Should you buy links through a link service? Ever since Google slapped Text-Link-Ads.com (it no longer appears in the first 30 results for its own name), that is a question webmasters have had to wrangle with more than ever. Generally, Google regards buying links as a form of spam and as threat to their business model.
Google hasn’t been shy about punishing sites who engage in this behavior lately either. Many who bought and sold links with Text-Link-Ads have reported a significant drop in their PageRank since the last Google update. This is partly because escaping the eyes of Google is difficult. Doing a search for function tla_ads will uncover all the sites selling links using Text-Links-Ads who have not yet upgraded to the latest TLA plug-in, which hides this information. If Google can see who is selling links, they can logically conclude who is buying them as well.
JohnChow.com’s recent Google slap represents one of the more drastic punishments doled out to a webmaster. Chow had ranked number 1 in Google for the keyword “make money online” for over a year, but he also aggressively pushed link selling services. Now, he doesn’t even appear in the top 30 results for the keyword “John Chow.” (He clocks in at #57). A cynic might point out that Chow’s collapse coincided with his decision to remove Google adsense ads from his site.
Analyzing Google’s behavior becomes confusing when one considers that Chow’s site still has a toolbar PR of 4. Likewise, Text-Link-Ads still boasts a PR of 7.
If one wants to remain in the good graces of Google, avoiding the use of link brokers such as TLA or TNX.net would probably be judicious. But reading Google’s mind is not an easy task, as evidenced by the erratic nature of their penalties.
Tags: Google penalties, Link Buying, PageRank, SEO Tips, text link ads, tla
December 3, 2007 at 2:43 pm |
I try to avoid buying links altogether nowadays.
December 4, 2007 at 4:55 pm |
Same as Patrick above, i try to avoid buying also. It’s not worth it, being penalized would be too much for me to handle lol. Good post.
Marty.
December 4, 2007 at 5:44 pm |
Personally, I have never really understood link buying. I know some webmasters feel this is the only way to gain PageRank quickly. However, the site with the greatest PR is not always the site on page one.
Buying links for the traffic does not seem to be the best way to spend money either as text link traffic can be very thin. This whole text link slap does not bother me at all. Google has been warning of this for years.
December 11, 2007 at 3:53 pm |
I think that buying text links is always going to be a part of the SEO landscape. I believe the world Google paints with only the best site’s getting real links is a false reality. If that were the case many times only the sites with brand recognition or the most marketing dollars will actually get real links. Small businesses won’t be able to compete.
January 16, 2008 at 3:16 pm |
of course their money us good because they can advertise their services through Adwords…isn’t that cute G?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=text+ads+links&btnG=Search
we take our cut and you can sell and buy links safe..