I do a lot of experimenting these days. One of the things I wanted to try was whether paid backlinks do much for you.
The debate in places like the Warrior Forum have been furious about whether buying backlinks does or doesn't help – and whether it's a good thing in the first place. There are powerful arguments to be made from both sides, and plenty of cautionary tales about why one should not attempt to fool Mother Google.
Personally, I suspect it's one of those sumbunall situations. There are no absolute hard and fast rules, and like everything else online, to some degree "it depends." There are so many hidden factors to online marketing (particularly if you're doing it the "bum marketing" way), that a lot of it is a crapshoot (IMHO). As my very wise father used to say: "Nobody knows nuthin'." That seems to be particularly true online.
The sturm und drang regarding backlinking got so bad in the Warrior Forum that they tossed out any and all backlinking providers. The grogs over there feel that any kind of backlinking that is not "organic" is unethical, and with that ruling came the end of the line.
Buying Backlinks: Greyhat or Blackhat?
I'm not sure I agree with that assessment entirely. I see paid backlinking as more of a grey hat kinda thing. It's a way to kick-start a business that while a tad bit dodgy, is not the same thing as spamming, hacking or otherwise engaging in clearly damaging and illicit activity.
Sure, you're getting some links on site that you wouldn't otherwise have access to. But by the same token, if you had an infinite amount of time, you could very well go in and create all of those links yourself. So, it's not like you're getting away with murder here!
All you're doing is finding a more efficient (and cheaper) way of getting the result without doing it yourself. Isn't that what advertising is? Isn't that what marketing is all about? The folks at the Warrior Forum seem OK with all that. Frankly, I think there's a bit of "old school" bias here, too.
You're not eating bandwidth, because once Google scans the links (assuming it does), it's a done deal.
I think the real problem the old guard at the Warrior Forum has in particular with this is that it's not natural to begin with. You're creating backlinks, not somebody else, and you're not adding value.
It's one thing to have links coming back from a profile at a site where you're active and contributing. It's quite another where your presence there is entirely for the backlinks.
Of course, the same thing could be said of joining a networking group – or even Facebook. I guess, because it's a grey area, there is no hard and fast "right or wrong" about it, when you consider how much of what people do online is purely for their own self-interest.
The Web Is About Links – Duh!
Let's be frank: the web is about links. Lots and lots and lots of links. If you don't have 'em, you're not going anywhere. Organic links are great. Sure, they're the best. But particularly when you're first starting out, how do you get enough of them to have any hope at all of doing anything? It's the old chicken and egg thing all over again.
I will say this: I think many of the old guard over at the Warrior Forum have been fat and happy for so long, they have forgotten what it's like to be starting from dead zero with no traffic, no visitors and no cash flow. It's easy to look down your nose when you've got a lot of free traffic and ongoing business momentum that's (more than) paying your bills.
I'll be writing more about paid backlink services and what I find. But I will say this: stay away from forum backlinking providers and services!
It sounds good in theory. But here's what's happening in reality. The admins of quality forums (which are, naturally, the ones with high Page Rank that you want to have links from) are becoming hell on links. If you're not an active participant in the forum, your link won't last. They will remove the link and even banish you entirely. Not that you'll ever know (or even really care), because the only reason you were there was for the links!
Any link juice you get will only be temporary. It's sucks, and Google will see that, too. Besides, there's nothing more disappointing than watching your links vanish over time -- particularly when you've paid good money for them!
Don't leave without leavin' your mark! How 'bout scribblin' somethin'?