credits): Satellites (◉) are the internal credits of the Satelo network.

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