SEO: 17 Types of Link Spam to Avoid - SEOmoz

[SJshah]

This is a great article for everyone who is getting SEO work done.

Basically 90% of the "SEOs" on WJ are using one of these methods, which no longer work - infact, will have a negative effect on your search engine rankings.

17 Types of Link Spam to Avoid:
1. Cleansing Domains
2. Blog Networks & Poorly Executed Guest Blogs
3. Article Marketing Spam
4. Single-Post Blogs
5. (Paid) Site-Wide Links
6. Paid Links in Content
7. Link Exchanges, Wheels, etc.
8. Low-Quality Press Release Syndication
9. Linkbait and Switch
10. Directories
11. Link Farms and Networks
12. Social Bookmarking & Sharing Sites
13. Forum Spam
14. Unintended Followed Link Spam
15. Profile Spam
16. Comment Spam
17. Domain Purchase and Redirect/Canonical


To read the full article, go to:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/17-types-of-link-spam-to-avoid



Some of these methods may still work if done correctly, in small amounts and over time - could lead to success. However, anyone using these methods for the sole purpose of manipulating Google will probably not understand how to make it look organic.

Anyway guys, hope this helps and saves you time and money.

 

[pi0tr3k]

So, creating profiles on forums, getting comments on blogs etc are useless now. Great post, thanks for posting it here

 

[Rox]

Wonder what is supposed to be used now? Just good quality and unique content?

 

[pi0tr3k]

It seems so, quality and unique content was always n°1 for Google.
So forget about xrumer and other stuff, don't waste your money on it!

 

[Buddah]

God forbid websites actually have quality content. All I see from most of these SEO "services" is regurgitated crap. I've said it all along, content is and always will be the most important factor in a site's success.

I'm glad Google took a major step and modified their system to prioritize content. Sham back links from high PR sites will soon be automatically disqualified in the near future, I believe, as well. Google wants to stay on top, so their steps to remain there are logical and predictable.

All those who worshiped link directories, farms, and forums are now at a disadvantage -- as it should be. Laziness should not be rewarded.

 

[HotNiche]

you need to know how to do it...

ex: i use SenikeX
on my campaigns i use a plr article and spin it wit the best spinner, use a "about me" profile and always use small amounts of backlinks and it works just fine!

sure, you can get a cheap service on fiverr but they use a auto-generate content and that's spam, crapy spam.

 

[XRumerGeek]

So forget about xrumer and other stuff, don't waste your money on it!

Not strictly true.

Software like XRumer and similar can be still be utilized, but you should be pointing these links to your second tier websites (Web 2.0 Properties, for example) which in turn, link to your "money sites". This way link juice is still passing through, and you are not risking your main site in terms of Google penalization.

We utilize this very method successfully over our network of websites.

God forbid websites actually have quality content. All I see from most of these SEO "services" is regurgitated crap. I've said it all along, content is and always will be the most important factor in a site's success.

I'm glad Google took a major step and modified their system to prioritize content. Sham back links from high PR sites will soon be automatically disqualified in the near future, I believe, as well. Google wants to stay on top, so their steps to remain there are logical and predictable.

All those who worshiped link directories, farms, and forums are now at a disadvantage -- as it should be. Laziness should not be rewarded.

The majority of what you said is logical and I agree. However, link building is still an essential part of a sites success when done well. Afterall, you can have the best content in the world, but if no one is seeing it, you aren't going to reap the benefits. Regardless of what Google would like you to believe, quality content alone will not prove successful unless you are in an exceptionally viral niche.

It's all about balance.

 

[Buddah]

Not strictly true.
Afterall, you can have the best content in the world, but if no one is seeing it, you aren't going to reap the benefits. Regardless of what Google would like you to believe, quality content alone will not prove successful unless you are in an exceptionally viral niche..

I disagree for the most part. Google's goal is to create that perfect system. There is no benefit for them to do otherwise. They've been making large strides in this, and will continue to do so. As Google's system becomes more evolved, the SEO game will change greatly. Quality inbound links may help Google determine the value of a page, but once Google finds a way to tell whether or not it is natural, it will be useless.

When self-promotion comes into play, I believe it should be allowed, to an extent. There's over promotion, and there's 'natural' promotion, and I believe distinguishing between the two is easy enough.

I'm admittedly biased when it comes to SEO, so opinions differ, obviously.

 

[Kw3rLn]

Just think how many resctrictions we have now with this penguin update, how about the next update? they want us to make a site and leave it there without backlinks. PS: this didn't affect me at all. All of my sites are up and running good, with no harm done. If you know which method to use when it comes to SEO you don't have to bother with the updates, just check them and see whats all about, and implement new methods of link building.

 

[SJshah]

you need to know how to do it...

ex: i use SenikeX
on my campaigns i use a plr article and spin it wit the best spinner, use a "about me" profile and always use small amounts of backlinks and it works just fine!

This is exactly what Google is tackling with the penguin update. The update will be rolled out slowly over the coming weeks and therefor there will be a lot of shuffling in SERPs, I can guarantee the websites you are working on with article spam and profile pages with "about me" etc. will get nowhere with your methods.

Not strictly true.

Software like XRumer and similar can be still be utilized, but you should be pointing these links to your second tier websites (Web 2.0 Properties, for example) which in turn, link to your "money sites". This way link juice is still passing through, and you are not risking your main site in terms of Google penalization.

We utilize this very method successfully over our network of websites.

Web 2.0 link networks such as what you have mentioned are going to be no good sooner or later. Anything that is done automatically and that has a footprint (which xrumer would leave in 95% of cases) would be identifiable by Google.

Even if the link building methods you are using still work now, Google is onto it. Its only a matter of time before they no longer work at all.

