Rank Sites And Get Traffic Without Links - Does It Still Work?

Your content doesn't seem to generate much links on their own or you would have done better.

For a lot of affiliate type sites PBNs are the way to go but they don't meet your requirement of spending no money. Google has to a large degree gotten what they wanted out of their changes. They have raised the bar so you either have to spend some money besides link spam tools or have great content AND the ability to market it.

If you are looking for some secret to make the "good ole days" (of mass linking to rank) return - it doesn't exist.

Hello,

I'm more thinking about low-hanging fruit, meaning going into a niche with very low competition and getting some traffic to make a few bucks. Problem is I don't quite get it - sites get ranked with only a very low amount of links.

Does this game even work with ZERO links anymore? Not talking about making much money here, just a bit to avoid getting broke.

Surely there is a surefire way to make loads of cash with blackhat, but I'm not part of the guys that have access to that... so screw it for the moment.

Ah yeah, I was referring to the 2009-ish time when a few Xrumer links ranked you top 10. However I saw a few people talking about just writing content to target long-tails.

Actually, I was of the same mindset that you could not get a website to rank well in a moderately competitive niche without having a decent link profile. One of our students, who we also now use to write for us, proved that wrong. He built a website in a niche we know is pretty competitive, has ZERO backlinks and ranks on page one for more than 150 different search phrases - some of them pretty tough ones.

That said, his content is SICK! I've never seen so much content on product pages, category pages and buyer's guides. His site truly is the best one in his niche and offers the most detailed information and buyer's guides I have ever seen on a niche store.

Now, this did not happen overnight. The site is six years old and has inched its way up the search engine listings gradually. This is one of the reasons we now truly believe that user engagement signals play a very big part in the Google algorithm now. He's likely got more time on site and page views than most sites in the niche. He tells us that every time he adds a new product, it shoots up to page one very quickly now, his site has gained that much overall authority in the niche.

Bottom Line: It can be done if you have stellar content and the ability to make your site the very best information site on the web for your niche. It isn't going to happen overnight and if you don't have years to wait, backlinks still play a vital role in speeding up the process of organic search visibility.

Simple answer...NO.

I don't think there is any disputing the fact that done properly backlinks work. Whats being discussed here is weather or not there are other factors that can produce results.

When the talk of bounce and ctr and all of these things that get brought up, in general the #1 counter point that is made is that Google cant see everything.. how do they know? and I think the answer is with what, 3.5 billion searches made every day from Google properties, there is more than enough data within the realm of Google itself to understand based on these factors what is "Good" content, and what is "bad".

Googles primary concern is the listings on Google. So how exactly does google determine bounce rate and time on page and blah blah blah? Since they are measuring based on user engagement on their site IE google... they simply have to identify a user.. what they click, and what happens after that.. do they come back to search? do they refne their search, do they click on another serp listing? do they dig 8 pages back looking at multiple listings.. do they click on a link, and then return and search for something totally different? Do they click on a link and not return to Google?

If you do a quick search for "Google MAC address Patents" or "Google IP address Patents" you very quickly get an idea of the scale that they are trying to identify single users across their properties. Have a look here: http://www.seobythesea.com/2010/07/h...an-ip-address/ And Bill does a very good job at explain the whys and whats for all of this.

So now the argument of they cant do this and they cant do that are negated.. the simple fact is they ( Google ) do.

So how does a site with low to no backlinks compete? I think there are a number of answers here. Using Daves example... a page pumping content for 6 years starts getting results.. as soon as they put new content out it ranks well... Doesn't that sound like DA? and honestly I don't want to hear.. Oh DA is some made up number blah blah.. we all know it to be true... we know its there.. we just are not allowed to know what the score is, or how it is derived - like most everything else with Google.

Same with page rank.. sure we cant see it... but we know its there.. how else could links affect a page and its rank.. they are boosting the pages score no?

I am a practitioner of Content marketing... I am also a believer in the ideals that you really don't have to wait 6 years to see results. The whole write quality.. write for the reader - concepts and ideas derived from someone that was failing at practical SEO, and needing an excuse for it.

