Link Building Shortcuts – Avoid Doing This!

Did I mention that link buying is against Google’s TOS and if found to be indulging in this type of naughtiness you will be flogged with a pair of James’s underpants? Good…

So, I was approached this week by another well-known UK SEO company (who will rename nameless at this point – unless they ignore my request to be taken off their ‘database’) asking if we would like to buy links on behalf of our clients.

Now, as I explained, we do all of our link buidling in-house, but I let the salesman continue because I was interested in their ‘techniques’.

Basically, this is what they do:

1. They contact website owners and basically buy (with the promise of ‘free’ SEO services) a hidden page from them where they place upto 25 links.

2. They then sell those 25 links either directly to ‘private’ link buyers or to SEO companies like our good selves at a wholesale rate.

Now, you may think that a link is a link is a link (repeat ad infinitum), but here is why these links should be avoided like the rat-flu:

1. The pages these links are placed on have no inbound links themselves (they are usually literally ‘hidden’) and so pass no link equity (or ‘link juice)

2. I have done a teeny weeny bit of research and can tell you that despite their promises, these link pages are not closely themed to the links at all

3. Even ‘Baldrick the turnip’ can determine that these are paid links, with many of these pages al having links to the same websites (i.e identifying the link buyers)

So, if you fancy your site being penalised by the Big G, then sell your soul to the SEO-devil, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!