Internet Marketing &
Business Promotion
Is it OK to buy links? Is
it safe to do it?
By Serge Thibodeau
The subject of buying one-way links is a controversial
subject at best. A lot has been said about it in the
past, especially now after Google’s Florida and Austin
updates. Depending to whom you talk to, you are likely
to get opinions that range from “don’t do it” to “it’s
now OK to do it”. So what’s the average site owner or
small business to do?
Look at it from a business perspective point of view.
If some search engines look at it from an advertiser’s
point of view, then maybe that’s how you should look
at it too. In the last two months, we have had (and
continue to have) an increasingly higher number of clients
and people that contact us to buy one-way links from
other sites.
So the question is: Should you do it? Is it ‘safe’
to do it in this conjecture?
Back to the basics of linking
Before I answer that question, let’s go back to basics.
Why do we need links in the first place? Can’t we just
have a site with no outside links that will still rank
high?
Here’s how Google ranks Web pages:
Google ranks websites on their value of merit. One
of Google’s algorithms that does just that is the Page
Rank™ algorithm, named after one of Google co-founders,
Larry Page. In its most basic form, Page Rank™ calculates
the number and quality of incoming links to any given
website.
As far as Google is concerned, a link from site A to
site B is viewed as a ‘vote’, which means that if 300
sites link to site B, that site must be more important
than if it only had 5 or 10 inbound links.
As a result, the more links you would have pointing
to a given website, usually the better that site would
be perceived in terms of quality of content. Since the
past 3 or 4 years, a great number of webmasters and
site owners have participated in what is called “reciprocal
link exchanges”, which, as the name implies, does just
that: “I will put a link from my site to your site,
if you do the same”.
In essence, there is nothing wrong with that. However,
since Google’s two major last updates, in November and
January, reciprocal links don’t seem to have the same
impact as they once had, at least not from a ranking
point of view.
Since then, it would appear that one-way links (from
A to B and not B to A also) are receiving better rankings.
Which reopens the debate on “are buying links ethical?”
Look at this analogy: if a website or portal carries
a number of advertisers with links on its homepage,
all pointing directly to those sites, isn’t this link
buying? It sure looks like it to me. Viewed in this
manner, then I think its safe to say that buying links
is now an acceptable practice in the Internet age.
So how do we go about doing it?
You should approach the subject of buying links the
same way you would approach any other business proposal
or transaction: with careful planning and attention
to the small details. You should sit down and plan carefully
the way you will do this. You probably have some sites
in mind you would like to contact in an effort to see
if they will ‘lease’ you some links.
I prefer the term leasing instead of buying since,
in these uncertain economic times, nothing lasts forever.
A few years ago, what would have happened if you purchased
a ‘lifetime link’ from a site like Enron? It’s pretty
clear today that this would have been a bad idea.
In the last few weeks, I have been approached by a
number of companies with websites that said they might
be interested in leasing some links. Some of them have
a PR (Page Rank™) value of between 4 to 6, with a few
of PR 7. I personally believe that this trend will most
likely increase.
How much should you be expected to pay?
This is obviously a tricky question. All I can say
is a PR with a value of 4 is worth less than a site
with a value of PR 5, and even less then a site with
a value of 6.
That said, the asking ‘monthly leasing’ quotes I received
from some of these companies range between a low of
about $ 15 a month to a high of about $ 70 (too high
I think) for a PR 4. In the PR 5 category, costs ranged
between $ 40 at the low end to about $ 110 at the highest.
In the PR 6 and 7 categories, they were ‘all over the
map’, with ranges between $ 150 to $ 250 for a PR 6,
all the way up to $ 450 for a PR 7.
Note that these figures are in US currency and that
prices can vary widely. I’ve even heard (but I don’t
believe it) that some sites with PR of 4 are almost
giving them away. Again, it is buyer beware. You should
obviously do your due diligence on any of this before
you decide to go with one company or another.
Is it better to stay in the same field?
I have been saying this for a long time and I will
repeat it: Links are not all equal. A link from a site
dealing in real estate pointing to another site in real
estate will be given higher ranking privileges, not
just by Google but also by some of the other search
engines.
If your business is involved in home renovations and
improvements, try leasing links from sites that will
help your users, such as home decorators, lumber yards
and building contractors. Some may not agree with me
on this, but staying in the same field you are in will
go a long way in substantially improving your rankings.
Conclusion
Leasing monthly links should be viewed as any other
business function. You do it to increase traffic at
your site and to help your users, not just to increase
your rankings with the search engines. Having targeted
traffic is not all. You also need a site that converts
well.
Converting well means that visitors become buyers and
eventually repeat customers that come back to your website
time and time again. If leasing links from high-ranking
sites in your industry does it for you, you have accomplished
one of your goals: to increase the size of your business,
at the same time making it become more successful, independently
of how search engines will rank your site.
Since we know that the number and the quality of inbound
links to a site helps it in its rankings, leasing links
thus accomplishes two main functions for businesses
that engage in it.
About the Author Article written by Serge
Thibodeau, (sthibodeau@rankforsales.com )
Rank for $ales
www.rankforsales.com
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