Description: Search engines, especially Google, say don’t do ‘em. But some search marketers say paid links work. Are paid links subverting search quality? Or are they simply a fact of life, here to stay?
Moderator:
- Chris Boggs, Manager, Search Engine Optimization, eMergent Marketing/BRULANT, Inc.
Speakers:
- William Leake, Founder and CEO, Apogee Search
- Eric Ward, CEO, EricWard.com
- Brian Boland, Director-adCenter, Microsoft Corporation
Chris Boggs begins the session with an overview of why we need a session like this discussing how the practice of link buying has become a bit shady. He describes it as “link building on steroids.”
Apparently, there has been quite an active debate regarding this topic on blogs across the Web this past weekend.
Bill starts this off with discussing the fact that paid links do work and Google is certainly having a difficult way to handle this approach. Once a new format of linking comes up, most likely Google will find a new thing to discount in terms of visibility and rankings. William describes a proper linking building campaign as a stew; a “little bit of this, a little bit of that” with a proper mixture of ingredients that are kept in a healthy balance.
New link bait that is original is difficult because competitors jump on the bandwagon as soon as something new starts. He compares paid links to celebrity endorsements. He identifies the biggest problem with paid links is advertising without disclosure is deceptive. And buying links without notifying clients of the potential risks is deceptive.
Google does not determine ethics for the industry/ internet. (I hear ya, I’m with ya.) We still need to play with Google, let’s talk high risk and low risk, not the idea of them being evil.
Are paid links here to stay? Yep. You have to pay to be a member of the trade association and quite often you get a link to your site from their site, but Google is going to going penalize them anytime soon.
Next up is Sage Lewis of Sage Rock (no Eric Ward… sniff sniff). But first, Chris directs a question to the panel regarding how Google is targeting link buyers. Sage brings up that natural linking is the way to go. Brian talks about how there a lot of technical issues that need to be resolved and this is definitely on the list. Nice way to hedge the question, MSN.
Now, for real, Sage is up. Sage is a link love expert & SES columnist. Link building campaigns need to start with content (the horse in the “cart before the horse” metaphor). The cart is the links in this one. So far, I’m with him. Wow, he’s animated.
Basically, now he’s saying that content needs to be the focus of link building. He point out the Win/Win mentality (aka habit #4 of Stephen Covey’s habits of highly effective people/ Web site).
Some tips:
- Integrate the community into your corporate events.
- Promote the good work you are doing in your community.
- Help your audience succeed.
You can’t just build it and they will come. Sorry, Kevin Costner. You have to ask for the link too.
Chris’s next question: what are the options for content when it comes to offsite components? The guys suggest press releases, facebook, social media, and the cream of the crop: Your content on someone else’s site with a link pointing back to you. Other suggestions:
- Trade associations
- Links from charities that received donations from you
- Reclamation efforts: mine your current links and ask Webmasters to change the link to an optimized version. Key: make requests personal to them and what can be received in return? If not money, what else? Think of content, reciprocals, etc.
Now for Brian Boland from MSN (now comes the other side of the story). Brian starts discussing reciprocal links and how easy those are to found. Their number one goal is to protect the high quality of users’ experiences.
Brian is fascinated by the fact that paid links have become an “ethical” topic and discourages the idea of black vs. white when it comes to this issue. Every user who goes to a search engine will switch engines if they have a bad experience. There are no switching costs for dumping one engine for another as your default search. Bottom line so far is: we focus on quality.
What is your sole purpose, he asks. Is it to trick users or search engines? Not a good thing. Imagine MSN wagging a finger at you and shaking their head in disappointment. Valid point. Now he’s promoting his http://webmaster.live.com tools that they have recently launched (holla to all you beta testers out there).
MSN is going to continue to integrate technology and figure this stuff out algorithmically. He says “Google does not own the internet.” Amen! He says we do (got that right) and he said it is ours to fill with junk or quality items. Intriguing.
Chris discusses text link ads and how they are still above the radar. Paid links are still carrying weight in search engine results. Bill touches on the fact that you need to identify how mission critical your SEO is as well as the distribution of paid links make up your incoming links on a percentage base. Don’t waste your money by putting a bullseye on your back. He also has a great point: If Google penalizes the method of buying links, then sites will go out and buy links for their competitors to get them penalized or even banned. Selah.
