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Old 05-19-2008, 09:32 AM
Terry Van Horne Terry Van Horne is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Toronto On., Ca.
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Default Re: Can inbound links really hurt you?

Quote:
Originally Posted by fathom View Post

Be that as it may... why confuse people arguing "inbound links harm"?

Not all inbound links harm

Not all paid links harm

and actually NONE HARM...
Google says IBL's can harm in the guidelines! Irrefutable proof that IBL's can cause harm... especially "paid" links. What is "paid" is opaque... whether you could be harmed by a competitor is questionable or at the very least IMO, a new risk/consideration... but according to Google that's for everyone's benefit. I agree with Google to some extent as the Magna Carta like status the PR paper posesses is indicative of how SEO's act when given complete transparency. It is like giving candy to a baby... many will eat til they puke all over someone.

Harm is a subjective description hence the debate is seemingly just a lengthy exercise in semantics 101. IMO, debate steeped in definitives is why joepublic trusts no one... with good reason! I often hear from the terminally confused... they don't know who to believe or how to sort the BS from the shinola. I've been doin' this for a long time and some of this is confusing to me... one has to wonder what joepublic thinks when they see this kind of debate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fathom View Post
and that can hurt the ranks you got use to having but those weren't the ranks you were suppose to have... so you didn't get harmed you just got a temporary fix.
I agree that rank/position should be earned and if you build success based on manipulation|deception|risky tactics, rather than reputation built via content you have chosen a temporary fix/solution to a long term problem. But... I think SEO's obsession with links is nonsense and link development has been given way more focus then it deserves, so...

I am only interested because I manage a website that may affect members sites so I need to figure out if public posting of members sites is a risk. To what degree is it a risk. Are all Org OBL's to members affected or only those not labelled/put in the context of "sponsored". I may put the members list in a secure area because the only way to be sure Google isn't going to misinterpret the Org or the member's motives is to remove the need to interpret our motives. The trust in "the machine" has waned.... unfortunately, IMO, this will/can change how websites are developed, monetized and free useful information could disappear behind a firewall because that is looking like the only way to completely remove and doubts on the part of Google or the Members. Something is wrong when webmasters/Organizations have to make that decision.

Last edited by Terry Van Horne : 05-19-2008 at 09:46 AM.
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