Link Pharming

[AAttias]

My company has been using an SEO company for a while and have built up our pagerank to a 6. However, we have noticed that they're involved in link pharming - they're buildng extra websites and linking to our site on them. We are not happy with this as we know it will only be a matter of time before Penguin hits us. The contract with the SEO company is coming up for renewal soon and we're thinking of cancelling it. However, we are not sure if the company will delete all our backlinks, which will probably decrease our PageRank too.

Has anyone here ever had a similar experience? What did the SEO company do when you cancelled the contract? Does anyone here work for an SEO company and what do you do when someone cancels your service?

[EGOL]

What happens when you cancel?

That depends where the links are coming from.

If they are placing your links on a private network those links will be gone before your SEO goes home from the office and your site will start slipping in the SERPs over the following weeks.

If they have gotten you valid mentions on blogs and other websites the links are more likely to stay.

If you go into a contract with a new SEO or renew with this person.  Find out exactly where the links are coming from and what the deal will be when you leave their service.

[AAttias]

From using webmaster tools, the highest proportion of our links comes from blogspot - rubbish blogs linking to us with relevant anchor text. From what I see there are only a few domains they created with links on them.

Am I correct then in assuming they will delete the links from the domains they set-up but there is nothing they can do about the liks on sites like blogspot?

[SEOAndy]

If they have access to the domains they will, if they are that kind of company, delete them. If they are on blogs where they have outreached to webmasters etc.. I think they will probably leave them be, as it would be a lot of work to get rid.

Another big problem, which some 'snake oil' SEO's use is to build links to a URL that redirects to your site. That means if you cancel, they just remove the redirect and you lose all your links.

By the sounds of it they have done outreach and i'd be leaning more to say you would probably be safe if you cancelled, but again I wouldn't be 100% certain without being able to have a look.

Have a chat with your SEO consultant and maybe just ask how they build their links.

[KevinBudzynski]

Does anyone here work for an SEO company and what do you do when someone cancels your service?

Typically, "honest" firms will leave all links as is (as that is what you paid for).

Many people underestimate the work needed in the formulation of the initial contract. Always put a clause in that sums up that all seo initiatives will remain published for a certain amount of time (ideally indefinitely) and if you need to "get rid of the work" the cost to do so (ideally free). Most seo firms will agree to do this automatically to get the job.

Good luck!

[EGOL]

If I would use the words "most" and "typically" in this context I would be meaning about  50.1%

That would leave about 49.9%  "without equity" to word it kindly or "screwed" to word it more accurately....

....but after all they were renting from the start.  They just didn't understand.

[KevinBudzynski]

Yeah--half of all seo firms are below average