Building Backlinks - More Confusing than Ever

Apparently, backlinks are bad. Except when they are good. And nobody seems to know just what that means anymore, including Google. The rules for backlinks are so convoluted now, that not even Google knows just what is, and is not, an acceptable link.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I have never been in favor of manipulative tactics, and never will. But I am in favor of smart strategies where people can learn to do things in a way that helps their business grow on a budget – and I’m in favor of rules that do not reward people on the basis of money, instead of on the basis of merit.

So recently, with some of the things Google is saying, one has to wonder just what their goal is. And just what sort of intellectual schizophrenia is causing them to talk themselves in circles trying to explain and justify their policies! It is clear that they really have no idea of what “good” linking really is, or how to define it as opposed to “bad” linking.

Too many links is bad. How many is too many? Maybe more than 100 a month. Maybe more than that, maybe less.

Paid links are bad. Only what is a paid link? Paid directories, paid links on private sites, any link you gave something of value for, including template links, and any other kind of viral links, presumably, because, after all, where is the difference between a template link and an article byline link? Someone liked your work – they picked it up, and helped you promote your site in return. Fair, and certainly a recommendation since they’d not republish bad work. Only Google doesn’t think so.

Irrelevant links are bad. But what is irrelevant? Who is to judge that? Computers are notoriously bad at language use, and even worse when it comes to human nature. Is a homeschool link on a work at home site irrelevant? The topics do not match! But ask any homeschooling work at home mom and she’ll tell you they are very relevant!

Cross linking is bad – though I cannot see why it should be. It is natural that anyone who owns more than one site would want to leverage the marketing of one to benefit the other. To NOT do so is bad business. So Google is punishing people for being wise business owners? Sure, it can be abused – when you have 50 trashy sites with no content interlinked, that’s bad cross linking. But when you have 20 sites, each filled with high quality, custom written content, with topics that overlap, where is the abuse?

Reciprocal links are devalued. If the sites are high quality, and the links coming off them are similarly high quality, they should not be. Links are supposed to be a recommendation – a trade is a fair recommendation for a quality site. Good sites don’t link to bad ones. That means the link passed inspection and was worth recommending. And that is bad, why?

Good quality links still count. Though I don’t know what that could be… After you eliminate viral linking, link trades, directory links, cross links, anything Google’s computers think is not an exact match, and put a cap on how many you can build each month, then throw in all of the fussy and picky rules about how pages can be optimized now, and what it means is this:

A new site has no tools with which to promote itself other than paying a high price for traffic. Little sites cannot begin to catch up with the competition unless they have a high budget – which means, effectively, that they cannot hope to compete, because most have limited funds.

Google gave the impression that they were about accurate indexing of the web. That what they cared most about in a site was whether it added to the substance of the web. We now know, they only said that as long as saying it added to the substance of their bank accounts. In a shakier economy, when the easy ad dollars are gone, Google has changed from the “Equalizer” to the “Terminator”.

The web was the one place where someone could get ahead by sheer hard work and by a good idea and good ethics. If you did it right, and worked it smart, you could compete against anyone because your idea was good and your execution of it was intelligent.

No more. Google has decided that the dollar should rule. If you have a good idea, and a low budget, linkbuilding is now such a minefield of inconsistencies that you’ll need a pro to optimize your site just to have a fighting chance and getting found.