The majority of what you said is logical and I agree. However, link building is still an essential part of a sites success when done well. Afterall, you can have the best content in the world, but if no one is seeing it, you aren't going to reap the benefits. Regardless of what Google would like you to believe, quality content alone will not prove successful unless you are in an exceptionally viral niche.

It's all about balance.

That is true. The most appropriate phrase to describe SEO is "link building", because that is basically what it is. But what we need to do is build links in a way to manipulate Google without them knowing it. Which is getting harder and harder to do. The only way to do it now is build links organically which takes time, and a lot of it.

PS: this didn't affect me at all. All of my sites are up and running good, with no harm done. If you know which method to use when it comes to SEO you don't have to bother with the updates, just check them and see whats all about, and implement new methods of link building.

:facepalm:

 

[XRumerGeek]

I'm not sure how you are drawing the conclusion that Web 2.0 Properties are automatic. I'm talking sites with quality content (not your standard 2 page setup!) that serve a purpose and give users value. These then linking to your "money site" are highly effective and will continue to be so in the future when done correctly. The issue isn't with the idea, it's not blackhat whatsoever, the issue is with most peoples implementation of the method.

With regards to link building to these properties, if you're going about it the right way you are not risking anything other than the 2.0 property itself. No footprint to your main site(s) is going to be found IF you're creating Web 2.0's in the way they should be created, organically, adding value, and not with links plastered from head to toe. If you're super cautious though- stay away from the lower quality links- still use 2.0's but opt for quality.

Even if Google suddenly decide to count Web 2.0 Properties as blackhat (They currently DO NOT providing they are done like highlighted above- Matt Cutts has confirmed this, do a quick Google search) the footprint stops with the tier 2 site, not the money site it's linking to (unless you've set the properties up idiotically - ie; ONLY linked to your site(s)...include some authority external links too..Google...Yahoo...Wiki etc)As someone who has been in the industry full time for six years, Penguin was never going to be a shock to the system. Those that evolve with the engine will survive, those that don't, won't.

XG

 

[SJshah]

^ Good reply. I didn't quite understand what you meant earlier but it's clear now.

But regarding the same thing - will you be linking them in a way where there is 'link wheel' structure or just creating high quality stadalone web 2.0 properties and using them to link dynamically to your 'money site'?

From what I have been reading, Google is weeding out for networks of web 2.0 pages which link to each other in a web or network. Thus building authority and passing it onto the end site or page. I'm guessing you're not doing it that way.


Yeah, Penguin was inevitable.

[SLIDE]http://screensnapr.com/e/1wogCP.png[/SLIDE]

 

[XRumerGeek]

I'm not sure how effective old fashioned inter-linked wheels are anymore; it's certainly not something we implement ourselves. If I was advising a new starter, I would suggest standalone properties with at least 5 pages of unique quality content, and encourage them to constantly find new ways of linking out without it seeming forced. One method we often use (I briefly touched upon it in my previous reply) is to link to an authority site in the same article we choose to link to our own. Any property you create which only links externally to one site is going to raise a big red flag.

The reason why I think it's worth the time and effort to go about doing this is because you can be more aggressive with your link build if you follow the steps above, as any negative penalties will be applied to the 2.0 property as opposed to your main websites. Okay- you may have lost a few hours of your precious time, but at least your site is still indexed, right?

Final tip to anyone interested in these replies- always look to customize the theme of your properties. Another red flag from a manual review would be to have the default Wordpress theme and in some cases, the default categories and sample page! Take a little extra time to do things right, and things will start to happen.

XG

 

[Freddy63]

pick another username please. You are insulting a great person ever lived. You may tweak a letter. But it still sounds disturbing.
Mod please help him change it.

God forbid websites actually have quality content. All I see from most of these SEO "services" is regurgitated crap. I've said it all along, content is and always will be the most important factor in a site's success.

I'm glad Google took a major step and modified their system to prioritize content. Sham back links from high PR sites will soon be automatically disqualified in the near future, I believe, as well. Google wants to stay on top, so their steps to remain there are logical and predictable.

All those who worshiped link directories, farms, and forums are now at a disadvantage -- as it should be. Laziness should not be rewarded.

 

[xeniux]

This is a great article for everyone who is getting SEO work done.

Basically 90% of the "SEOs" on WJ are using one of these methods, which no longer work - infact, will have a negative effect on your search engine rankings.

17 Types of Link Spam to Avoid:
1. Cleansing Domains
2. Blog Networks & Poorly Executed Guest Blogs
3. Article Marketing Spam
4. Single-Post Blogs
5. (Paid) Site-Wide Links
6. Paid Links in Content
7. Link Exchanges, Wheels, etc.
8. Low-Quality Press Release Syndication
9. Linkbait and Switch
10. Directories
11. Link Farms and Networks
12. Social Bookmarking & Sharing Sites
13. Forum Spam
14. Unintended Followed Link Spam
15. Profile Spam
16. Comment Spam
17. Domain Purchase and Redirect/Canonical


To read the full article, go to:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/17-types-of-link-spam-to-avoid



Some of these methods may still work if done correctly, in small amounts and over time - could lead to success. However, anyone using these methods for the sole purpose of manipulating Google will probably not understand how to make it look organic.

Anyway guys, hope this helps and saves you time and money.

All those methods is "backdoors" ways for getting Traffic, So in my opinion Google now is scanning "ilegal" ways on getting traffic to bring a site down and counts more positive in Organic Traffic from search engines

kind regards

xeniux
XenMoney.com

 

[DrySand]

A good read! Just as a controversy, this has covered almost everything that should be avoided and nothing left for doing. Actually there should be post about steps to follow while doing SEO or building backlinks.