Is Buying Links a good idea???

[TopGearMedia]

Hello Everyone,

I want to know, what is the search engine's preference when it comes to links that have been bought. I observed that quite a few the good local directory listings (with good mozrank and moz trust etc) offer one to be listed for a yearly or lifetime price.

Does Google frown upon these type of links too?

regards,

Talha

[Bevelwise]

We'll start with the standard response from an SEO guy that references the Google Site Guidelines that basically says don't buy links.  If you find local niche directories that apply to your industry then technically there is nothing wrong with links from those websites.  They are a lot of times deemed as low quality, but still not a bad idea if you pick the right ones.  Yahoo Dir is paid and Google still sees that as a highly recognized link source.  As to whether that's worth $299/year is another debate.  The way that directories get around this is that you are actually paying for "inclusion" which means they have a human who reviews these links and includes quality websites.  Technically if you're not paying for the actual link then it's not against Google's Site Guidelines.

If the price isn't bad and it's a relevant local niche directory that applies to your website and industry I don't see anything wrong with employing that as a link building strategy.

Do not rely on just this as a link building strategy though.  Think of it as a component.

[john4math]

Google doesn't frown on them, but I would really question their value at this point.  You could probably put your money somewhere more useful.  I really like EGOLs answer to http://www.seomoz.org/q/how-would-you-use-500-to-improve-your-site-s-visibility.

If you do want to buy a link, a good one is the Better Business Bureau.  Here's a post about it.  You can get a followed high PR link that way.  There's also the SEOMoz directory list.

[AnthonyMangia]

The answer isn't quite black and white.  There are dozens of ways to "buy" links, and not all of them are necessarily frowned upon.

To address your specific question, paying money for directory submissions isn't necessarily a bad thing.  A couple of the bigger directories, like Yahoo! and Business.com, require a fee for listing, and though SEOs do disagree about the value of these links, they are generally not regarded as anything that can get you in trouble with Google.  It's best to focus on the most prominent, trafficked, and authoritative directories - you shouldn't shell out cash to just any old directory out there.

As far as other ways to buy links...that's where things get a bit dicey.  Many SEOs, and certainly most that you will encounter on an SEOmoz forum, subscribe to the theory that link buying is bad.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are a great many SEOs that actively buy links, including some of the biggest-name SEO firms that exist.  Those that have success with link buying generally do not work with a brokerage (like Text-Link-Brokers), but rather negotiate private deals with owners of authoritative, relevant websites in their industry.  When it comes to link buying, the best practitioners put a great deal of effort into procuring links that look natural, are embedded into content (rather than sitewide or footer links), and on pages/websites that have content related to the website they are promoting.

Regardless of what those in the industry do, Google very specifically states that link buying is NOT an acceptable practice in their eyes, and they go to great lengths to find ways to both manually and algorithmically punish websites engaging in this practice.

Aaron Wall wrote a great post talking about "white hat" ways to purchase links, and it demonstrates that with a bit of creativity, one can effectively exchange money for links without necessarily breaking Google's guidelines: http://www.seobook.com/archives/002422.shtml

Basically, the decision is up to you.  Certainly there are very effective ways to practice SEO without engaging in link buying, and indeed many of the websites leading the pack for competitive keywords haven't had to buy links to get there.  The most important thing is knowing all of the facts, and the potential consequences of each choice.

[MichaelWeisbaum]

Every response here is on the nose but I thought I'd throw a good example of a proper paid directory link.  In researching backlinks for a client competitor, I saw they had a link from the local chamber of commerce.  Tracing that link back, it came from their directory, which the competitor was featured in.  I then contacted the chamber to find out how to be included and it turns out it has a pricey yearly membership fee.  With that fee though, you're being included into a VERY reputable business directory along with a juice passing link.  I think those are the types of paid directories that are worth the money and seeking out.  It's a little outside the box, but look at what it does for your site and it's legitimacy.  I know this was a bit random, but I thought it was applicable.

[TahirLiaqat]

simple answer is no...

[APICDA]

I purchased some links once and feel that at this point, I would not likely do it again.  I was assured the links would be related to the topic and of quality.  Not the case.  However, I have learnt through visiting this forum, that content is VERY important.  And also things can take a lot of time and work before real results begin to show.  Hope that helps.  By the way ........ follow the link John Barth provided to EGOLS answer....... great one!

[Svetoslav]

As I see it, Google needs to take no action on paid links. Well, no action different than devaluating them. While the market for paid links grows, the overall value and quality of each purchased link is deemed to go down. At one point people will stop bying them at all.