The concept is you have to build DA... one of the telling qualities of a decent DA score is pretty consistent and quick ranking of pages. But how do you get Google to "trust" your site, and more specifically the content you are producing? #1 you do exactly what the content marketers suggest, write good quality content with the reader in mind... But the SEO side of this is, target terms with low comp, that you can rank pretty easily.

Building a base of Wins - pages that rank in the top 10, makes ranking as you continue easier and easier. The more you write, and gain ranking success the higher up the comp ladder you can climb. Understanding how you can identify in say GA what terms you may want to target a bit harder helps a whole lot.

Understanding that as important as backlinks are.. there are a kick ton of other variables at play... and the more even you are with these variables it can actually start negating the need to pile on the links.

Something we can all relate to... The google dance - page 1, gone, page 6, page 1 page 10 , page 2.. we have all seen it, I think its Google A/B testing content. Allowing the interaction with the end user - the searcher to give them an idea of where that content belongs.

So as we all know at this point.. it comes down to proof... I have shared proof a time or 2 on other forums... it generally gets ugly.. regardless of how overwelming the proof is.... People locked into the Link strategy state of mind, just dont get it. The concepts are justto crazy and outlandish. Links work, and thats the only way. And yes, they work, but no, its not the only way.

Hello,
I'm more thinking about low-hanging fruit (meaning going into a niche with very low competition and getting some traffic to make a few bucks)
Problem is I don't quite get it - sites get ranked with only a very low amount of links.

Well, if nothing else, I invoked a lively, if not abusive, torrent of discussion here. I'm not sure which part of "it is not my site" is unclear. If it was my own site, I'd be happy to share it. The owner of the site would not like it shared with anyone for the purposes of this kind of discussion; therefore, it will not be shared with anyone - even "trusted" people here (as if such a thing exists).

I don't really have to prove anything to anyone. I simply answered the OP's question and later added that is highly unlikely that anyone is going to have the time, put in the effort or have the talent to write as well as this person does. The OP certainly doesn't seem to be interested in waiting years for results. I honestly do not care if anyone believes it.

And, of course, I never told anyone NOT to get backlinks. Contrary to opinions voiced here, backlinks are FAR easier to get than creating a virtual encyclopedia of superior knowledge around any given niche. I would much rather get backlinks than do the interviews, research and ridiculous amount of writing involved here. Nor do I have the time to wait half a decade for something to rank well.

Savidge4 came closest to nailing the tactics that were employed to do this. It involved what we call "2 for 1" or "3 for 1" keyword phrases. The longest form of the phrase was very easy to rank (think something like "discount widgets for sale online") but it contained shorter pieces on the front and the back of the phrase that were a little more difficult and even harder ones in the middle along with the various permutations of all of them. Pages ranked for the longest, less searched for thing first and gradually started ranking for the various other combinations that were a little more difficult and eventually, even more difficult phrases/words contained within. Little by little, as you rank better for more and more things, the authority of the site creeps up, which boosts the rankings for the harder things. Multiply that by several hundred pages all doing the same thing (the vast majority of which contain thousands of words of content - yes, even product pages), and the impossible suddenly seems possible (if not probable).

I think enough time has been wasted on this. I say it can be done if you put in a ridiculous amount of effort, have a profound talent for writing and have all the time in the world to wait for it to happen. Others say it cannot, apparently because they have tried putting in a ridiculous amount of effort, have a profound talent for writing and the patience to wait half a decade for results and after all that, it didn't work. I also say that if you do all of the above AND get backlinks, it will happen ten times faster.

I'll agree enough time has been wasted with these unsubstantiated claims. Rather than write long arguments as to how its possible (now even claiming its probable with still no evidence) it would have been much better for you or savidge to show it in the millions of serps literally at your finger tips.

