Spammy links are posting or embedding links that you want to promote without regard to the context of the post, the quality of the link or page, or established link-building practices. This is an attempt to increase the number of external backlinks to a particular page in hopes of improving the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) position of the page.
Spammy links are mostly used by companies for their profitable websites or cornerstone content. Since the number of external backlinks can improve the ranking of web pages, this is a common practice of website owners. However, Link spamming does not affect other search engine ranking factors for websites. They do not provide any additional value in terms of improving the quality metrics of the linked page. Search engine algorithms do not assess the quality of a page with link spam, and neither do readers. For this reason, website owners should link spam very carefully to ensure that it does not send a negative signal to search engine algorithms about your website.
Types of link spam to avoid
Below are the types of link spam you should avoid:
1. Domain cleanup
Although not technically a form of link building, 301 “cleansing” domains are a dynamic of link manipulation that every SEO should understand. If you play the black hat game, you know that the risk of getting burned is very high. Building links to a domain that redirects to the main domain is a traditionally safe way to recover quickly from Google actions like Penguin. While everyone else is scrambling to remove the many exact match anchor texts, spammers simply cut off the problematic redirected domains like anchors and swim off into the night with the treasure they have collected.
Link building through redirects should be easy to spot because new links to a domain that is being redirected are not a natural behavior. For anyone observing this, it’s like shooting off a flare that says “I am probably manipulating links”. The fact that the search engines are not looking closely at the moment is no guarantee of future success. So I would avoid this and similar behavior if future success is a goal.
2. Article marketing & Spammy links
Low-quality content is in itself an indication to search engines that a website should not rank well. Do not write articles for the sole purpose of getting a link. If all the links you follow on your website are self-created and not from external and authoritative sources, it could prove to be harmful to your ranking and also affect the user experience. It is recommended not to invest in creating trivial or low-quality articles just to generate links.
3. Single post blogs
Single-post blogs are also referred to as Web 2.0 blogs. These are usually small blog sites on sub-domains of platforms like WordPress or Tumblr that do not do well anyway. They are usually content-free hubs whose sole purpose is to generate “link juice” for websites through social bookmarking.
4. (Paid) site-wide links
Juice, as most footer links pointing to external sites, are either Google Bombs or paid links. Where else would you place a link that you do not want your users to click on?
Almost every free WordPress theme we have seen links back to the creator’s site with choice anchor text, and many WordPress themes are now desperately pushing for updates to change or remove the link. Penguin did not care if you messed with a plugin link, designed a site, or hacked a template; the overuse of anchor text hit everyone. This shows that widespread practices in the industry are not inherently safe.
5. Paid links in the content
It’s easier than you think to leave a footprint when you do this in bulk. You have to trust that your sellers are not making it obvious and that the other buyers are keeping unwanted attention away from their websites. If a buyer you have no relationship with recklessly buys links, control can seep through the sites they buy from and eventually back to you.
Conclusion
Link spam, if done carefully, can bring mild results for your website; it is not worth the effort. Black-hat SEO techniques can only take your website so far before it is displayed by search engines. It is always a good idea to do white-hat SEO and make sure there is no similarity to black-hat techniques. The risks of link spamming far outweigh the benefits. Consider the time and resources required for link spamming. And it will eventually become a big waste of time for the site. Consider the opportunity cost – What else could you do or invest in that is safe and brings better results for your website? Invest your precious time to get the best SEO services from The DigiCat digital marketing agency.
