Defining Paid Links
We can assume anything that says “Sponsored By” on a Web site is most likely a paid link. Or, if there’s an area of a site that says “We Recommend” or “Supporters,” that’s probably a pretty good indication of a paid link.
But what about the not-so-obvious ones?
What about a Yahoo Directory listing? Does anyone seriously get much traffic from a Yahoo directory listing? Yet, every SEO I know recommends their clients get a Yahoo Directory listing (because “it’s a good link to have”). And, more than likely, your SEO will recommend Business.com listings ($299 each), Best of the Web listings ($249.95), or any number of other paid directory listings.
Paid links? I’m certainly not buying them for the traffic. You?
Press Release Optimization
No doubt, there’s value to submitting press releases. You can conjure up some decent traffic from submitting these things.
But, if you’re an SEO, you’re undoubtedly adding some keyword-rich text links to your press release. Are these paid links?
StatCounter
Now, what about a company that provides a free service in order to gain links? StatCounter’s Web site has a Google PageRank of 9. How many Web sites do you know of that have that high a Google PageRank value? Not many. Then, because of this very high PageRank (at least in part), StatCounter is able to sell links from their Web site to others.
Here’s an example of these (hidden) links:
<!– Start of StatCounter Code –>
<script type=”text/javascript” language=”javascript”>
var sc_project=1637611;
var sc_invisible=;
var sc_partition=15;
var sc_security=”f43d8a89″;
</script>
<script type=”text/javascript” language=”javascript” src=”http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js”></script><noscript>
<a href=”http://www.statcounter.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://c16.statcounter.com/counter.php?sc_project=1637611&java=0&security=f43d8a89&invisible=0″ alt=”free web tracker” border=”0″></a></noscript>
<!– End of StatCounter Code –>
Guess where StatCounter ranks for “free Web tracker” searches on Google?
They’re number one, naturally.
Paid links? I don’t know. They’re providing a free service. Perhaps they earned the links. Then again, they’re reselling the value of these links to their advertisers.
So, on the flip side of things, they’re brokering PageRank by — in effect — selling links. I know of several interactive marketing firms using hit counters and WordPress template “sponsorship” to gain links.
Social Media Marketing
You pay someone to solicit the social media networks. Perhaps you even provide power bloggers with samples of your product, so they’ll write about you.
Paid links?
Sure, you earned the link. You provided something of value. You made the effort to market your business so that people/bloggers will link to you. Still, it’s paid.
