Do "big" SEO companies remove links after termination of service?
-
Or worded differently:
Has anyone heard of "big" SEO companies removing links after termination of service?
I have a client who isn't particularly happy with the SEO he's getting from a big Aussie SEO firm, and he wants to terminate, however they've built thousands of links for him and he's a little concerned they might all get pulled.
Has anyone heard of this happening, or;
Do you think this is a legitimate concern?
I think its physically possible to remove backlinks like this because it seems the SEO firm in question is building links by using other client's websites.
I also wonder if they might have large content farm style sites where they place links for clients which might be quite easy to take down.
Please discuss!
-
Have I heard of this? Yes.
Is it a legitimate concern? Yes, but the impact of the links being removed depends on whether those links are "being counted by Google." If these "rented links" aren't being counted (or contributing very little), then their removal won't really matter.
Are the links indexed? Are they on domains that rank? What are the PA's & DA's for these links?
-
In my ten years, I have definitely heard of this happening. It's a bigger risk when your SEO provider has a private network of sites.Heck, I have even heard of people holding this over their clients; "If you quit you will lose all your traffic/rankings."
It's really no different than people paying YP for a directory listing, they are billed for "Search Engine Marketing" monthly and when they stop, the link is removed.
I view SEO similar to web design/creative -- if you pay us, it is yours, you retain ownership and that is the way it should be.
-
Has anyone heard of "big" SEO companies removing links after termination of service?
Some companies own or have partnerships with large numbers of websites and place links out there for clients. They control these links and can modify or remove them easily - with programs or with low-cost workers.
The monthly fee for SEO services is often a payment for paid links. The links are actually "rented" by the month.
Do you think this is a legitimate concern?
Yes.
I think its physically possible to remove backlinks like this because it seems the SEO firm in question is building links by using other client's websites.
That is really sleezy to use the sites of other clients. My bet is that they have bought a large number of websites that owners have gotten tired of for a couple hundred dollars each. Its pretty easy to buy websites that owners have not touched in a long time. They might have also grabbed expiring domains.
I also wonder if they might have large content farm style sites where they place links for clients which might be quite easy to take down.
There you have it!
-
If there is something in the contract that will affect the client negatively or if the old firm is suspected of being likely to cause problems then it may be that the clients best interest is suited by employing a reputable SEO firm to work on link building to strengthen the link profile before cutting ties with the old firm.
There will obviosuly be additional cost by following this approach however this would need to be weighed up against the possible rankings fall / traffic fall that might occur if the contract doesn't protect the client from the sort of situation described.
-
It depends. What's written into the agreement?
If they've built links on other people's sites then it will probably be too much of a hassle to contact all of them and ask them to remove it, so it will either naturally run out (if it's paid and you're not given the contact details) or remain there for the rest of it's natural life.
Alternatively if they run the sites they've been building links on (and it is the easiest way to guarantee clients will get links on sites) then they may remove them to make way for new clients links. I've certainly seen this happen.
It's important to note that Google doesn't overly care how quickly you get links, but it will certainly notice if you lose a lot quickly! Aa it means you've either bought them and they've expired or something has happened to make people lose trust in your site, either way it's going to raise some flags and possibly have someone look a little bit closer into your link profile.
Double check what's been agreed, find out who owns the sites the links have been built on and speak with the agency before you do it. If they're reputable I doubt they'll try and screw you over.
-
One would think that they have paid for those links to be built and thus own them, but I guess it's all down to what it says in the contract at the end of the day. I won't even touch on the ethical aspect of the whole question.
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
-
Community Discussion: The hardest (& most surprisingly valuable) thing you've gone through for your SEO career?
In the comment discussion for Thursday's blog post, An Essential Training Task List for Junior SEOs, there's been mild debate around some of the items, such as having a Junior SEO build a website by hand. It's a fantastic comment discussion (the kind that makes a blog manager's heart sing), and it's got me thinking. We've all gone through the wringer when it comes to boosting our careers. Heck, I was a poetry major and found myself learning SQL last week. What hurdles have you jumped that have been painful and challenging, but have taken your career to the finish line? Maybe even gotten you the gold?* What would you recommend to newbies just starting out (or warn them about)? *Yeah, I got Olympic about it. I went there. 🙂
Industry News | | FeliciaCrawford6 -
What is the best link building software out?
currently i heard that rankerx is the best linkbuilding tool out now, is there anything better?
Industry News | | djgbshows0 -
Where to find good SEO job applicants?
We're located in South Dakota, and I'm having a hard time getting qualified job applicants for an advanced SEO position. The ad has been placed on local job sites as well as careerbuilder.com and indeed.com. What other places do you recommend?
Industry News | | CFSSEO0 -
What Keeps In-House SEOs Up @ Night
We are writing a research summary piece on in-house seo strategies. We're not trying to solve the worlds problems - we simply want to know what problems you face and how you try and solve them. We've broken our research into three key areas (training, value, and measurement). We would greatly appreciate your insights, thoughts, and recommendations. We will share our final paper (with sources) when completed. Here are the questions we're asking: How do you train and support your seo team? How do you show SEO value in the wake of Google algo changes including (keyword not provided)? How can SEO show value to other parts of the organization including market research, product managers, channel managers, etc? What should you be measuring and who should reports go to? James Loomstein Digital Space Consulting
Industry News | | Jloomstein0 -
How to Find A SEO Guru?
How to find a SEO Guru I am a looking for a SEO to take over our SEO needs for our website.I am not interested in learning SEO and would rather leave it to the pro's.We already have great traffic 800K+ monthly but we need to take it to the next level and beyond. I have searched through SEOMOZ and read articles everywhere and done all that, I think I am more confused now than when I started on how to find a great SEO. While their are plenty of great SEO guys out their a lot of them I don't feel comfortable putting our business in their hands.Their are some smaller SEO's and some shady SEO's that won't work for us.Then some just don't have the credentials or background for us to hand over our hard earned money and have the future of our businesses in their hands. We want someone who has worked on big projects and had great success and is a industry leader but is willing to work with me and be hands on just not send me reports and suggestions. I am Trying to find SEO guru who knows his stuff and knows it well.I know i will pay good money for this but would like to find some up and comers so I don't have to sell unborn children to afford their services. What would be a good way to a great seo maybe even a guru? Finding the right SEO has become a daunting task.
Industry News | | chrisyak0 -
SEO Serice Company for aspx website
Do you know a reputable SEO company that has good experience in optimizing aspx website ? We are looking for one if you know one.
Industry News | | ypl0 -
Question about local listings for traveling service
I have a band that performs all over my state and was wondering if i could add my business to google local listings in all the cities that my band performs in. How would i go about that being as there would be only one phone number and no local address? I'd love to get the traffic from the local listings that come up for certain search phrases. I wasn't sure if Google would look at that as spamming though. I do have contract musicians that play with us in each of those cities and could list their home address as the address just in case i have to have an address on the listing that is local. How do businesses that provide services in multiple cities by traveling to those cities usually list their businesses? any help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Industry News | | Ron100 -
Starting an SEO Business - Stuff you need - HELP
When you started your SEO Business what software do you use to give information to your clients? How did you decide what to charge for your services? What services do you offer? Best tools to use? Any other information you think might be relevant? Thanks ahead
Industry News | | paulbaguley0