Can inbound links really hurt you?

[inertia]

If during my years of link building i happened to have established links on "bad URLs" will this have an adverse effect on my site?

I have just changed my signature to include a couple of friends sites but I'm conscious that 300 links have just appeared on the WPW forum. Will this have an adverse effect? I cant see how this can possibly be the case as my competitors could cause me serious damage by such methods?

Any thoughts please...

[dave9713]

In my opinion no. If that was the then the web would be a huge mess, think about all the big companies who have thousands and thousands of spam links everywhere just because there brand is known. This would also make SEO a case of damaging your competitors rather than outranking them naturally. Google knows that you can't control 100% who links to your site and unless they see that your buying links or consider yourself to be spamming then they won't punish you for it.

That amount of links won't even appear on there radar.

Dave

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by dave9713

In my opinion no. If that was the then the web would be a huge mess, think about all the big companies who have thousands and thousands of spam links everywhere just because there brand is known. This would also make SEO a case of damaging your competitors rather than outranking them naturally. Google knows that you can't control 100% who links to your site and unless they see that your buying links or consider yourself to be spamming then they won't punish you for it.

That amount of links won't even appear on there radar.

Dave

I agree Dave.

[kgun]

Originally Posted by inertia

Can inbound links really hurt you?

If it can really hurt you it would be to easy for an competitor to destroy your site. In my view, a sensible programmed SeBOT should only give non negative weight to IBL's. That means that a link can carry zero weight as a lower limit.

[crankydave]

Can IBL's hurt you? The short answer is yes. I've see it happen first hand. This is why it's important to build and establish a solid link profile from the very beginning. Don't look at the individual links and don't worry about them. Remember, it's the effect of the aggregate.

Dave

[kgun]

Originally Posted by crankydave

Can IBL's hurt you? The short answer is yes.

1. On which SE?
2. Are you sure that you have isolated the effect?
3. Then, how easy would it be to destroy a site?

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by kgun

1. On which SE?
2. Are you sure that you have isolated the effect?
3. Then, how easy would it be to destroy a site?

1. Google
2. Yes. Repeated it several times.
3. People get paid, quite well, to do that very thing.

Dave

[kgun]

As usual I am sceptical, but I have noted that you have changed your signature

But I would like to see that the deletion of one IBL can improve your ranking. It is extremely difficult to isolate one of about 200 ranking factors.

Still very sceptical ...

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by kgun

As usual I am sceptical, but I have noted that you have changed your signature

I don't believe I've changed my signature for a very long time. I could be mistaken. But on occasion, I do change it for a variety of reasons.

Dave

[kgun]

No, you have recently changed your signature here or at the T.I.P forum. The link was to an article about Google, that I would not have had in my signature. But deleting that link should not improve your ranking unless Google is a "little evil" as most of us are.

[dave9713]

I am not disagreeing with CrankyDave's comments, however as I said in my opinion it would have to be a MUCH higher volume than what the OP was talking about. And please correct me if I am wrong but isn't there a way to report these to Google and let them know it is not you damaging your site?

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by kgun

No, you have recently changed your signature here or at the T.I.P forum. The link was to an article about Google, that I would not have had in my signature.

Ahhhhhhh... yes. That was at TIP.

I changed it to my latest blog "rant". The one that was there was to my blog article about how I believe Google's stance on paid links is destined to fail. Still believe that, and don't believe they have "succeeded" nor will they. But that's an entirely different discussion.

Dave

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by dave9713

I am not disagreeing with CrankyDave's comments, however as I said in my opinion it would have to be a MUCH higher volume than what the OP was talking about. And please correct me if I am wrong but isn't there a way to report these to Google and let them know it is not you damaging your site?

To my knowledge, there's no way to "disavow" links.

Just to be clear, I believe that folks should worry about building a solid site, a solid link profile, the aggregate, and not worry about it.

Dave

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by inertia

If during my years of link building i happened to have established links on "bad URLs" will this have an adverse effect on my site?

I have just changed my signature to include a couple of friends sites but I'm conscious that 300 links have just appeared on the WPW forum. Will this have an adverse effect? I cant see how this can possibly be the case as my competitors could cause me serious damage by such methods?

Any thoughts please...

SEs recognize that one cannot control all IBLs, and do not therefore penalize you for such. IBLs can be positive or neutral, but not negative.

Where people get into trouble re. links is with OBLs; here you do not want to be found pointing to "bad" sites.

[crankydave]

Originally Posted by deepsand

IBLs can be positive or neutral, but not negative.

Prove it.

Dave

[deepsand]

Originally Posted by crankydave

Prove it.

Dave

Right after you prove, to the satisfaction of dave9713, incrediblehelp, kgun and myself, that your claim to the contrary is correct.

[inertia]

If you had links on sites which Google saw as link sellers they could assume that you were buying links from them and penalise you for that. But then the argument about companies employing tactics to destroy competitors sites could be a very valid one.

I have seen no proof of bad links causing a site problems myself but then again i have seen sites drop and dismissed in bound links from having anything to do with it. Maybe I was over looking that factor!?

In all honesty having asked the question and read the answers it logically makes sense to me that links are either positive or neutral.

Dave, i would love to see some evidence or reasoning to prove that in bound links can hurt...