The Future of Link Building is Dead ?

by srivps
30 replies
  • SEO
  • |
I read this in Webmasters Blog : If this is true , all Web masters are going to set nofollow in their websites. If that happens, I think the Link Building is Dead. What do you say ?
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Google has said for years that selling links that pass PageRank violates our quality guidelines. We continue to reiterate that guidance periodically to help remind site owners and webmasters of that policy.

Please be wary if someone approaches you and wants to pay you for links or "advertorial" pages on your site that pass PageRank. Selling links (or entire advertorial pages with embedded links) that pass PageRank violates our quality guidelines, and Google does take action on such violations. The consequences for a linkselling site start with losing trust in Google's search results, as well as reduction of the site's visible PageRank in the Google Toolbar. The consequences can also include lower rankings for that site in Google's search results.

If you receive a warning for selling links that pass PageRank in Google's Webmaster Tools, you'll see a notification message to look for "possibly artificial or unnatural links on your site pointing to other sites that could be intended to manipulate PageRank." That's an indication that your site has lost trust in Google's index.

To address the issue, make sure that any paid links on your site don't pass PageRank. You can remove any paid links or advertorial pages, or make sure that any paid hyperlinks have the rel="nofollow" attribute. After ensuring that no paid links on your site pass PageRank, you can submit a reconsideration request and if you had a manual webspam action on your site, someone at Google will review the request. After the request has been reviewed, you'll get a notification back about whether the reconsideration request was granted or not.

We do take this issue very seriously, so we recommend you avoid selling (and buying) links that pass PageRank in order to prevent loss of trust, lower PageRank in the Google Toolbar, lower rankings, or in an extreme case, removal from Google's search results.
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#building #dead #future #link
  • Profile picture of the author srivps
    @JackSarlo . This is not a old news. This is a Latest Blog post from Official Google Webmaster Central Blog.
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  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    Do these guys ever take a day off from being Internet Cops? The only reason they don't want people selling a link is because they sell 'text link ads' that don't pass any benefits (AdWords).
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    • Profile picture of the author islander9
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      Do these guys ever take a day off from being Internet Cops? The only reason they don't people selling a link is because they sell 'text link ads' that don't pass any benefits (AdWords).
      It's possible that Google sees this in another way, from the perspective of their search engine customers. Those customers look to Google to provide effective and efficient results to search engine queries. One of Google's strategies is to reward perceived authority by listing a "good" site higher than one that has no reputation at all. When marketers use marginal tactics like mimicking authority by buying backlinks, they run a large risk of punishment once Google catches up to them.

      The web is clogged full of crappy sites that somehow grab our attention through shady mimicking actions like buying links, spamming non-relevant forums with cloaked links and so on. The sooner those spurious sites die, the better it will be for the actual contributors to society.

      If half the energy were spent producing good sites that is spent on putting lipstick on so many crapola sites, that would be fantastic.
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      • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
        Originally Posted by islander9 View Post

        It's possible that Google sees this in another way, from the perspective of their search engine customers. Those customers look to Google to provide effective and efficient results to search engine queries.
        What are they nuts? Haven't they seen Google's SERPS lately?

        I know Google would love to have 'clean results' but they're nowhere near it.

        The link graph is permanently screwed and they just can't get around that fact. 10 years of people spamming their index has taken its toll.
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      • Profile picture of the author srivps
        Originally Posted by islander9 View Post

        It's possible that Google sees this in another way, from the perspective of their search engine customers. Those customers look to Google to provide effective and efficient results to search engine queries. One of Google's strategies is to reward perceived authority by listing a "good" site higher than one that has no reputation at all. When marketers use marginal tactics like mimicking authority by buying backlinks, they run a large risk of punishment once Google catches up to them.

        The web is clogged full of crappy sites that somehow grab our attention through shady mimicking actions like buying links, spamming non-relevant forums with cloaked links and so on. The sooner those spurious sites die, the better it will be for the actual contributors to society.

        If half the energy were spent producing good sites that is spent on putting lipstick on so many crapola sites, that would be fantastic.

        Do you really think that they care about Quality of SERP Vs the Quantity of Money they get from Adwords ?
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        • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
          Originally Posted by srivps View Post

          Do you really think that they care about Quality of SERP Vs the Quantity of Money they get from Adwords ?
          They're a publicly traded U.S. corporation. This means the leadership of the company has a fiscal responsibility to maximize profits for their shareholders.