Savidge even claims he has but in other forums and its part of Gogole's workings because of his reading on a patent....sigh

the only reason I even bothered piping in is because everyone knows how these things go and how urban myths of SEO are maintained FOR YEARS. Some guy on a forum writes it can be done and others say I read that it can be done

and its off to the races wasting many peoples time and effort. You know how many years we had posts on this forum about nofollowed links actually ranking sites? chances are there will be someone in this thread claiming ...yeah thats true.

Once that unsubstantiated claim got going no matter how many people reported it did not work the urban myth continued.

On the web its part of being responsible to not put up things up as fact without evidence.

I can buy that you truly believe there are no backlinks and the competition is strong but with no evidence to verify such posts are part of the problem of SEO urban myths not part of trying to solve them or not perpetuate them.

These days you need content that provides the wow factor, then you will need superior backlinks that have high quality. I have heard similar stories before, I been working hard on this, been working hard on that, etc, then come to find out the person really has not done anything, or their site is 1-3 months old; You certainly are out of time, google no longer will ranking you because you throw some content here, backlinks there. These days, if you have done everything right, and you are in a good niche, it may take your site 1-5 years to get off the ground, and this depends on competition. You need a main product, and scores of supporting articles, internal linking aka on page seo, bla, bla, bla...unless you create some lucky product that the world really needs, then it may take work, and alot of money to get your site to the next level, it will not happen in days, or months, and in some cases, it may take years. If you cant battle through google's process of working your way to the top, then this may not be for you.

New stories about SEO, Rank top google, always make people cry

Let me clarify a few things... there are portions or should I say segments of Google Algorithm that are AI.. but for the most part.. not all.. I DO understand this because I AM a programmer.. I am also a mathematician. you can discount the IP and Mac address Patents all you want.. but have you actually read the 20 - 30 some patents? Google back in 2010 and there abouts were very clearly trying to understand and identify single users across multi user platforms - IE a network.... a whole office could have the same IP address, but they wanted deeper tracking. Not just for Search engine ranking but a whole host of other things like advertising as an example.

Yes I have shared examples in the past on other forums.... I am not going to run through that again and get my sites blasted and have to deal with all of that... even tho the first time around I was prepared for that.. I'm not willing to do that again.

I believe the evidence I pointed to is pushing to the side of plausible... and to those that understand it.. it goes beyond plausible. I am in no way saying using these methods are going to get you to rank for say "xbox" or "Las Vegas Hotels"... but niched down... I will be the 2nd here to say yeah it works. But again... its not a slap something together and they will come type of thing.. there is a method to it all, and a wrong step can cause considerable delays if you are not paying attention.

You sit there and tell people I have a conscience and I cant let this slip by.. and in the next breath you will talk about PBN's or some nonsense.... Aside from me, you and a few others.... how many have reported positive benefit from PBN's? its usually flaming failures more than anything. Again there is a method, and one missed step and its all for nothing. - more so with PBN's

SEO is flat out fragile... you learn how to handle it with care.. or you write till your blue in the face and cant figure out what went wrong.

I think we can agree to disagree... but in the same sense that you felt the need to speak out... I was driven to do the same. Link building is not the only avenue to success. and I think its wrong that seo is overly portrayed that way.

actually, you dont need to spend too much time building links to your website to rank high on website. All you need to do is to ensure links that you built are of high authority, highly diversified and highly relevant.

Well, if nothing else, this is a more interesting conversation than 99% of the threads started in this section these days.

Backlinking used to be pretty much the only way to secure domain authority (DA). Nowadays, your site can rank quite high without this resource, although backlinks as a ranking factor contribute about 40% to the SERPs.

In order to increase your rank without backlinking, explore other ways to create metadata on your site. There are a couple of basic ways to accomplish this:

SEO keyphrasing:

Spend some time researching how users find sites like yours. Are their any particular words or phrases that make your brand unique? In which specific field are you operating? Include these long-tail keywords in the actual title of the page or blog post, the body copy, the url (or slugs), alt text, title tags, meta descriptions.

