Tarnishing paid links with the bad boy brush

Whats all the fuss over paid links?

We've had them for years and now suddenly everyone's up in arms as Google appears to have stated it wants to see them out of action?

Paid links are (to me) a sign that someone is serious about investing in their website. Wanting free links from free directories is just chancing your arm and does not get you anywhere.

I do hope that certain individuals in the SEO world have not "tweaked Matt Cutts ear", especially if they had a strategy already mapped out if he did listen. I don't know if he did but it does make me wonder.

If Google knows which links go to bad neighbourhoods in general then why not adjust their filters to acknowledge "good" paid links and "bad neighbourhood" paid links?

Let us SEO's go figure out which ones sit where, like we don't already know!


As I've always said go for a balance of free and paid links, blog links, 3rd party corporate website links, pr links, linkbait and links via social media and you'll likely have a better spread if Google decides it does not like one certain type of link.

I'm wondering if Google in time will really clamp down on hard with those of millions of links and perhaps look for a few hundred links that really are high quality?

A balanced approach to link building?

Link building is important in SEO/SEM, though the quality of links is even more important if you are attempting to generate inbound links to help with ranking.

I believe I offer a well balanced approach to link building... some link builders seem to chase down blogs or forums exclusively which I feel is wrong - especially if Google is examing the quality of the links pointing to a site.

When I use backlink tools to see who links to who I find that a lot of the sites with thousands of links are NOT in number 1 spot on Google... you would expect to find them there but increasingly I see sites in first place with say only hundreds or even tens of links rather than thousands upon thousands.

Its about time then that a balanced approach to linkbuilding is considered - especially important if you are wanting to have your linkbuilding appear "organic" and not flag up on Google's radar as overdoing it.

So what is a balanced approach to link building? Well it goes something like this but not in any particular order (and this is my own opinion, everyone else is entitled to theirs):

Free directories - probably the most popular way to build links if on a budget but they are after one thing - YOUR email! So use a throw away email such as Hotmail, though some directories are getting wise to this and refusing to link if the submitter tries using a hotmail account....

Paid directories - some great ones around including Peter Da Vanzo's - Google holds the paid directories in higher regard mostly than the free directories.

DMOZ - hate to say it but submit to DMOZ and then move on and forget about. Look back in 6 to 12 months to see if its been added, DMOZ has had a bad rep recently for taking too long to have websites entered into its directory, though thats not surprising as I understand they faced unprecedented demand for site owners wanting to be listed.

Yahoo - pay their annual fee its a worthwhile investment.

Forums - again another easy one to game if you find an un-managed or inactive forum thats been left out in the wild but far better to use a suitably active forum as any other member and introduce links to your target website gradually and over time, build up trust in other members and link to competitors occasionally to show you're not biased.

Blogs - either by commenting professionally (not just link dropping) or even better offer the blog owner to do some guest blogging (who knows they might be tired of blogging and looking for fresh content).

Article Marketing - 2 ways here. Write GREAT content on your website - this can generate inbound links to your website naturally though in my experience it takes time to create content AND for others to find it. Sooo take that article, rewrite it but give the overall same message and benefits if any and submit as a news release to sites like prleap.com - again this can quickly gain the attention of surfers.

Social Media - Digg and Reddit are all popular though you might want to spend some time looking at the popular posts in your field before submitting your post - too may posts are similar so yours is going to have to be very good (use a decent headline to get others attention). I still think its an American phenomenon - if I ask any of my IT Admin friends over here none of them have heard of these types of sites. It is still a field I am researching and at the moment I have my reservations.

Link Text Brokers - I would highly recommend using the services of Text Link Brokers who can place hihgly targeted links to your website from other high ranking websites. Some may feel the fees are expensive but I would recommend that its certainly an option you consider if you wish to see great ratings.

Synergy Links - look for those you can work with and ensure you get inbound links from their sites to yours. If you have to reciprocate then fine, don't worry about it too much, I think reciprocal links are still important if there is an obvious connection between your two sites i.e. web design site > web marketing site


Business Networking Sites - Ecademy has worked very well for keyword rankings for my own site though again take care to ensure your posts and ads are of the highest quality.


I have found that a balanced mix of links from different sources allows me to position sites with decent search engines rankings without having to chase down or manipulate 1000's of links to game a search engine....

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Reciprocal links aren't dead yet....

