Dodgy link profiles?!?!

[nicc1976]

Just started working on a new pharma based client in the UK. I have been carrying out some link profiling on page one results for several key terms and have discovered that almost all of the sites ranking in top positions appear to have all kinds of rubbish links (links in irrelevant content / articles, links in forum signatures, single page blogs and sites that appear to have little association with their products). These links seem to be about the only links some of them have yet they rank top!

It seems a very difficult prospect to build a decent white hat link profile if everyone else is STILL capitalizing on the sort of rubbish links that Google is supposed to be getting tough on. Are online pharmacies the world that Google forgot or is this a really common issue?

[SEOKeith]

IME crap links still rank if everyone else in that niche has a tone of bad links as well (remember google need relevant search results for its users), but chances are little or no value will be flowing from thiose links. This is just my opinion... I have no evidence to back it up. Build some good links and see what happens....

[Thos003]

You did say you were working on a "Pharma" site right? What other types of viagra sites exist besides spam sites?...

Kidding aside, sites may rank in spite of their poor link profiles. Links are not everything. They are a lot, but not everything. If the sites are old enough and perform well enough, their history may outweigh the updates. If you don't want to follow the crowd then better for you. Your very own diversified link portfolio is better than trying to match another site's. Go for links a spam site can't get. Get quality Edu links. Put out quality content. Go for long tail search and rankings. Watch your site slowly pick up speed. It's a slow road, but has sure footing.

Or follow the crowd and go for that automated link building. Just remember, if you want a quick road to the top then you can expect a rapid decent as well.

Disclaimer, either approach could fail, either could win. Know your risks.

[StreamlineMetrics]

Ah, I would say the pharmacy industry is probably one of the most competitive verticals in SEO, specifically due to the blackhat tactics you mentioned. The short answer is that obviously these kinds of dodgy link schemes are still quite effective but you are right that Google is definitely getting tougher on these kinds of links. My bet is that the sites that are currently ranking in the top spots for your desired keywords will be slapped with penalties and removed eventually but that a new group of sites with spammy links will soon pop right back up in those spots.

That being said, I don't think it's a lost cause to get your client ranking well using legitimate white hat links, although it's likely to be more of a gradual long term process. I certainly know how frustrating it can be to have to battle against these shady sites since I have clients in similar situations (mortgages and insurance), but over time, we have made steady improvements in the rankings by creating good content as well as utilizing press releases and social media which in turn, results in high quality backlinks from authoritative sites. While it does take time, it's at least comforting to know that it is highly unlikely that your client's site will be slapped with penalties and should gradually rise to the top as Google continues to work on weeding out the spam sites.

Also, try to focus on long tail keywords that the spammers are not targeting and make it a goal to increase overall organic traffic rather than simply ranking #1 for something like "viagra."

[nicc1976]

Thanks for the insight guys. I think I am resigned to the fact that doing this white hat is going to be a bit of a slow burner. It will be an interesting one to see grow though as the site is more or less a blank canvass in terms of link profile. Trying to figure out a good strategy to beat the spam sites  (and occasional authentic site) will be a good challenge.