Social media linking:

Using social media effectively involves more than just sharing your content. Explore social media platforms outside of Facebook and Twitter. Share your content on Pinterest, Blogger, YouTube, Twitch, Snapchat, Instagram, and other high-volume sites.

Moreover, if you use a platform site (like WiX or WordPress) be sure that:

You have these social media accounts connected to your account.
You're actively sharing your content on the social side of these platforms themselves (see WordPress Reader view).

The more connections and community engagement your brand has, the more metadata you will generate.

However, it's important to remember: the best sites have authoritative content . Sites with NO content are not tracked by Google. Sites without content also cause users to hit the back button (which negatively affects your DA).

.YES I DID THAT.. I Install two software one is for automated Traffic and another is for complete internet marketing, automation & site building.. both are automaticaly do their job..

Yes, sometimes it works. but not good practice.

So now we are saying.. there are patents that are 50 yrs old and have never been used.. so there is no reason to look at these at all.... and to add to that unless they are written in black and white for you to understand, there again is no reason for consideration.

The reality Mike, is yes Google pumps out a kick ton of patents.. some are more black and white than others. The pagerank patents would be an example of this... However mixed in with those related to linking are some more ambiguous works about measuring the content on the page.

When we look at the ones for IP and MAC address identification... we know they use this technology.... I personally have a laptop... I goto work with it, I go home with it, I use it at coffee shops... and each and every time I change locations, I don't always have to log onto "Google" ( check emails or what have you ) Why? because they are tracking my Mac address. So any reasonable person then begins to wonder where else are they using this?

Same with Local search - citations.. linkless links right? Again a reasonable person wonders.. where else may they be using this? Google has in the past mentioned context based linking.

I am pretty sold on the idea that if GA is giving you data.. for say Bounce or Time on page... I will bet that is not just some matrix they are measuring there alone.. it is being measured system wide. - and then you get into the HOW - MAC address identification becomes a stand out concept.

Ever read the Patents on Rank Brain? some of it is pretty straight forward.. some of it not so much. To this day... I read over that material quite a bit.... it is the #3 most important variable in search results... but all that it appears to do is look at what an end user is typing and making sense of it. So HOW does this become a variable for ranking? I have my theories Some of them work a bit better than others, some of the ideas I have tried actually worked against me. ( which for me, is a good thing of sorts... testing with negative results gives indicators of possibility for positive ones )

There are specific reasons Google - Bing - Yahoo ( when they were around ) filed for Patents.. it was to block the other from using the concepts.. Googles pagerank was the game changer for Google... As much as link based page rank is a good thing, there are its down sides... we all know you can manipulate the crap out of it... and over time they have made the ability to spam links harder and harder ( there are no patents by the way how they are doing this )

So understanding Why Google and others apply for Patents you have to understand there are technologies in place that simply are not run through the same process. ( the patent process )

A GREAT example of this... Geography. How does Google know where you are? There is not a single patent on the subject ( That I have been able to find ). based on your reasoning we are to assume they don't actually do this.

I look through this stuff to get a better understanding of what is already in place.. and to see what will be in place in the future. The Hummingbird patents... there are hundreds of them, and a good many of them have not been used to my knowledge... but it gives you a scope of what they were thinking and what the abilities could be... without question they left themselve plenty of room for growth.

As to the low comp pages.... I have been consistant for YEARS over this practice... I have agreed over and over this will not on day 1 rank you for Xbox or Las Vegas hotels... I have said that in this very thread. READ what I am writing, and stop trying to bash me for something I actually agree with you on. The idea is to get the wins in the lower comp terms, and build your DA and over time, you will rank for the more competitive terms.. it simply works.

Remember this guy: https://www.warriorforum.com/search-...niche-seo.html he has content and no traffic... why? because he doesnt understand the concepts I have been talking about.... He is probably written about some keyword that has stupid high comp, and will never rank for. Id rather have 10 highly target visitor a month vs 0. Hes broke, and I make money. I don't understand SEO or Business? this right here, would say otherwise