          They're under a legal obligation to get as much money as they can from their SERPs. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being naive.
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    • Profile picture of the author paulgl
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      Do these guys ever take a day off from being Internet Cops? The only reason they don't want people selling a link is because they sell 'text link ads' that don't pass any benefits (AdWords).
      Internet cops? That's so funny. They are protecting THEIR product, PageRank,
      just like any other business does. They want to protect their products.

      Google does not sell links that pass PR. Simple. But a huge difference.

      This has been around for a long, long, long, long, time. People think
      something is new because they hear it for the first time. Some hear
      it multiple times, still don't believe it.

      Why do you people think google is some police or law enforcement
      department? It's just downright silly.

      As always, you people mix up everything that google says because
      some guru heard a gut who knew a guy.

      Originally Posted by PaulBaker View Post

      Google is Scams!
      This type of thread amazes me. It just shows how many people claim to know about SEO or want to learn SEO but they don't even make the effort to read Google's webmaster quality guidelines.
      ROTFLMAO! Paul Baker, I have been saying that for years. Stick around here long
      enough, you too will bash your head into a wall...

      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author PaulBaker
        Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

        Stick around here long
        enough, you too will bash your head into a wall...
        Nah, I couldn't care less really.

        The motivation behind all these Google is evil type threads is someone looking for a shortcut rather than investing their energy in building a sustainable business.

        Just imagine if all those man-hours were spent being productive instead of trying to game the system, but, I'm grateful that most people don't get it.

        There are no free lunches peoples, but keep looking in case I'm wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author srivps
    Very True @PerformanceMan . Adsense is a waste of time and money for business startups.
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    • Profile picture of the author FakeItTilYouMakeIt
      Banned
      Why is everything "dead" lately?

      Recent post list on the SEO forum looks like the obituary section:

      "SEO is Dead " -(84 replies)
      "Linkbuilding Dead!!!" -(60 replies)
      "Google: DEAD" -(5000 replies + spam)

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      • Originally Posted by FakeItTilYouMakeIt View Post

        Why is everything "dead" lately?

        Recent post list on the SEO forum looks like the obituary section:

        "SEO is Dead " -(84 replies)
        "Linkbuilding Dead!!!" -(60 replies)
        "Google: DEAD" -(5000 replies + spam)

        People just have fascinations with stuff dying i guess? lol
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      • Profile picture of the author srivps
        Originally Posted by FakeItTilYouMakeIt View Post

        Why is everything "dead" lately?

        Recent post list on the SEO forum looks like the obituary section:

        "SEO is Dead " -(84 replies)
        "Linkbuilding Dead!!!" -(60 replies)
        "Google: DEAD" -(5000 replies + spam)

        OK. What is your view on the Blog post I mentioned ?
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        • Profile picture of the author FakeItTilYouMakeIt
          Banned
          Originally Posted by srivps View Post

          OK. What is your view on the Blog post I mentioned ?
          I am shocked that Google frowns on paid links. This blog post just made my life's work meaningless!!

          No but seriously this is not new or news. This is common sense, SEO 101. Still I don't mind basic stuff being repeated here, there are a lot of new folks starting out. But to say linkbuilding is dead because of this is like saying SEO is dead because Google frowns on manipulation of search results. Anybody that tries to do everything that Google wants the way they want it and without trying to gain some sort of advantage is not prac,ticing SEO. JMO

          I think it was the title of the post that got me, linkbuilding includes other methods, not just "buying links" otherwise it would just be called "link buying"
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          • Profile picture of the author PaulBaker
            Google is Scams!

            This type of thread amazes me. It just shows how many people claim to know about SEO or want to learn SEO but they don't even make the effort to read Google's webmaster quality guidelines.

