One strategy to build links to your site is to purchase them. There are several things to consider before doing this. One of the most important considerations is how the search engines look at such links. The different search engines have varying opinions, to a degree, but let’s look at Google’s policy to decide is this is a viable link-building strategy.
Go to Google’s Webmaster Tools section and you will see that Google lists any paid links on a page entitled Link Schemes. The term scheme itself has a negative connotation, implying something underhanded or subversive. And the last thing you want when trying to build links to your website is to be considered a “schemer” by Google.
If you look at the Link Schemes page on Google, you will see what they think are inappropriate ways to construct a link building campaign in order to increase your PR, or page rank. Right there in black and white is “buying or selling links.” It seems they definitely frown on the practice of paying for links for your site.
So, does that mean that nobody does it? Far from it, indeed it is widespread…
If you want to be pedantic, you could even say that if you pay for an online ad, you’re effectively buying a link. However, there is a subtle difference. Buying advertising—whether text block ads, banner ads, or even in-text ads—is an open practice. Visitors see the link and know right away it’s an ad. They can click on it or not, depending on whether they’re interested in buying what you’re offering for sale. There’s nothing subversive about it.
What Google and the other search engines frown upon is paying for what looks to be a legitimate review or legitimate article, when in fact the writer was paid to write a glowing discourse about the product or company. You might well get some more links to your site by using paid reviews or articles, but what happens if you really annoy the folks at Google, will it be worth the money?
According to Google, and they’re the experts in the field, the best way to get legitimate links from other websites is to offer unique, quality content that is relevant to your subject and that will gain popularity within the Internet community encouraging others to link to it. And to take advantage of this quickly, seriously consider taking on someone looking to become virtual assistant, or even a team looking to become a virtual assistant business, to maximise your efforts in a very short span of time.
The higher the quality of content that you put out there, the more people are likely to find this content as valuable and produce a link back to it. This is supposed to be the primary way to build backlinks to your site. Don’t forget, virtual assistants can help you with all the details, at a great price.
Paying for links is a common practice, whether frowned upon or not, especially where blog posts are concerned. You will find a number of different websites or organizations that will offer blogging for pay, which is great for those writers, but if the individual is paid to write about your site, this is effectively a paid link. Should you pay for links for your site? This is up to you. But if you do, be forewarned that it could potentially get you banned from Google for taking part in a link scheme. Consider carefully, whether it’s worth it?
Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss Friday, a highly-qualified Executive Virtual Assistant Service which helps businesses and individuals accomplish every detail of their professional aspirations. Want to discover more about these insightful online business building success strategies? Contact VMF Today!