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Will Related Link Plugin offend Panda?

by carolm
7 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I've been approached to use and promote a Related Links plugin on my site. I thought that these Related Link software programs fell into the dodgy area of not really legit SEO practices.

Given that Panda is tough on un-natural links, do these Related Links plugins risk attracting Google penalties?

Thanks in advance - and hopefully, one of these days I'll find a question that I'll actually be able to answer, instead of always only asking them.
#link #offend #panda #plugin #related #seo panda
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    It depends on the destination of the 'related links' and how good the plugin is at identifying related content.

    If the related content is a list of outside pages, you could run into trouble if the footprint has been identified as a form of link farming. If you have no control over what links appear, it's another red flag because it would be easy for whoever controls the links to insert 'bad neighborhoods' which would harm your reputation with both the SEs and human visitors.

    If the plugin creates links to related content on your own site, and does it well, it's an excellent way of creating more internal linking. The key here is how well it works in identifying what is 'related'.
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    • Profile picture of the author carolm
      Thanks John, and I have to agree with Alex: that was a useful answer. I've always regarded Related Links as a form of link farming, so thanks for explaining the process in more detail.

      I do find it odd though, that despite the questionable benefit/danger of Related Links, that even now after Panda, someone has gone to a fair amount of effort to get me to install it on my site and review it.

      I don't need it, I don't trust it, and I won't bite. However, I'll wait to see what this person's response will be to my request for more detail, and will report back.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by carolm View Post

        Thanks John, and I have to agree with Alex: that was a useful answer. I've always regarded Related Links as a form of link farming, so thanks for explaining the process in more detail.

        I do find it odd though, that despite the questionable benefit/danger of Related Links, that even now after Panda, someone has gone to a fair amount of effort to get me to install it on my site and review it.

        I don't need it, I don't trust it, and I won't bite. However, I'll wait to see what this person's response will be to my request for more detail, and will report back.
        There are a lot of people who refuse to let potential harm to their users get in the way of making a buck.

        Get it on your site, and they have another outlet when they (likely) sell backlinks. Review it, and you promote for them. It's a winner both ways for them.

        I'm curious as to what response you'll get...
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  • Profile picture of the author tech84
    why don't you just try related posts instead of links to keep your visitors on your site?
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    • Profile picture of the author carolm
      Originally Posted by tech84 View Post

      why don't you just try related posts instead of links to keep your visitors on your site?
      Because I do internal linking to my own Content wherever possible, and provide high quality Content to keep my visitors at my site - and to keep them coming back for more visits into the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author carolm
    As promised I'm reporting back. I didn't email him but did some ferreting around at his website: EngageyaDOTcom.

    My 'reward' for using his plugin is something called 'virtual credits' that he doesn't explain.

    I assume he means that if someone else (who is also using this plugin) puts a link to my site on their site, I might get 'virtual credits'. Traffic?

    Under a 'Make Money' heading he says

    "When quality paid articles match your content, links to these articles may show and generate revenues". (the red formatting is mine).

    He has no mechanism for paying anyone, that I can see.

    That is certainly an offer that's hard to resist!

    Their big selling point is 'well targeted' outlinks to high value Content that matches you own site.

    Having these out-links will apparently massively increase in my traffic and reader engagement. He doesn't say how.

    Maybe, because other users of his plugin will get links to some of my articles added to the bottom of their articles?

    He claims to have sophisticated match-to-content algorithms, but at his site he has links such as:

    "You may be interested in reading this" with a selelction of links to several (and only) celebrity gossip articles.

    I don't think so. If he knew what I was interested in, he would know I avoid celebrity gossip like the plague.

    If anyone disagrees with my assessment of this site, please say so.

    I don't want to criticize any site if I've got the wrong idea about them.
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  • Profile picture of the author nik0
    Banned
    Seems like you get credits for people who click the related links on your site and in return you use the credits to get traffic to your site. So just a traffic trade system really.
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