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Google algorithm penalty if I add a whole 'section' to a website for affiliate links

by Cubey
2 replies
I've searched and can't find a question that fits my query, apologies if I've missed something.

I've had a website up and running for about five years. It's a content website, I followed all best white-hat practices for on-page SEO optimisation, the site seemed to naturally got back links, ranks well in Google, and gets over a million visitors a year (nothing major but it's a nice side hobby).

The site is related to an 'academic' area and I am thinking of adding some amazon affiliate links to the books that are used as original sources for the content on the website.

The thing is I don't want to add the affiliate links to the content pages themselves and instead wanted to add a whole new section to the website, sort of a like a book catalogue section with reviews of each book which would include the affiliate link.

To give a related example, if you think of my website as being like Smashing Magazine and in the same way they have "Books" as a section of their website, I want to do the same but the books will be linked to amazon (obviously in the correct way e.g. clearly stated as affiliate links, no followed links etc.).

I only want to do what is OK in terms of Google algorithms so my query is around whether adding a whole section to a website like this would be viewed negatively from a Google algorithm point of view and get my website a penalty?
#add #affiliate #algorithm #ection #google #links #penalty #website
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    I do not see why you'd be smacked with a Google penalty Cubey. Just add rich content, introducing the links with a little description, versus listing links and adding nothing else. Treat the page like a resource; plenty of text laying out the content in the affiliate links. You should be good to go.

    Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    Generally speaking, Google ranks web pages, not websites, although the individual pages of a website and the backlinks they get do contribute vicariously to the domain as a whole.

    If the page does have original reviews of the books and adds value, there is no need for concern. If not, the worst that could happen is it is seen as duplicate content, ignored and not indexed, which would not cause any ill effects to the pages that already rank well. Amazon has tons of boilerplate content on its product pages and Google doesn't seem to mind at all.
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