Many articles about links are written daily. Some are excellent, offering great tips to help you succeed, while others provide bad advice. The most frustrating aspect of link-building advice is the false sense of guarantees it offers.
Discussions often revolve around how to make websites Penguin-proof or avoid manual penalties. As a cautious link builder who’s witnessed many online injustices, I don’t believe in guarantees, and here’s why:
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No Link is Risk-Free: Various types of links have been acceptable initially but later deemed as link schemes or violations by Google. For instance, a nofollowed link should theoretically be risk-free, but who can guarantee that? And who has a profile consisting solely of nofollowed links? It would appear odd. What if Google changes its approach to nofollow or introduces something new?
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Editorial Links are Hard to Identify: Neither humans nor search engines can always determine if a link is editorial. It’s very annoying when people claim you can accurately assess how a link was acquired. Unless it’s blatantly obvious or poorly done, you cannot be sure.
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Webmasters Also Seek Payment: It’s not just link builders injecting money into the equation; webmasters are guilty too. Many webmasters have liked the content and the brand, yet they request payment to publish a link.
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Any Site Can Face Link Issues: Both big brands and small sites have encountered link-related troubles. Whether or not a site has links can significantly impact its performance, yet links also open the door to potential problems.
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Success with Few or Bad Links: Some have managed to thrive for a long time with minimal or poor links. However, efforts to clean up these links often result in declining positions in the search rankings.
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Outstanding Link Profiles Can Still Be Outranked: Sometimes, a competitor with a stronger or more strategic approach can surpass a site with a stellar link profile.
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Unjust Penalties Can Occur: You might believe a link is compliant with guidelines, but unless you witnessed its creation, how can you be certain? Unfair penalties, both manual and algorithmic, can happen.
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Following the Rules Without Success: Adhering strictly to guidelines doesn’t automatically ensure success. Despite having perfect SEO, great usability, and an excellent product, top search rankings aren’t guaranteed.
- Rule Breakers Sometimes Avoid Detection: It’s frustrating, but some who break the rules remain undetected. This inconsistency resembles getting a speeding ticket for a minor infraction while others consistently get away with more significant offenses.
Unfortunately, these realities highlight that marketing and life often aren’t fair or logical.