SEO Pond's first guest blogger, Kes Phelps, is the author of this guest article (Cheers Kes!). He is an experienced SEO Consultant and provides a link building service to clients who are seeking to outsource all, or part, of their off-page optimisation campaign. I'll let Kes get on with the article:

Reciprocal links aren’t dead – just don’t over do it.

Before the Google update in November 2003, dubbed Hurricane Florida, reciprocal links were an easy way to boost search engine rankings. Link exchange programs enabled webmasters to acquire high volumes of inbound links from largely off-topic sites in a bid to artificially inflate rankings.

After the update, the word ‘reciprocal’ became an obscenity in the search engine world, and anyone offering to swap links was seen as behind the times and given a wide berth.

However, this generalisation is partly unjustified. Of course we all know that reciprocal links carry less value these days and those that still participate in link exchange programs risk a complete ban. But reciprocal links do still play a part in search engine optimisation.

The original ethos was that if two sites had information relevant to each others visitors then they should swap links. The idea being that each site receives traffic from the other, and hopefully, a slight boost in rankings.

This philosophy is still true in today’s search engine climate. Why shouldn’t two sites form a strategic partnership? Why shouldn’t a golf club website swap links with a golfing holiday’s website?

The goal of SEO is not just to improve rankings, but to drive targeted traffic. If the information is relevant to the visitors of both sites then both sites will receive targeted traffic and, therefore, the link is justified.

In this case Google will not penalise the two sites for swapping links. Also, if the two sites are relevant then the link will still be classed as relevant and therefore, improve rankings.

It might not be as powerful a link as it might have been pre-Florida, in terms of rankings, but it will be just as powerful for driving targeted traffic - and even if it only creates a small boost in rankings, a boost is a boost.

When seeking strategic partners for link exchanges, find sites that offer complimentary, but non-competing services. These will be more willing to link to you. Check the back links of the site in question, and then the back links of the back links, to make sure the site is a trustworthy source. Also check their rankings for their target keywords and see how well they perform.

If the site meets all the above criteria then approach them for a link exchange but don’t over do it. One way Google identifies websites that rely on this tactic is by measuring the percentage of reciprocal links in the overall link count. If the percentage is above the threshold then these links may be devalued.

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Is Digg really gonna send you THOUSANDS of visitors?

I see some of blogs over the pond are making a big thing (is it a big thing???) about Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon and how many visitors they can send to a website.

All great and of interest, but just one thing plagues me....

Having had my own articles digged or "red-ditted" (some out of the blue) I've yet to see the thousands of visitors some people claim to be getting each and every day.

I admit and agree that these voting type sites can increase traffic but how effective are they in generating inbound links to your website?

And more importantly how many £££ or $$$ is each Digg user spending on your site... I'd hazard a guess it ain't very much... if some people can digg that often then do they have paid jobs? I know the top digg(ers) are likely being paid, cannot remember where I read that though.

The other thought that strikes me is that isn't Digg just one great big link farm...?? Not in the typical sense of reciprocal linking but one that is being utilised by link marketers for their own gains rather than for the real community of Digg users... doesn't this make Digg's users pissed off they're being used by marketeers....?

When Google's algorithms realise the marketing and link bearing connection from Digg and adjust their link juice or link value accordingly downwards... could it negatively affect a websites rankings (could it therefore be used to affect a competitors online rankings)... I am not saying the algorithms are doing that now but who knows for the future....?

YES if you write a good piece on Digg and are seen to be a regular submitter of decent articles you can hide your own self promotion quite effectively from other Digg users... but if you're a one time link builder I'd say you're easily gonna get a) ignored and/or b) spammed

Either way I'm not one to believe the hype of how much traffic (and if it is all good how much cash that converts into) the likes of Digg and Redditt can bring.

They're fine sites but not the be all and end all of getting visitors to a website.

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A GREAT lesson on DUMBASS link requests....

Got this GREAT link request today - let's break it down and have some fun shall we?

And I'm not passing this guy any link love either so no links!

Ok here's the email:

"Hi
I just thought I would send you a quick compliment on your website
and while at it, I thought I'd ask if you would mind exchanging links. My site is: http://www.#i-am-a-potential-spammer.biz and I will be sending aproxamitly 1000 - 15000 search engine visitors to the site on a daily basis starting Feb 05 2007.

In other words... LOTS OF TRAFFIC will be dropping by, which will benefit both you and I... IF we exchange links that is. The reason I'm asking you to exchange links is because I noticed that your site has related content and I am really trying to boost my search engine rankings and I figured the best way of doing it would be to
insure that we both would greatly benefit from it.

