9 replies to this topic

[seodesign]

Hello,

I am thinking about buying some text links on a PR7 site and was wondering if anyone has had experience purchasing text links. Are there some brokering companies that are better than others? Are there certain things I should look out for? Did it help your PR?

Any info would be a big help

-lynn

[Jill]

If anyone wants to mention specific brokering companies by name, please do so via PM to seodesign, not in this thread.

Thanks!

Jill

[randfish]

Lynn,

I have worked with some reputable companies in this business. However, I much prefer to purchase lower PR, highly on-topic and targeted links from sites that might send me traffic directly. That way, even if they're discounted by the search engines, they still pull some weight by sending over some visitors.

Be wary of spending large chunks on high PR. In my opinion, there are better uses for your ad spending dollars.

[Jim Hoffman]

I agree that spending too much on PR links may not be as effective as lower PR links that are on topic withyour site. You are better of in my opinion spending your $$ on ads etc and getting one way links to your site.

What I do is offer link exchanges but place the link to the persons site on site A and have them link back to me on my sites B or C.

This way we both get to have one way linking to our sites. It saves me cash and helps my SEO. (I Hope)

[Debra]

Are there certain things I should look out for? Did it help your PR?

All good questions! I look where a site ranks and who it links to and ask a number of basic questions before buying links. Hopefully the owner can tell me some geo and demographic informaion so I can decide if it matches mine and how I could use that.

I also like to work with sites that will allow me to place my link within the content areas and not in the footers. I like to avoid site wide type links.

A couple anciliary things to consider - ask if they renew at discounted rates and if they have a newsletter. If yes to the newsletter, subscribe to it and if it's a good one, ask about buying a link there as well.

I've never used a link broker so I can't speak to them directly, I usually go over to Teoma and search on my terms/complimentary terms and broker my own links. Teoma uses Subject-Specific PopularitySM to group their results and ..."ranks a site based on the number of same-subject pages that reference it" - which makes my job of finding potential link partners that much easier!

Hope something here will help you.

[sweimh]

anyone willing to PM me w/ few reputable (had good experience) text link broker? just a bit curious and want to see how they operate.

thank you!

[AlexB]

I am also interested in any link exchange brokers. I was just approached by one organization and want to see if this broker matches your recommendations. Can you PM me ? Thanks

[cline]

I have one client that places a lot of emphasis on SEO but doesn't believe much in advertising. I convinced them to by a link on a highly relevant site strictly on the basis of the PR the link would pass. It turns out that the link is worth it strictly on the basis of the traffic it generates.

[Debra]

Sounds like it worked out well for your client which is great.

I think it's a good idea to use a lot of criteria when making decisions on buying ad space. Don't pay for links on a site just because it's available through a broker. Look hard at the site and determine whether or not it's a good all around fit for your link.

After looking at the site and it's "niche" I take notice of how many other outbound links are on the page (to other sites, not to other pages within the same site). If I'm one of many, I reconsider it as a place for my link. Exclusivity is a commodity you'll pay for, but it may be worth it.

[Sal Collaziano]

The thing I don't care much about in regards to paying for links from high PR websites is - you have to wait a long time to gauge results.. You could be spending $300.00 per month (or more) for several months before you even see any progress.. Or, you may not see any progress at all..

Another thing is, most of these sites are going to lose some PR after they start linking out - especially if a link broker is setting up lots of outbound links.. Unless the sites are very relevant...