Buying Links: Qualifiers other than PageRank

Discussion in 'Link Development' started by mtb167, Jan 22, 2007.

  1. #1
    Since PageRank (by this i of course mean the little green bar, not the stuff that is constantly being updated and is largely immeasurable) is stale and pretty meaningless, what other critera should be used to judge a backlink that you're going to spend money on or exchange a link with?

    Here's what I'm saying:

    • Ranking: Does it rank in the top 30(up for debate) for the keyphrase in its title tag?
    • Caching Frequency: When was the last time it was cached?
    • IP Reverse lookup: How many other site are on its IP (the more, the greater the chance is that one of them is gambling, porn or flagged)?
    • Page Backlinks: How many page backlinks does it have?
    • Domain Backlinks: How many domain backlinks does it have?
    • Quality Backlinks: How many of its backlinks have PageRank? (I realize how hypocritcal this point is, but the alternative would be to run down this list for every link...Just so I don't sound like a total ass, I wouldn't use this measure as a deal breaking criteria)
    • Is the domain in DMOZ: This one is definetly up for debate.

    * All of these facts can be found out very quickly using SEO Quake and SEO SpyGlass.
    ** By using these methods, one can obtain great links for less, as link brokers are far more inclined to sell links with PR0 for less.
     
    mtb167, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  2. Comfis

    Comfis Well-Known Member

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    #2
    you forgot the traffic
     
    Comfis, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  3. jfontestad

    jfontestad Well-Known Member

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    #3
    Targetted Traffic.- If the website you're buying links from has any relation to your website theme.
    Link Placement.- Is the link your purchasing placed in a highly visible area where it may receive clicks?
     
    jfontestad, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  4. mtb167

    mtb167 Peon

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    #4
    I also forgot the number of outgoing links on the page
     
    mtb167, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  5. giovanni

    giovanni Peon

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    #5
    but toolbar pr counts alot...
     
    giovanni, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  6. mtb167

    mtb167 Peon

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    #6
    Not really. Toolbar PR is only updated every 3-6 months. Toolbar PR is more of a snapshot of a site's trust from google 6 months ago, not what it thinks of a site now.

    I mean, you can buy based on PR and thats ok, but you can save a LOT of money buying PR0.

    its like an IPO. Good investors know what to look for when determining how a stock will do. If all of the variable line-up, they invest at the lowest point. When the stock goes public they make a boatload of cash.

    The same goes for buying links. I put this list together so that people could buy great links before they get sprinkled with the magical green fairy dust that inflates their price so much.
     
    mtb167, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  7. manageyourlinks

    manageyourlinks Peon

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    #7
    Look up the website in google. See if it has "similar pages" listed. If it does then its probably a authority hub of sorts and warrants the $$ spent on the link.

    This is also a good indicator to determine googles thoughts on the overall theme of the site by judging the "similar sites"
     
    manageyourlinks, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  8. manageyourlinks

    manageyourlinks Peon

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    #8
    this is an indirect factor. people relish in it TOO much. The OP has a pretty good grasp on what you should look for. Those are the factors that help you rank via the link, not the TBPR.

    (to clarify to all the newbies there is a difference in TBPR, what you see on your toolbar, and PR that google uses in its algo, which no one can access)
     
    manageyourlinks, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  9. tfbpa

    tfbpa The....Alive

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    #9
    Interesting...

    Most of my sites used to show results for the related sites function, but now most of them do not anymore...

    When did this happen?
     
    tfbpa, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  10. manageyourlinks

    manageyourlinks Peon

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    #10
    this isnt fact by any means. just a thought I kind of had. perhaps this is kind of like the link operator. where they only show you a handful of results and the results are not that good anyways.

    I just started to notice sites with lots of backlinks, aged (ie 1-2 + years old), "authoritative" sites, had results when you checked "similar pages" VS. new sites with little to no optimization didnt have any "similar sites" listed.

    Perhaps a partial insight that google gives us on wether a site is "respected"

    Does this site still acquire links on a regular basis. Or is the site stale with minimal new content.
     
    manageyourlinks, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  11. mtb167

    mtb167 Peon

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    #11
    Great call here, if it is in conjunction with the other criteria. I say this because I have personally built some craptastic sites that have "similar pages". However, it definetly means that the pages have a theme, and that's a good thing.
     
    mtb167, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  12. jfontestad

    jfontestad Well-Known Member

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    #12
    I wouldn't say that the number of outgoing links matters as long as your not buying soley for PR purposes. If you are then yes that comes into play, but as long as you are purchasing the links for traffic / keyword weight, then I believe you should focus more on the placement of the link than anything else. As just as with AdSense, the better the position of the link the more probable you will get clicks on it.
     
    jfontestad, Jan 22, 2007 IP
  13. toby

    toby Notable Member

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    #13
    another point is how long your link will be staying at that sites. Usually, i will look at 6 months and above period. The cost as well.
     
    toby, Jan 22, 2007 IP