Lies

Here’s a pretty typical advert you’ll see online when searching for SEO, “I can create 33 SEO backlink Panda Penguin safe from PR10 (Amazon, CNN, HP, ask,aol) for £18”.

LIES.

I know I bang on about the trouble with buying backlinks. Regular readers will be familiar with my disdain for people selling the impossible—since Google’s Panda algorithm tries very hard to find people buying links, saying any scheme like this is “Panda safe” or even worse, “Panda friendly” is just a plain old lie.

So, at the risk of repeating myself, I’m going to say some things I’ve said before, albeit in a more concise and succinct form.

It is true that Google does like to see links to your site. But they are excellent at discerning real links (where someone liked your site or service enough to link to it) from purchased ones.

I generally stand against buying backlinks, because of my “SEO ethos”. My ethos is simple by the way—Google have given us a swag of information regarding what search engines do and do not want—so I say we give them what they’re after. And avoid what they’re not.

Plus, I have about three jobs a week come in from people who bought back links and got caught—and dropped off Google completely. When they penalise you, they really hit you hard.

Technically speaking, really awesome backlinks would certainly help your SEO. But 99% of the time buying them is not awesome, and therefore I recommend avoiding it.

I, like Google, see SEO as a long game, if done properly. But also, if done properly, it “sticks”. A site with good SEO that’s risen to the top should stay at the top.

And with that, I shall get down from my well-trodden soap-box. That’s the end of my manifesto for the evening.