Dodgy link profiles?!?!
-
Just started working on a new pharma based client in the UK. I have been carrying out some link profiling on page one results for several key terms and have discovered that almost all of the sites ranking in top positions appear to have all kinds of rubbish links (links in irrelevant content / articles, links in forum signatures, single page blogs and sites that appear to have little association with their products). These links seem to be about the only links some of them have yet they rank top!
It seems a very difficult prospect to build a decent white hat link profile if everyone else is STILL capitalizing on the sort of rubbish links that Google is supposed to be getting tough on. Are online pharmacies the world that Google forgot or is this a really common issue?
-
Thanks for the insight guys. I think I am resigned to the fact that doing this white hat is going to be a bit of a slow burner. It will be an interesting one to see grow though as the site is more or less a blank canvass in terms of link profile. Trying to figure out a good strategy to beat the spam sites (and occasional authentic site) will be a good challenge.
-
Ah, I would say the pharmacy industry is probably one of the most competitive verticals in SEO, specifically due to the blackhat tactics you mentioned. The short answer is that obviously these kinds of dodgy link schemes are still quite effective but you are right that Google is definitely getting tougher on these kinds of links. My bet is that the sites that are currently ranking in the top spots for your desired keywords will be slapped with penalties and removed eventually but that a new group of sites with spammy links will soon pop right back up in those spots.
That being said, I don't think it's a lost cause to get your client ranking well using legitimate white hat links, although it's likely to be more of a gradual long term process. I certainly know how frustrating it can be to have to battle against these shady sites since I have clients in similar situations (mortgages and insurance), but over time, we have made steady improvements in the rankings by creating good content as well as utilizing press releases and social media which in turn, results in high quality backlinks from authoritative sites. While it does take time, it's at least comforting to know that it is highly unlikely that your client's site will be slapped with penalties and should gradually rise to the top as Google continues to work on weeding out the spam sites.
Also, try to focus on long tail keywords that the spammers are not targeting and make it a goal to increase overall organic traffic rather than simply ranking #1 for something like "viagra."
-
You did say you were working on a "Pharma" site right? What other types of viagra sites exist besides spam sites?...
Kidding aside, sites may rank in spite of their poor link profiles. Links are not everything. They are a lot, but not everything. If the sites are old enough and perform well enough, their history may outweigh the updates. If you don't want to follow the crowd then better for you. Your very own diversified link portfolio is better than trying to match another site's. Go for links a spam site can't get. Get quality Edu links. Put out quality content. Go for long tail search and rankings. Watch your site slowly pick up speed. It's a slow road, but has sure footing.
Or follow the crowd and go for that automated link building. Just remember, if you want a quick road to the top then you can expect a rapid decent as well.
Disclaimer, either approach could fail, either could win. Know your risks.
-
IME crap links still rank if everyone else in that niche has a tone of bad links as well (remember google need relevant search results for its users), but chances are little or no value will be flowing from thiose links. This is just my opinion... I have no evidence to back it up. Build some good links and see what happens....
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Link building
hello, my website is www.anavasis.gr and it is in Greek. Which is the best way to build backlinks? Hire a freelancer and let him making links to any site? What should i ask from a freelancer when building links for me? what should i give him like (keywords) ?. what is important to take take of? When you go to freelancer.com there are people offering backlinks for less than 100$ is that a good method? Will this help my seo? Is it a matter that my site is in Greek? thanks
Link Building | | anavasis0 -
Thoughts on creating a resource/recommend links page in order to attain links?
Hey guys, Just wondering, how does Google view reciprocal link building nowadays? I've heard in the past that it's something that Google isn't particularly keen on. However, more recently, I've also read that - as long as the links are decent (and in moderation) - link exchanging is by no means a bad thing. The reason I ask is that I'm thinking of creating a "resource/recommended links page" for a client of mine. Because of their industry, it's really apparent that attaining links is often only possible if there is the opportunity of a reciprocal link in return. Therefore, I'd need to have a resource/recommend links page of my own. Is this something I should go ahead with to make it much easier to attain links? Or should I try to avoid reciprocal links and attempt to pinpoint one-way linking opportunities - even if they're thin on the ground? Any help much as appreciated as always. Cheers.
Link Building | | Webrevolve0 -
Getting Links
Hi, Links from Directories are bad. Links for low quality sites are bad. Paid links are bad. Guest blogging is "maybe rumor has it" google's next big Penguin. Where and how is everybody getting all these great links from, is there anywhere left?? All advice welcomed as we really need good links quick! Thanks
Link Building | | Studio330 -
Bearshare links?
I am doing competitor link research and so far 4 of the 4 have had links from search.bearshare.net What kind of site is this? I am sure it isn't valuable but I can't figure out how it is getting crawled.
Link Building | | EcommerceSite0 -
Does a hashtag link pass the same amount of link juice as a link without a hashtag?
Example 1: link to: http://www.domain.com/#something-inside-the-page Example 2: link to: http://www.domain.com/
Link Building | | adriandg0 -
Do No follow links from social media platforms transfer authority or value when they link to third party websites?
With social media playing a bigger role in SEO (since the Panda, Penguin updates etc) and how search engines rank sites now, does anybody know why Twitter for instance has 'no follow' when I check my client's websites under 'inbound links' on Open Site Explorer?
Link Building | | caroline19770 -
Link Targets
What do you think of getting links from... high quality sites, with many non spammy high trusted links to them....but their traffic has been majorly hit by panda. I suspect perhaps for having too many thin pages. Is persuing links on these sites a good idea or not? I'd welcome opinions.
Link Building | | PeterM220 -
Links on portfolio with nofollow?
Hey guys, everyone know that to get better PR you need quality one way links.. my question is should I put nofollow to the links to the websites on my portfolio? since those website have the link to my page? ideas?
Link Building | | onyx8080