While searching for outreach targets I came across a site that charges $100 to post your infographic with a review. I think this is similar to someone that says "Sure, I'll publish your guest post. First, please send me $100."

I'm curious what others think about the practice of paying for guest posts? (It seems like it could easily be lumped in with paid links from Google's point of view).

Hi Moz community!

I was wondering if anyone has ever seen a site penalized or dampened because of too many exact match anchor links or know of any examples.

I don't want to be overly concerned about it if it is a low risk.

Thanks!

I would personally always avoid the hyphens in your domain if you can. I agree that the usability is a big negative factor. When you tell someone a domain at a networking event you will have to give them extra instructions and hope they remember it. If someone sees your domain offline, like in a newspaper or billboard, they may have difficulty remembering the hyphens. Also, when people are linking to you they may forget to add the hypens or put them in the wrong place and so you could potentially lose links that you have earned. Since people are so used to typing domains with no hyphens, it will make SEO and marketing more difficult in the long run.

Yes, there is some benefit since shorter URLs tend to rank better. It also future-proofs your URL if you change to a different website platform in the future that is not HTML. The file extensions are unnecessary for search engines. If you decide to change it, make sure to 301 redirect the old URLs to the new URLs so that you retain credit for the inbound links pointing to the old URLs. (Source: the book Search Engine Optimization Secrets).

Article spinning pollutes the Internet with poor quality content. Google's mission is to organize the world's information. Why would Google reward sites that make their job more difficult? I would focus instead on a tactic like guest posting by creating content that people willingly publish and adds value to readers.

What about when the old URL no longer exists at all (page no longer saved on server) - how can you do a 301?

I would say that it is generally better to hire a separate person for SEO and SEM. There are so many different tasks that an SEO can be doing to move the organization forward on the SEO front that I think it is often a mistake for SEOs to be given additional tasks like PPC, or managing the company's social media, that will take their focus off doing SEO really well. Also, SEO is changing so fast that it can be a lot to ask to have your SEO stay current on the latest in SEO and also stay up to date on the PPC world as well.

What are some things to consider or things to evaluate when deciding whether you should focus resources on creating new pages (to cover more related topics) versus improving existing pages (adding more useful information, etc.)?

One way it could hurt your SEO is if people who link to your site mistakenly link to .com instead of .net which could reduce your inbound links.

Usually the first offer is less than they are willing to pay. I would consider replying with something like:

I was actually thinking in the range of 40-42K because I am able to increase the company's bottom line by attracting customers through free targeted traffic to the site. Is this within your budget?

There are certainly places that will pay a higher salary as well for an SEO specialist, but there may also be a trade off with greater pressure, longer hours, and more responsibilities.

Another idea, if your company is okay with it, is to start your own SEO agency in the evenings to earn extra income and see how you like working with clients.

Article spinning pollutes the Internet with poor quality content. Google's mission is to organize the world's information. Why would Google reward sites that make their job more difficult? I would focus instead on a tactic like guest posting by creating content that people willingly publish and adds value to readers.

One way it could hurt your SEO is if people who link to your site mistakenly link to .com instead of .net which could reduce your inbound links.

Yes, there is some benefit since shorter URLs tend to rank better. It also future-proofs your URL if you change to a different website platform in the future that is not HTML. The file extensions are unnecessary for search engines. If you decide to change it, make sure to 301 redirect the old URLs to the new URLs so that you retain credit for the inbound links pointing to the old URLs. (Source: the book Search Engine Optimization Secrets).

I would personally always avoid the hyphens in your domain if you can. I agree that the usability is a big negative factor. When you tell someone a domain at a networking event you will have to give them extra instructions and hope they remember it. If someone sees your domain offline, like in a newspaper or billboard, they may have difficulty remembering the hyphens. Also, when people are linking to you they may forget to add the hypens or put them in the wrong place and so you could potentially lose links that you have earned. Since people are so used to typing domains with no hyphens, it will make SEO and marketing more difficult in the long run.