What are good automatic link exchanges?

@tadisaus2 raised a common request; early replies from @rocco88 and @goodtaste reflect healthy caution. Automated "link exchange" networks that promise lots of backlinks tend to produce low-value, reciprocal or sitewide links that do not age well and can be treated as manipulative by search engines. Google documents what it considers link schemes and why earned editorial links matter (Google - Link schemes).

Practical, low-time alternatives that scale better and reduce risk:

• Reclaim and repair: find broken inbound links or unlinked brand mentions and request fixes. A short, factual outreach message works best.
• Create one linkable asset: a how-to, data roundup, or tools page that naturally attracts resource-page links; promote it to a tight list of relevant sites.
• Use targeted outreach and PR tactics (HARO, journalist queries, niche forums) to earn citations instead of buying exchanges.

A simple weekly workflow for limited time: 1) run a backlink/brand-mention check (once per week), 2) send 3 concise outreach messages to request fixes or placements, 3) spend one hour promoting an existing page to 5 relevant sites. These steps follow established best practices for sustainable link building (Moz - Link building basics).

Caution: prioritize link quality and relevance over quantity. Shortcuts that create many low-quality links can cause more harm than a modest, steady program of earned links.