4 replies to this topic

[squidjam]

I'm confused about link building. It seems to me that I'll I've seen and read about it is most likely wrong. There are all these self-titled SEO experts and gurus out there teaching all sorts of stuff, some of may have worked in the past; some of it may work for a short time. But I suspect most of it is just a waste of time.

 

I found this sentence in another thread here by chrishirst:

 

By it's very definition ANYTHING that you, or an agent of yours does  with regards to "link building" is artificial and will have a "footprint".

 

So please forgive me, but I'm trying to purge my brain of all the stuff I've seen and heard over the years so I know what constitutes REAL, valid SEO practices. 

 

It seems to me that valid link building takes time and is not just something you go do. i'm still not sure why all these people think they can "game" Google.

 

So rather than go find a bunch of blog to post comments on or directories to put your link in or some other strategy, build quality content with PEOPLE in mind, optimize it, and make sure your site is set up effectvely (all the stuff Jill teaches).

 

Then, if you find other sites where you want to leave a comment, fine. Do it.

If you find a facebook page you want to comment on, fine. Do it.

 

Keep building your content. But don't fall for all these "go put links on other blogs" or "buy links" or any of this other stuff.

 

Am I right? 

 

I have a list of link building things you shouldn't do, but I don't have a list of things you can do. 

 

Thanks! 

[qwerty]

I agree. And while I agree for the most part with what you're quoting Chris as writing, I would put a small caveat on it: there's nothing wrong with promoting your product. Marketing and advertising are legitimate ways to grow a business. Promoting a web site, when it's done well for a good site with valuable information, is likely to lead to links. That's artificial, but it's fine.

 

But there's a big difference between promoting a site while hoping, even expecting that activity will lead to links, and directly seeking links for the sake of links. Whether or not a search engine is capable of algorithmically determining that difference every time is questionable, but they're clearly better at it than they used to be.

[squidjam]

Yes qwerty. I totally understand what you're saying. Marketing and advertising are legitimate ways. And they're totally different from what a lot of these SEO types/gurus are teaching, which is deliberately creating links through commenting, directories, and the like.

 

Seeking links for the sake of links...that's what a lot of what I've seen has been.

[Michael Martinez]

I consider "link building" to be a subset of "link acquisition".  However, "link building" encompasses "self-referential linking" and "putting links on other sites to promote your own site".

 

Link acquisition can also include "buying links", "asking for links", "creating content likely to attract links", etc.

 

It's a violation of search engine guidelines if you place the links or incentivize someone else to place the links so as to influence your performance in the search index.

 

It's acceptable marketing if you place the links or incentivize someone else to place the links so that they bring traffic to your site.

 

Because of abuses in linking practices we tend to refer to everything in the "violates search engine guidelines" category as "artificial"; but now we have the option of asking that any such links be given the "rel='nofollow'" attribute to distinguish them from "artificial votes for search".

 

That is, even if you're obtaining links without search engines in mind, the search engines may not understand that -- so any links placed at your discretion or direction for traffic may be safer if placed with "nofollow".

 

Except on your own sites.  Then you just want to link in moderation, not all over the place.

[chrishirst]

It's really quite simple, treat links for what they are ...... PROMOTION and ADVERTISING  for your URLs, that's  ALL of them not just the 'home' page.