Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialists

Where to be cautious with links

Links and keywords can often seem like the magic components of search engine optimisation. So much importance is placed on keyword selection and placement. Just as much importance is placed on linking and being linked to. It can feel like all you need is the secret formula for instant search engine success.

Both keywords and links can easily get your site into trouble. The search engines are far from stupid. Search engines adjusted their web bots to spit out ‘over-deliberate’ keywords years ago. By the time the SEO world was touting the advantages of links, the search engines had adjusted their algorithms to filter out suspicious ones.

While you can easily control which keywords are featured on your page, it can be a little more difficult with links. Generally, the only mistakes you make with keywords are your own, unless you get hacked. Keyword mistakes are a little easier to fix as well.

Link problems take longer to fix. They can also take much longer to detect, as you have to go through all of your links and guess at which ones are causing the problem. Technically, any links that do not provide a benefit to the user can be considered by the search engines as link spam. This is along the same lines as the classification search engines put forward for all forms of spam. If most businesses were honest, most of the links they have were not put there for the benefit of the user. This doesn’t mean that the user doesn’t ultimately benefit.

There are many ways in which link swapping can get an innocent business into trouble. Sometimes, it’s just about perception. For example, you could join in a network and agree to exchange links with others in your industry. This could either be perceived as a link farm, in which case the search engines will penalise you, or it could be accepted as a method of providing links that your users will find helpful.

Another link method that could be seen either way is the use of an off-site blog. Your off-site blog could be put up with the sole purpose of providing your users with interesting content using a popular blogging platform. The risk of an off-site blog is that it could be seen as a spam blog, one that has been created solely to provide another link to the main site.

While your site is vulnerable to becoming involved in bad links, don’t worry too much. The search engines are very aware of the underhanded methods competitor companies use to discredit their enemies. Link spam needs to be proved. Usually the proof takes the form of collusion, as evidenced by your site linking back to the disreputable link. It does pay to be wary, however, and it’s often worth contacting a specialist SEO firm when you want to build inbound links for your site.

Related posts:

  1. Avoiding Wiki-Spam for SEO
  2. Three Important Things To Remember When Blogging
  3. How flexible is your SEO campaign?
  4. SEO: Do You Have the Posts of Others Displayed in your Blog?
  5. Does a Blog for SEO Really Suit your Site?

Tags: , , ,

Link to us

If you want to link to this blog, copy and paste the following HTML code to your website.

Leave a Reply

Search Blogs

Highest Rated Blogs

Tag Cloud

Recent Blogs

Blog Categories

About SEO
ASK SEO
Bing and Search Engine Optimisation
Black and White Hat SEO
Browser Software and Search Engine Optimisation
Cheap SEO
Clicktelligence & SEO
CMS and Admin Systems and SEO
eCommerce and Search Engine Optimisation
Email Marketing
Ethical Search Engine Optimisation
Flash and SEO
General SEO News
Geo Targeting Search Engine Optimisation
Google Analytics
Google and Search Engine Optimisation
Google PageRank
Google PR Update
Google Webmaster Tools
Increase Search Traffic with SEO
International SEO
Internet Marketing
Keyword Research and Search Engine Optimisation
Latest News
Link Campaigns and Search Engine Optimisation
Meta Tags and SEO
Mobile SEO
Offpage Optimisation
Online Advertising
Onpage Optimisation
Page Load and SEO
Page Rank Update
Pay Per Click & SEO
Press Releases
Professional SEO
Real Time Search
Search Engine Indexing and Crawling
Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation Advice
Search Engine Optimisation Analysis
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization Keywords
Search Engine Optimization Marketing
SEO Analysis for Results
SEO and Business
SEO and Search Engines
SEO Blogging
SEO Companies
SEO Consult
seo consultancy
SEO Copywriting
SEO Costs
SEO Domain Names
SEO Experiment
SEO Links
SEO Lists
SEO Management
SEO Penalties
SEO Rankings
SEO Sitemaps
SEO Strategy
SEO Submissions
SEO Techniques
SEO Tips
SEO Tools
seo video
SEO vs PPC
Site Analysis and Search Engine Optimisation
Site Architecture & SEO
Social Media Optimisation
Social Networking and Search Engine Optimization
Target Marketing with SEO
Top SEO Tips
Traffic & SEO
Twitter and Search Engine Optimisation
User Driven SEO
W3C and Search Engine Optimisation
Web Design
Website Development
Website Optimization
Wordpress For SEO
Yahoo! and Search Engine Optimisation
View All Categories

Archives

Authors

W3C XHTML Valid W3C CSS Valid W3C WAI  Internet Marketing RSS Feed for SEO Consult