The Dark Side of the Force: Skanky Links

[Garrett]

Yesterday's Advanced Link Building session of Search Engine Strategies featured WebGuerrilla President Greg Boser, an infamous Google spammer, on the same panel as Google's Director of Technology, Craig Silverstein.

Silverstein, who’s been with Google for five years, has seen the evolution of the importance of links. He said a page’s importance equals the aggregate importance of pages linking into it. He also said this method is highly spam-resistant. Of course, this isn’t anything new but these words of wisdom are refreshing to hear from Google.

The Dark Side of the Force: "Link Skanks"

“You want sites with high Page Ranks to link to you,” Silverstein reminded everyone, “and not to other people.”

He recommends using descriptive anchor text and steering away from phrases such as “Click Here.” Get similar sites to link back to your site, attract links with relevant content, and most importantly, he said, “avoid anything that looks skanky.” This includes link farms and anything deceptive. “Don’t link into bad neighborhoods,” he warned.

The “skanky link” reference got a rise out of the audience and quickly became a running joke for the rest of the panel.

One interesting tidbit: the Googlebot pays a lot more attention to page content that visitors can see rather than things people can't see. That’s the reason why Google dropped meta tags.

Apparently, hyphenated domains have also come and gone. This used to be a popular method for spamming search engines but now keywords within hyphens don't matter as much as they used to. Craig pointed out that it’s better to use hyphens than underscores because within Google’s parsing policy underscores in domains are treated as letters while treating hyphens are viewed more like spaces.

He also recommends you put descriptive words in page titles and URLs as signals to the users. Any signals to the users will be perceived as being good in the eye of the Google algorithm.

Greg Boser's three goals of link building:

1. Do whatever it takes to avoid reciprocal linking. Ideally, just have other sites link to your site.
2. Develop an inbound link structure that will help your organic search listings
3. Develop something that continues after a person quits promoting a particular campaign. This includes link-building programs through content syndication, web tools, or desktop applications.

He said it’s important to realize that guestbook spamming, log file spamming, and blog spamming may all result in penalties. He pointed out that there are entire industries supported by spamming Google but all the search engines are currently combating search engine spam.

If what you're doing is too similar to what the “black hats” are doing you might get lumped in with them. Boser doesn't recommend making changes based on what you’re seeing now.

He also pointed out that any link coming in from a nonprofit organization is gold. He wasn’t necessarily implying that nonprofit sites have better quality content, but these links are often less expensive and tax-deductible. Often times they'll put up a link to your site for $200 per year. He cited networkforgood.org as a good source for finding these sites.

Don't get caught up in ODP, he recommended, saying there are sections of the directory that are dying. There are plenty of other links on the web that will prove to be just as beneficial. His advice is to “submit, move on, and forget about it.”

[ChristinaS]

Last year I somehow got lured into linking my sites through a link indexing site called www.linkb0t.com. In fairness, back then it seemed on the up and up, pretty harmless, if not particularly inviting and user friendly.

I revisited this site lately intending to add another link to it and I was shocked to find its appearance extremely messy, non-functional and amateurish, and, what's worse, populated by links to lots of porno or crackpot sites. I figure my old additions may unfortunately cohabit this unsavoury site now and I see no way to have them removed, as the site has no visible contact link.

[WebMetro]

You have to be aggressive with linking in order to achieve high rankings. But at the same time, be reasonable and ethical. Most importantly, be creative when looking for links. There always seems to be a new way to generate incoming links.

[TrafficProducer]

I revisited this site lately!

Yes but remember that a site that may not generate much traffic now or may have poor design but it may improve.

If a site is looking for links the they are looking to improve Traffic to that site. It therefore follows that in general the site should improve over time.

Sorry to hear you where let down by the service you used, there are some good ones out there. Or better still do it by hand and wait for webmasters to contact you for an Exchange links.

Submit Link Exchange

[linkstrategy]

Garret,

Note the words from Craig Silverstein, the actual Googl rep speaking here.....
"Get similar sites to link back to your site, attract links with relevant content, and most importantly, he said, “avoid anything that looks skanky."

That sounds to me like traditional, well-structured directory-to-directory linking, as it existed long before Google was even a twinkle in anyone's eye, is still a very acceptable way to proceed.

And my own observations and professional experience back it up.

As to the Greg Boser comments, (whom you describe as "an infamous Google spammer"), he is entitled to his opinions. Other readers should note that he is not speeaking for Google, obviously.

A lot of "search engine gurus" have their own "secret brews" for linking success. Some of it is more "skanky" than others. I've seen some of it backfire. Neverthtless, their linking advice is usually designed complicate the issue, confuse the audience, and thus, generate clients.

So, when Boser says to develop links "through content syndication, web tools, or desktop applications", a close read of that implies some rather sophisiticted methods. Worthy goals, indeed, but these methods are out-of-bounds for most website owners, where the site content and focus may not lend itself to these approaches, or the cost is prohibitive.

How are you going to syndicate content or develop a desktop tool about "throw rugs", if that's your business? You see what I mean.

There are a lot of ways to earn links to a site.
But from a return-on-investment perspective, (which most people overlook when they embark on some of this stuff on the advice of gurus), old-fashioned directory-to-directory linking is easily the most cost effective foundation that one can lay.

After that's established, then it may be appropriate time to throw the more exotic stuff at the problem, if the cost warrants it.

But from what I see right now, you can still get excellent resluts the old-fashioned way, and at a lot less cost and hassle.

[albatross2147]

Have the changes made by Google gone too far?

Previously, a client of ours, a home improvement business based in and serving this city was listed number one for the search: home extensions sydney

The other top results were relevant too.

Now the results (on both .com and .com.au) are either for wierd internet directories and totally irrelevant results.

It seems that our client is being penalised for having the words "extensions", "Sydney" and "home" incorporated in their site text etc.

If people can't get relevant results from their searches (even the Ad Words on the resluts page are a bit wonky) they will vote with their feet errr mouses

[Dave Hawley]

Often times they'll put up a link to your site for $200 per year. He cited networkforgood.org as a good source for finding these sites.

HUH?? He is suggesting buying PR! That cannot be good or condoned by Google surely?

[webitup]

Greg Boser's three goals of link building.

1. Do whatever it takes to avoid reciprocal linking. Ideally, just have other sites link to your site.

Hi I'm A newbie here.........
why would he say this ?
reciprocal linking is always good right?
of course relevant linking.
At least that's what has worked for me,
seems to be old school but still working so far.
just wondering why it was said that way?

[mtbot]

Though non-reciprocal linking is preferable in theory, there is no evidence that Google or other search engines are checking yet for reciprocal links. Even if Google does check for reciprocal links, I am sure Google will give credit for them (although maybe not as much).

Two of my competitors rank in the top five for the keyword "medical transcription." Almost all of their incoming links are reciprocal links.

--Daniel
Medical Transcription Training Software

[Dave Hawley]

Mel, that certainly NOT how I read it. He talkiing in the context of link building not advertizing.