To Buy (links) or not to buy, that is the question

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I have a few properties within a competitive niche. Also within this niche is a very tough competitor. We work diligently on building quality backlinks to our sites, and have not and do not buy links. The top competitor is clearly buying links, sometimes on shady websites (i.e. link farms, etc)... and in the 2 years I've followed them, I've never seen them get smacked by Google.

So, the question is, do I follow suit and buy links as well? I'm not keen on it as a practice, but you can't knock success. :confused:
#search engine optimization #buy #links #question
  • I wouldn't buy them I'd continue to focus on buiding the high quality links. After all a great PR link from another site can overcome a lot of garbage links.

    But I would also suggest learning some bulk link building techniques that don't involve link buying. Do that to keep up and the high quality will win for you in the end.

    Unless the competitor is us in which case you're toast
  • I would not buy links just keep building links naturally and keep adding good content slow and steady will win the race and remember Google may step up their campaign against dodgy links at any time
    • [1] reply
    • I spoke with Bruce Clay about 2 months ago and indicated that Google would be stepping up their anti-link buying efforts this summer... I haven't seen it yet, but my fingers are crossed that it will begin soon.
      • [1] reply
  • 2 wrongs don't make a right.

    They'll take their medicine eventually.
  • I think it really depends on a number of factors including where the links are coming from... Are you talking about buying backlinks as in front page links? If the competition is doing it why not? I've used front page backlinks and it has absolutely skyrocketed me to #1 in SERP's extremely quickly.

    If the site has some age on it, you consistently backlink and update it regularly, you should be fine.
  • Buying links from some places cant hurt you at all. Some times buying links is exactly like getting one way backlinks from a website and Google doesn't know it was paid or free. But be careful about buying a lot of links. Only buy a little backlinks.
  • With all honesty I think buying links is a rip off. If you want links then provide quality information about your niche that people want to link to. On top of that you have plenty of free sources to create backlinks for.
  • If your niche is seasonal, then you may buy links during the "hottest" times. Same applies for product launch review sites.

    But, if you are building long term income generators, then I advice you to build links manually (or outsource) slowly and steadily.

    Also, you must make sure that the backlinks are of high quality.

    Karan
  • ye i dont think there is nothing wrong with buying a link on a front page, as long as it is relevant and a solid, aged domain.
  • If you actually Google in to see what Google itself has to say about it, you will find that it does not approve or go with buying links.
    • [1] reply
    • I'm not sure what your point is. We all know Google's position, and we all know they are hypocritical when it comes to link buying.

      What is funny to me is all the posts in this thread about "just build organic/natural links" etc. I would be willing to bet that the people saying that are those that think putting up an article on EZA and linking back to your site with your anchor text is a "natural" or "organic" link, when nothing could be further from the truth.
      Tom
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    • [1] reply
    • I'm glad the OP asked this question, because it's like everyone can deny it and frown on it, but it's real, and it's going on all the time, and it's everywhere.

      If Google is really serious on penalizing link buying, it would have to drop at least 60-80% of all its listings in its SERPs, especially the top 10 listings for most major (and commercial intent) keywords.

      There's no point punishing a website here and there just to make it an example, when it is so rampant and you will have a very, very hard time finding a website in the top 100 of any big keyword or small keyword that has not bought links.

      It's just not reality.

      I'm also facing the same difficulty for all the number 1 - number X websites have clearly shady links from link farms and junk spun content placed on a zillion websites. It's just so obvious, and great Google even accords them "authority" status with site links underneath their listing, and giving them double, triple, indented results....and they sit pretty at the top of the pile. Quite often, those sites are not even high quality sites, but in the eyes of the Google bot, they are the "best."

      Like I said, if Google wants to punish all these link buying sites, it would have to throw out almost all its front page listings......

      You think that's going to happen?
  • no need to purchase you can build easily.
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    To Buy (links) or not to buy, that is the question

    I have a few properties within a competitive niche. Also within this niche is a very tough competitor. We work diligently on building quality backlinks to our sites, and have not and do not buy links. The top competitor is clearly buying links, sometimes on shady websites (i.e. link farms, etc)... and in the 2 years I've followed them, I've never seen them get smacked by Google. So, the question is, do I follow suit and buy links as well? I'm not keen on it as a practice, but you can't knock success. :confused: