The recent rash of Google updates have begun to validate an assumption I’ve held for quite a while. Search Engines and Google in particular are going to go after website publishers who exist primarily to sell ad space, before they target websites who look to acquire links in order to increase rankings. In other words, Google is going after the fuel line and not the vehicle.
This has always been my assumption, based on the volume of legitimate websites that engage in link building practices that may be in conflict with Google’s guide lines. Many high quality websites with good SEO fundamentals, high quality content (frequently updated), and strong organic link structures participate in some form of text link ad exchange. Whenever possible high quality websites will spend money on other high quality websites in order to gain an advantage in the Search Engine Results (SERPs). Every once in a while you will see Google penalize a JC Penny, or Overstock.com for link building practices that become so egregious or public that they have to take a stand, but for the most part as long as the link building is relevant it goes on without a lot of issues.
That leaves the Search Engines left with an opportunity to go after website publishers that are in the business of creating content, links and PageRank for the purposes of selling links to other sites. The algorithm can detect these sites faster than ever and as a consequence you are seeing a lot of fluctuation in the Search Engine Results. Start clearing out the “low hanging fruit” and any website using links from these sites may also suffer.
This is the direction the Search Engines are heading, it won’t happen overnight, but it will continue over the long term. How can a high quality website continue to provide high value to users and still increase high quality links? Use a good Professional Link Building company. A good SEO Consulting Firm and Professional Link Building company will do the same thing your team would do in order to find and acquire the best links for your website. Spend time researching the web for the highest quality, relevant websites to your website, and work to make a connection with them. A team that can put together high quality research and link acquisition can be your most competitive advantage when it comes to SearchRankings.
The prospect of using a Professional Link Building company is more expensive than just going out and acquiring links, but the results and the PageRank are worth it. If you are already a dominant player in your space, then you should rank like one.
