Backlinks from SEOMOZ

[Resultify]

Hi all

It seems Google has stepped up the "hunt" for overly SEOed websites.

What about having backlinks from SEOMOZ, would that signal to Google that you are involved in SEO and therefor it might hurt your site?

Anyone?

Thanks in advance

Fredrik Ardmar

[RebekahMay]

I think you are mistaking "SEO" websites with "overly optimized" websites.  Just because you have a link from an SEO based website - like SEOMoz, doesn't mean you are overly optimizing your site.  SEOMoz is a high authority site and the link would be beneficial - of course relevance between the linking site and your site plays a part.

So to clarify - they are going to check your backlink profile to look for signals such as a large amount of competitive keyword anchor text from a variety of sites, a lot of backlinks from sites in  spaces that have nothing to do with yours, paid links, etc.

[Klarke]

I'd avoid trying to score links on profiles (including on seomoz) just for the sake of it.

What I would absolutely take is if Rand or any of the writers were to mention any of my sites in passing while discussing a related topic or making a recommendation on something that isn't necessarily SEO.

They do that all the time, and it's the type of links Google loves.

They also often praise sites which are doing content marketing well, like OKCupid for example or those which have a great design or other features.