19 replies to this topic

[circleck]

I've always had the impression that buying links is probably a bad idea, does that include a company like prweb.com? I'm buying the press release...but do the search engines consider it buying links the same way they might consider a link farm?

I have done it in the past and don't really have any (immediate) plans to do it again, I'm asking this question more out of curiosity...

[Jill]

When you create and submit a press release through any PR company, you're not buying links, you're providing a means to getting news out about your company.

While you may have links within the releases, they may or may not count for anything in Google's algorithm. But, regardless, they certainly won't hurt you (as in get you penalized).

[SEOreports]

You need to treat Press Release Submittals as Promotion, not as a means to get links ( that is only the side effect).

[Jill]

( that is only the side effect).

And not a very good one at that.

[Randy]

Truth be known, all link building should be approached from a Promotions/Advertising/Marketing mindset, not an SEO one. Get links that will stand a chance of bringing you real traffic from real qualified people visiting your site.

Once you get yourself in this frame of mind a lot of things become a lot easier and a lot more clear.

[ScottSalwolke]

Truth be known, all link building should be approached from a Promotions/Advertising/Marketing mindset, not an SEO one. Get links that will stand a chance of bringing you real traffic from real qualified people visiting your site.

Once you get yourself in this frame of mind a lot of things become a lot easier and a lot more clear.

This is how Google probably thinks of links, as well. And its the way you really should approach them. Link juice isn't as important as getting business from a link.

[shahab6]

why would it be a bad idea to buy links? it's only bad if you buy large amount of links in a short period?

[torka]

why would it be a bad idea to buy links? it's only bad if you buy large amount of links in a short period?

Has relatively little to do with how fast/how many you buy, and a great deal more to do with whether Google perceives you're buying them for PageRank benefit.

Video: Matt Cutts warns against buying links

Blog Post: Matt Cutts - Text Links and Page Rank

Blog Post: Matt Cutts - How to Report Paid Links

--Torka

[marty001]

I would like to know that if PR Web is selling an SEO package press release and selling anchor tags at a premium price how is that allowed to pass? If the point was to promote a press release then why not limit the anchor text? I

am simply trying to understand how can PR Web sell an seo packeage pr and not get penalized? Lets say I create an article and pay to get the article with anchor text distrubted, I have heard article sites getting banned. So why now someone like PR Web? I just need to understand the difference.

How is that fair, against nothing against them just do not understand. I guess what I am saying is that I do not understand why PRWEB.com gets a free pass with selling links!

[Jill]

I would like to know that if PR Web is selling an SEO package press release and selling anchor tags at a premium price how is that allowed to pass?

What makes you think that it is passing anything?

am simply trying to understand how can PR Web sell an seo packeage pr and not get penalized?

Any company can sell anything they want. How do you know they're not penalized? (Not that Google actually seems to penalize for selling links, they just seem to make it appear as if you're penalized from what I've seen.)

I guess what I am saying is that I do not understand why PRWEB.com gets a free pass with selling links!

What makes you think they are?

[marty001]

What makes you think that it is passing anything?
Any company can sell anything they want. How do you know they're not penalized? (Not that Google actually seems to penalize for selling links, they just seem to make it appear as if you're penalized from what I've seen.)
What makes you think they are?

Jill,

Its really impressive to see you respond so quickly!! congrats to you!

In regards, to what you said, if you see other article sites or others sites that openly sell links like this, chances are they will be removed from google results and thr pr rank will be gray. Again I see that little value might be passed by PR Web, however, when a company openly sells an SEO Package and gets away with it, it seems to me to be a double standard or they have simply built so much trust that they can not be removed. Does this make sense or am i in left field and just dont get it?? :- )

[SEO Rabbit]

Truth be known, all link building should be approached from a Promotions/Advertising/Marketing mindset, not an SEO one. Get links that will stand a chance of bringing you real traffic from real qualified people visiting your site.

Once you get yourself in this frame of mind a lot of things become a lot easier and a lot more clear.

This is the ultimate truth of SEO. There is nothing more to add.

[Jill]

In regards, to what you said, if you see other article sites or others sites that openly sell links like this, chances are they will be removed from google results and thr pr rank will be gray.

I'm pretty sure I could find tons of other sites where that is not true.

Don't worry. Google knows they sell those links and I'm sure they are counting them (or not counting them as the case may be) appropriately.

[Tripti]

how would you or Google track that one website is actually selling links? I have bought tons of links from different websites and blogs(through personal communication, nothing was mentioned on their websites regarding link sales), however, neither those website nor mine have been penalized yet.

If Google consider links buying a spam technique and easily track the same, then why shouldn't we buy tons of links for our competitors, so that their website could be out of Google.

[torka]

Because Google knows very well you could do that if they penalized the apparent link buyer. So they don't.

Instead, they zero in on the link sellers. Those are much easier to track down, particularly since they generally don't stop with selling just one or two links. The outbound linking patterns of a link seller would likely eventually come to stand out like the proverbial sore thumb, especially to a company as adept at and focused on link pattern analysis as Google.

Then all they have to do is block those link sellers from passing any "link juice." The link seller no longer has anything to sell, those who are foolish enough to buy from them anyway get nothing for their money, and none of the paid-for links have any effect on Google's search results. Problem solved, with no risk to innocent sites that might be the target of nefarious third-party link-buying sabotage schemes.

--Torka