What exactly is a link farm?

[KarenCharin0]

I've heard a lot about how bad link farms are how they are not allowed when you have affiliates. I just assumed they were a site that had all links to other sites but soon realized that must not be what they are because directories and search engines and forums have lots of links to other sites.

I put links to my other sites at my sites and never got banned from Google ads and search engines so I figured that is ok. I see a lot of people with reciprocal link pages and link exchanges so I figure those are ok... so what is a link farm that I keep hearing is bad. I want to know what it is so I know not to do that.

I got a warning message from Google once about having one of my sites listed at link referral and they said that was not quality impressions, so I dropped out of link referral and never put any of my sites back up there although I enjoyed going to link referral and didn't see anything wrong with it and I have a affiliate link on there now and noticed other people who had sites up there had Google links. Is that considered a link farm?

Are surf sites considered link farms? Where you surf other peoples sites and for every two you visit they put up your site link for one credit.

I've seen the term "link farm" a lot of times but I've never seen an explanation as to what it means. Can someone explain it to me please?

[kgun]

Try:

define: link farm

link farm site:google.com

on Google.

[jimkelly7777]

<what kgun says>

In short, a link farm is any scheme to increase SERP's by participating in an organised linking programme, Karen.

Some are obvious... they give you a link from a Bucharest hotel for a link to their skunk farm.

Others are more subtle. The scheme is endless here.

The best approach to take is to link to those sites in your area of expertise and ask for a link back if you want one. Our approach has always been to link to those we think are resources and enjoy the sunshine of having them link back if they decide you are worthy.

Slainte.

[deepsand]

Link farm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_farm)

[KarenCharin0]

I tried to get back to post after kgun's reply but my computer kept off line and I couldn't post. Thank you all for your answers, Jim that is interesting your saying that they offer you a link to link to them but then the link they give you back is to something different. If I understood that right. I read one where they give you a link back then after a few months they take your link down. So I can see where there could be scams to the web masters trying to improve their ranking. What I was worried about was if by putting my links to my other sites would be hurting my own rankings. Some of my sites are related to each other and some are not, most of my sites have to do with trees, Bible study or animals, but I have a couple now that include other things, kid stuff, maps, and antiques, plus my friend hosts my sites so I include links to his sites too, so I was worrying about being considered a link farm by linking to my own sites and my friend's sites and he links back to mine. And thanks deepsand, I thought about that after I did the definition search and wrote below what I got out of that. I hope I get this posted this time, storms coming up must be why I've been going off line all day.

I did this search that you sugested and I came up with these definitions.

define: link farm

web page ---- that only accepts incoming links
web pages----that only purpose to increase incoming links to a website
a site --- that only has outgoing links to participating web sites
a site --- consisting of a long list of unrelated links for search engine ranking
a group of interlinked sites--- that manipulate page rank
a website --that has no content of their own featuring links to other sites
a large group of web pages-- that link to a specific page or to each other
a web page -- with no group structure only large amount of links
websites--- that are interlinked together or to every page in the group
a website-- that contains many links


To me the really didn't clearify what they actually were, by the differnt definitions just about anything could be considered a link farm, even the search results pages from a search engine or pages I put up advertising affiliate products.

I looked it up on Wikipedia and found out that in 1999 links back to your site were a major consideration for how popular your site was and that online business web sites had few natural links back to them so link farms were started as a way for them to get links back to thier web sites. In return search engines removed some of them so that they wouldn't influnence search results. Now that the web has grown so large and bots grew in capacities to index more sites, link farms became less important for getting links back only so that you could stay in the results of the search engines.

Directories are now more like a substitute for search engines to find relavent sites that you are searching for, so in a way any kind of a " link farm" would be looked at as a competitor to a search engine. Yet in the Google guide lines they tell you to submit your site to good directories and not to link to " bad neighborhoods" as that will count against you.

My final conclusion then is a link farm really isn't something to worry to much about, because everyone has a different opinion of what they are and because the whole idea of the web is for everyone to be linked together somehow anyway.

[deepsand]

My final conclusion then is a link farm really isn't something to worry to much about, because everyone has a different opinion of what they are and because the whole idea of the web is for everyone to be linked together somehow anyway.
No, the definition does not depend on whose opinion you solicit.

Link farms are distinguishable from directories in that the intent of the former is to provide a massive quantity of Inbound Links (IBLs) so as to manipulate the SEs organic/natural listings rankings.

If you spend money on buying IBLs from link farms, unless the traffic such brings justifies the cost, you are wasting it.

If you have too many OBLs pointing to link farms, you risk being de-indexed.

[CLSbrunette]

My idea of a link farm is a site that has links which are not really quality links. This is for the sole purpose of creating strong backlinks, but appears to be fraudulent. Tell me if I'm right. ;)

[jabo]

How are link farms different to directories and crowded links pages?

[deepsand]

How are link farms different to directories and crowded links pages?
http://www.webproworld.com/seo-101/71605-what-exactly-link-farm.html#post391238

[deepsand]

My idea of a link farm is a site that has links which are not really quality links. This is for the sole purpose of creating strong backlinks, but appears to be fraudulent. Tell me if I'm right. ;)
Link quality is not directly correlated to whether or not the site containing the OBLs is a link farm; in fact, links on link farms may be of very high quality.

Rather, it is the intent of the site, the reason for its existence, that distinguishes link farms.

