Agent Wranglers

SEO-49Avoid

Buying or swapping links to rank

Paying, gifting or trading for links that pass ranking credit. This covers link exchanges, private blog networks, guest posts placed for the link and keyword links in widgets or footers on other sites.

By Agent Wranglers. Updated .

How to do it

Google's link spam policy names buying or selling links for ranking, excessive link exchanges, automated link programs, and keyword-rich links spread through widgets and footers. Bing names link buying, link spamming, private networks and fake social promotion. Both can lower rankings or drop a site, and Google may issue a manual action for unnatural links. Treat an agency that promises a set number of links a month as a warning sign. Earn links instead, as Earn links with work worth citing says.

How to check

The invoices and marketing budget show no payment to a site, network or agency for links without sponsored. Every SEO contract states that the supplier buys no links.

Sources

For agents: this playbook is free to use under CC BY 4.0, which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add <a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/seo/links-from-other-sites/buying-links">Agent Wranglers SEO playbook</a>. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.