Page 34 - The Dark Side of Back Link Building

THE DARK SIDE OF LINK BUILDING 34

Can You Buy Or Sell Links Effectively?

Absolutely!

As I mentioned, Google takes a dim view of undisclosed financial relationships
regarding links. But sponsored content and links are a vital part of online business.

Sponsored Links

As part of a brand awareness campaign or lead generation strategy, paid placements
are powerful and ethical tools – when properly disclosed. That means that there

should be a clear disclosure of the financial relationship between users and search
engines. Usually, the search engine disclosure uses a rel=nofollow or rel=sponsored

link attribute.

These links do not pass SEO value, so make sure you’re seeking these opportunities

out for your marketing goals, not your SEO goals.

Link Building Services

It’s also perfectly reasonable to hire an SEO professional or agency to do the work of
building links for you. Link building is a legitimate business.

Acquiring backlinks the right way requires a lot of work. You must create resources
worthy of links, perform research, conduct outreach, and build genuine relationships,

among other tasks. This takes time and expertise, and it’s reasonable to pay people to
do this work.

You just have to vet them carefully to ensure that they won’t involve you with link
schemes without your knowledge. If they’re just going to buy links on your behalf,
then they’re putting you at risk.

At best, an unscrupulous service provider will be a waste of money. At worst, you

could end up spending more time and money undoing the damage.