As above noted, "Link farms are distinguishable from directories in that the intent of the former is to provide a massive quantity of Inbound Links (IBLs) so as to manipulate the SEs organic/natural listings rankings."

[golem]

A link farm consists of sites that link to other sites for the sole purpose of increasing their Link popularity score.

[full house]

link farm is basically a page the has lots of different links or links that are not related to the page.

[deepsand]

link farm is basically a page the has lots of different links or links that are not related to the page.
Well, then, by that simplistic definition this very page is a "link farm!"

[risk]

How are link farms different to directories and crowded links pages?

Order out of Chaos!!
The more chaotic and unstructured a set of pages on a domain the more chance it will be flagged as this.

Proper structured directories - even Zeus type ones are still very acceptable to Google as someone has taken the time and trouble to organise the data in a structured method that big G can use for determining authority!

[deepsand]

Order out of Chaos!!
The more chaotic and unstructured a set of pages on a domain the more chance it will be flagged as this.

Proper structured directories - even Zeus type ones are still very acceptable to Google as someone has taken the time and trouble to organise the data in a structured method that big G can use for determining authority!
Citation(s) needed.

And, given that spiders see what a text browser sees, how is "order" divined?

[xuchunfeng1984]

dont try links farm. one-way backlinks is a good way and cant harm your site.

[deepsand]

dont try links farm. one-way backlinks is a good way and cant harm your site.
Try, in this case, to answer the OP's question, "What Is a Link Farm?," rather than just making an essentially empty post.

[Spurkle IT]

If you suspect a site of being a link farm, it is a good idea to avoid it.

[full house]

yes, avoid it! Your site might get penalize.

[deepsand]

yes, avoid it! Your site might get penalize.
:rolleyes:

Since you persist in contradicting known facts, facts that have been clearly and repeatedly here presented, the burden of proving that "bad" IBLs count as a negative rests with you.

We look forward to you presenting such proof.

In the mean time, perhaps you've an answer to the OP's question, "What Is a Link Farm?

[Trading Ideas]

What about posting on forums ? Surely if you post on hundreds of forums then your links will turn up all over the place - is this considered to be a link far m ?

[deepsand]

Naturally obtained IBLs "turn up all over the place;" thus, the result of posting in multiple forums is, in this respect, no different than any other type of links.

You might review Link farm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_farm) .

[thefandango]

I think its important here to cut through the paranoia and mis-information.

A link farm is a collection of sites which through automation, all receive links from random sites in such a manner as to create one way links. They do so without the intervention or the input of the people involved. They are there soley to game the search engines.


As a link exchange network owner, I think it is vital to seperate the above from legitimate networks which bring site owners together and allow them to do their own link deals with other sites in the directory. That is not link farming, nor against search engine TOS, it is merely a meeting point backed by efficiency tools to make the process smoother than sending an email/posting on a forum etc.

Please do not confuse automated link exchanging with legitimate link exchanging.

[vivesoftech]

Link Farm - A Farm where only Spam links are found simple !

[deepsand]

The links contained on link farms are not necessarily "spam" links; in fact, many are not.

As thefandango above noted, at http://www.webproworld.com/seo-101/71605-what-exactly-link-farm.html#post453998 , what distinquishes link farms is 1) the manner in which they are contructed, and 2) their intent.

[deepsand]

links farm is directory of no classify.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[deepsand]

The key issue is actually that of the intent of the site; i.e., what is its purpose?

If its primary purpose to create Inbound Links for others, then it's a link farm.

[Denit]

link farm is basically a page the has lots of different links or links that are not related to the page.

Are you pointed to webproworld ? ;) Link Farm is solely for linking purpose, not for contents,it doesn't need to have a lots of links but it must build for links.

[deepsand]

Are you pointed to webproworld ?
:confused:


Link Farm is solely for linking purpose, not for contents,it doesn't need to have a lots of links but it must build for links.
Which counters the post that you cite how?

If your point is regarding the use of the phrase "lots of links," you've stepped from the objective into the subjective. Whether link "farm" or link "garden" is irrelevant.

[deepsand]

Link farm is any group of web sites that all hyperlink to every other site in the group.
Not quite correct.

A link farm is the hub, from which OBLs point to those employing it; those who receive IBLs from said hub do not contain OBLs to other participants.

[vivianrollins]

Avoid link farms. From what I hear, Google is cracking down on this and once its traced, they will be valueless in 2010.

[deepsand]

Avoid link farms. From what I hear, Google is cracking down on this and once its traced, they will be valueless in 2010.
Time warp? Back to the Future? :confused:

Google's been devaluing IBLs from link farms for quite some time now. :shock:

[deepsand]

Just do manual linking and try to avoid these link farms.
Exactly how does one manually place a link on a page belonging to someone else? :confused:

[AaronNeal]

Link farms are bad news. Anytime you see a site that will give you 1,000 of links if you put their links on a page on your site or you pay money for so many links (not talking about SEO companies), you should avoid this. Google has a huge list of red flag sites and if they see your site is part of them or is getting links to those sites, they can ding you or even ban you from their search engine.

Exchanging links with similar web pages is OK and there are sites that do this. Just make sure the sites are legitimate before exchanging links. Overall one-way links are best through blogs, forums and directories.

[deepsand]

... if they see your site is part of them or is getting links to those sites, they can ding you or even ban you from their search engine.
Since all that Google need do is to discount any PR that would otherwise be passed, what would be gained by removing the target site from the SERPs?