            Google do a pretty good job of telling us what is and isn't cool with them. Paid links (that pass pagerank) is viewed by them as manipulating the SERPS and they state that pretty clearly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lanx
    necrophiliacs!

    this is always the type of response you get when something doesn't work for someone.
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    • Profile picture of the author srivps
      Originally Posted by Lanx View Post

      necrophiliacs!

      this is always the type of response you get when something doesn't work for someone.
      If you are referring to me I will say NO . I am a necrophiliac. I just read something on Google's own Blog, and just wanted to confirm it. If you can't give an opinion , Just stay away. This thread is not for you Mr.Lanx.
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  • Profile picture of the author ProSence
    However, links still carry weight in SEO, you have to understand how to do:

    slow link building
    natural link building
    relevant link building
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  • Profile picture of the author Lanx
    lol, the second the thought "how do i rank higher" pops into your mind google views that as already the road to manipulating serps.
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    • Profile picture of the author PaulBaker
      Originally Posted by Lanx View Post

      lol, the second the thought "how do i rank higher" pops into your mind google views that as already the road to manipulating serps.
      lol, optimization and manipulation are 2 very different things.

      Optimization implies building an effective site with relevant promotion.

      Manipulation implies being devious to gain an advantage.

      Google expects you to optimize your website.
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  • Profile picture of the author supereek
    i don't think google will kill offpage seo.. if they drop backlink value then they would have to come up with something genious to scan websites and rank them only on quality of content. I think this will be far from now.. also emd's will skyrock their keywords if they do that.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    SEO is dead.
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    • Profile picture of the author IM Ash
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      SEO is dead.
      Lmao! EPIC!
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by IM Ash View Post

        Lmao! EPIC!
        I learned a while back when people create SEO is dead type forum threads, just agree with them, so they'll stop.

        Saves a lot of time typing, lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author drem
    Another day, another dead thread. Link building will always be alive and well unless links stop being counted. The old, crappy, public buying of hundreds of blog network links might be dead though. Actually, they work well until the network is deindexed, but still it will never be fully dead. Play smarter, look natural, do what happens to sites naturally and reap the benefits.
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    • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
      Originally Posted by drem View Post

      Another day, another dead thread. Link building will always be alive and well unless links stop being counted. The old, crappy, public buying of hundreds of blog network links might be dead though. Actually, they work well until the network is deindexed, but still it will never be fully dead. Play smarter, look natural, do what happens to sites naturally and reap the benefits.
      Link building will always be alive?

      Like Pagers? I bet 80s drug dealers couldn't envision a world where Pagers were obsolete. But it HAPPENED!

      Technology is always changing.

      Google is OLD SCHOOL. Most people 20 or under use Facebook exclusively. People are sitting around scheming how to manufacture their next shady backlink while energetic marketers have Facebook fan pages with MILLIONS of responsive customers.

      Link building is your Granddad's idea of marketing online.

      Link building DIED years ago. Now we need to BURY it. Someone grab a shovel.
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      • Profile picture of the author drem
        Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

        Link building will always be alive?

        Like Pagers? I bet 80s drug dealers couldn't envision a world where Pagers were obsolete. But it HAPPENED!

        Technology is always changing.

        Google is OLD SCHOOL. Most people 20 or under use Facebook exclusively. People are sitting around scheming how to manufacture their next shady backlink while energetic marketers have Facebook fan pages with MILLIONS of responsive customers.

        Link building is your Granddad's idea of marketing online.

        Link building DIED years ago. Now we need to BURY it. Someone grab a shovel.
        There is no doubt that people are using other tactics when marketing online. As you said, Facebook is holding a big chunk of that activity but this thread is obviously about links. I did say as long as it counts within Google's algorithm that it will always be able to be valuable. Real links from sites that actually get traffic are valuable enough when they are relevant.

        I do not think calling Link Building or Google as dead to be accurate. Facebook being used exclusively still is not accurate in my eyes. Yes millions of leads are coming from Facebook, but when someone wants to find a plumber do they sit on Facebook? Even if they search through the site it is using Bing to display the results.

        I would be shocked if most marketers do not attack more than one type of revenue stream. However, Facebook is starting to decline in numbers. Business Insider had a recent article on it and numbers are showing less people are signing in every day. Some say that 1.4 million US users stopped using the site in December. That may be a small number in retrospect, but building a business off the back of social networking alone is also dangerous. No one thought MySpace at the time would have fallen into the abyss that it is now.
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      • Profile picture of the author PaulBaker
        Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

        Most people 20 or under use Facebook exclusively.
        Personally, I prefer to target people with jobs and credit cards.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEMaster
    SEO never dead, only bad techniques has been died.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rideem3
    So does this mean that paid advertisement banners are bad for your site as well?
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  • Profile picture of the author LiftMyRank
    Links are what connect all the web together, and thus they'll always be used by the search engines in their ranking algorithms.
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