I am actually putting your link on: http://#www.dumb-ass-spammer#.biz/link.html right now and ask if you would be kind enough to place a link on anywhere on your site - linking back to my site at: http://www.#blank-due-to-it-being-spam#.biz with the text "Search Engine Marketing" or even "SEO Optimization".

I want to thank you very much for your consideration and am looking forward to doing business with you in the future.

Konrad

PS - Should you decide to do me this favor and accept my proposal, simply email me and I'll enter you into to a contest to win $100. If not, I apologize for this inconvinience and shall never bother you again."

Ok Konrad, let's put together a little lesson on sending out legitimate link requests shall we?

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 1:

Learn to S-P-E-L-L or take time to read your email before sending it to me, it needs to be picture perfect for me to be interested. You've spelt quite a few words incorrectly and thats a bad sign though I'm not worried about American English spelling. I'll let you figure out this one.

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 2:

You've not used my name! So you obviously did not look through my website in any great detail. Sorry but do I look like a sucker? We online marketers all know that the best response to a link request is a personalized email with the website owners name (or at least their position within their company). It only takes a simple phone call if it is not immediately obvious online.

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 3:

No, I don't mind exchanging links but I am going to check out the content of your web site first. I am not going to be too concerned with design (though that is a bonus) but more with your content - is it authoritative, resourceful and user friendly? Or is it just spam.

From the nature and type of your domain I think it's the latter but lets be generous and give you the benefit of the doubt.... no, I spoke too soon, your site - straight off the bat - IS SPAM!

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 4:

1000 to 15000 visitors A DAY? From the 5th February 2007? That is AMAZING - just how are you going to do that with a 3 PAGE website full of affiliate links - but hidden as contextual links for your users to click on?

If, Konrad, YOU can prove to me those figures rather than make a potentially false and inaccurate statement then I will link to you but somehow I doubt your claim without hard evidence.

A little link research from the Neato backlinks tool tells me enough I need to know and a Google Page Rank of "0" confirms my suscipions you're just about an SEO nobody... IMHO...


DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 5:

Ah a little bit of honesty.... yes my site has related content and yes I understand you are trying to boost your search engine rankings. Listen Konrad I am in the search marketing industry I am NEVER going to link to your affiliate site, cause quite frankly I feel its crap.

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 6:

Ensure we both benefit from it? Sure, I'll link to you and get penalised for linking to a potentially BAD neighbourhood IF Google does find it. Sure I'm gullible enough that I just cannot miss out on us BOTH benefitting... or more likely YOU benefitting at the expense of my website's users....

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 7:

One good point. You've put my link on first - lets go wander over to your website and see if it is actually there, shall we? I'm hoping you have put it in but I get a sneaking suscipicion (heh there's that word again Konrad) you haven't.
I'm really hoping you've proved me wrong!

And 15 seconds later, nope, no evidence on your links page (as at 06-Feb-07) of a link to my All Things Web website and no evidence in the code either - I checked just in case you were using anchor text, the same way you asked me to do for you.

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 8:

Looking forward to doing business in the future together? When hell freezes over my friend...

DUMBASS LINK REQUEST RULE NUMBER 9:

Winning a chance of a $100 prize in your contest. Tell you what, save yourself the trouble. Mail me the $100 and I'll put a link somewhere to you (I reserve the right to choose the domain though). I'll donate the $100 to the SEO Industry to train others - how's that, sound fair? Does to me. :)


If you're going to want to get a link from my website or this blog to your site then I am afraid you're going to have to try a little bit harder to get my attention in your email and with your online content!

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Dealing with unwanted inbound links....

I noticed in my traffic logs that the all things web site receives dozens and dozens of visitors from a website that seems to me to be involved with "pyramid selling" - the type that offers $10000 a month for very little effort... that so stinks of BS... really, c'mon!

It pissed me off enough (to be honest it doesn't take much!) to start writing an email to request the site owner remove the link to my site. Just as I was about to send it I suddenly paused and had a thought...

... what if those people coming to my site suddenly got the message that the Internet is not a super easy, make a quick buck overnight way the other website seems to be offering....?

So I binned the email.

It might be that I am approached by some of these people to help them promote their business which I would prefer rather than they go cough up to the other guy...

It might also help generate more inbound links from other sites - even other sites that I disagree with BUT it can only help my profile and overall ranking in time if that does happen.

Yeah I may get plagued with crappy reciprocal requests but they're pretty easy to ignore and the overall effect will be to potentially increase my business' online exposure and that can surely be a good thing!

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