If you opt to use highly suspect SEO tactics thinking you’re unlikely to get caught, this post might just change your mind. Many webmasters participate in dodgy SEO and (unfortunately) get away with it, but thankfully the tides are changing. An increasing number of sites are being penalised, and some even find themselves banned completely.
I am aware of numerous sites that have been penalised for practices such as buying links, duplicate content and link schemes. One site I am aware of, which is a perfectly respectable site in all intensive purposes, was punished after the webmaster used the same content on his other (more popular) site. It spent the best part of 3 years out of the Google index!
In mid 2008, many bloggers (mainly in the SEO and website marketing industry) were slapped down by Google after buying and selling links. Perhaps more interestingly, many of these sites were highly prominent blogs offering Web marketing advice. Just goes to show who you should be listening to!
But what did Google do for many of these sites? They hit ‘em where it hurts: ‘Toolbar PageRank’ (TBPR). Now TBPR is not something you should normally be getting excited about, but for individuals who buy and sell links to try and aid their ranking, it’s the Holy Grail. This is because the higher the TBPR, the higher a link seller can charge. Many of the accused had their PR reduced to PR0! Of course, all hell broke loose, but they shouldn’t have been surprised! Google’s guidelines clearly state buying and selling links to manipulate search results is forbidden. Are you going to argue with the search engine that sends over 60% of traffic to most sites? I’m certainly not.
Read Google’s stance on buying links to boost search ranking
People who buy and sell links to try and rank higher should be running scared. We want to see a level playing field, not “Mr. Money Bags” hogging the top spot because he can afford to buy the most links. This is why Google rewards quality content and will penalise sites that violate its rules. If you create great content, people will link to your site. There is no need to go buying links!