Is
it OK to buy links? Is it safe to do it?
Is it OK to buy links? Is it safe to do it?
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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