

Is paying for backlinks for SEO ethical? Do you do it? - jayd77

I set up a blog a while ago and wanted to grow it organically. It turns out google really put a lot  of weight on how many backlinks you have and from where they are coming.
So how do you handle this?
======
itengelhardt
First of all, I refuse the notion of "ethical": IMHO Google is NOT a moral
instance and does not get to decide which behavior is ethical and which is
not.

However, they get to decide which links they consider "valuable" and which
not. Which in turns affects your rankings in Google's SERPs. They claim that
they do punish websites that use paid links, but in reality it is safe to
assume that they do NOT catch every offender (probably far from it).

I personally do not pay for links, mainly because of the fear of getting
caught (and punished) by Google. ViperChill.com is a great resource for less
Google-certified SEO techniques.

Additionally, you might find this article interesting that goes into great
detail about the value of links in general and the market for paid links:
[http://blog.linksspy.com/paid-links-price-
study/](http://blog.linksspy.com/paid-links-price-study/)

Disclaimer: I am the author of that article and also the maker of
[https://www.linksspy.com](https://www.linksspy.com)

------
rfergie
Most of the SEO's I talk to would not advise paying for backlinks (directly,
with cash). But most of their advice is intended for larger companies who have
more invested in their website than just where it ranks in Google. So the
downside of getting this kind of business a penalty is quite large.

There are people who make a tonne of cash buying links to websites (not just
those who sell the links!) but these businesses set themselves up so that if a
domain is penalised it doesn't really make much difference to them.

For a blog, particularly one you want to grow organically, I would not buy
links as you build equity in the blog domain through other channels
(recognition on HN for example). Buying links represents a risk in this case
and for little reward.

Ethics doesn't come into it as long as you accept that spending money on
marketing is ethical.

------
neoterics
It is not a question of morality, it's a question of risk tolerance.

Most SEOs will advise you to err on the side of caution, but most SEOs work
with large businesses that already have a lot of link equity and brand dollars
thus making the point kind of moot.

People say create good content, but good luck creating the best content in the
world and thinking that Google will feel obliged to rank you.

The reality is that with any venture you have to take risks, specially in the
beginning, and if done smartly, buying links is a pretty balanced risk-reward
scenario to kick start your property.

Lastly, in most cases a few well placed links are all you need. Once you start
gaining traction you'll automatically get the motivation to create more/better
content and do other forms of link building which are safer but much more time
consuming.

------
saluki
Google is search . . . they make the rules . . . Google will penalize you for
paying for links . . . so I wouldn't risk it.

Good content rules the day so spend that money on more and better
articles/content . . . instead of paying for links.

Follow SEO best practices and keep a white hat on.

------
burmask
No way dude!

Do the pills that make you lose weight actually work - long term? Sorry
itengelhardt, I disagree. IMO, this is just another get-rich-quick scheme,
like the pills I mentioned. Allured by the thought of losing weight, or being
on the front page of Google is just that, an allure. It's the same mental trap
the mythical siren used to drive sailors into rocks. A few of the respondents
here cite content as killer, which I agree with, but there's also the element
of bad ass customer experience that must be present. Treat your customer
unlike the competition and try to author more content that the competition,
and you'll rise to the top of your context, but it will take time. Good luck.

------
chrisbennet
Not that anyone cares, but when you "juice" your search ranking to make your
web site appear more relevant (to the user doing the search) than it really
is, you are "breaking the internet".

I'm sorry if not enough people are driving by your restaurant but that does
not justify putting up a detour sign in order to trick people into taking the
road that passes by your business. If you want more business, make a better
product. Don't waste everyone's time detouring them in hopes they will stop on
their way by.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
How do you plan to let people know that you have a better product if you don't
link to it somehow?

~~~
chrisbennet
Buy advertisements - just like any ethical business would. At the end of the
day, if your business can't survive without "cheating", perhaps you should
pivot or go into another kind of business.

For example, if Verizon can't make money if they actually honored their
"unlimited data plans", they should stop offering unlimited data plans.

------
_RPM
This might sound cliche, but you have to have excellent content. If you are
writing pseudo-topic content, you won't get many repeat users.

------
jordsmi
The number of backlinks isn't as important nowadays as the power of each
individual backlink is. But anyway I see nothing wrong with paying for SEO,
especially in the beginning. Get a little boost then continue to grow
organically.

------
chintan39
I have done this before and I don't see any changes. Also there is always risk
of Google blacklisting those site.

------
general_failure
I don't see what the problem is. It's just like pushing ads?

------
redmattred
No, it is not ethical.

~~~
itengelhardt
Who gets to decide that? Google IMHO does NOT (even with their "don't be evil"
slogan). All Google gets to decide is whether they value certain links or hand
out a penalty for them. That does not define whether something is ethical or
not. It's ethical to pay for advertisements, so why shouldn't it be ethical to
pay for links?

------
Fraazz
Stop Paying for Terrible Links

~~~
jayd77
I never paid and never will. But there doesn't seem to be any agreement how
you should legally build backlinks. How people are doing it? some people reach
out to other sites and ask specifically for a backlink.

~~~
tobylane
The agreement I've seen is to not focus on it. People say write good content
and let it happen organically.

