Does anything bad happen if you link to Gambling/Adult related sites?

I have a lot of sites on different subjects ranging from video games to computers (but no gambling/adult websites). When looking at threads about people selling links i noticed people do not like to buy links on websites with links to gambling/adult websites.

Does this lower your ranking? Is there a problem if you do this? Why do people not want to buy links on websites that do this?

The reason i am asking is i am selling links on one of my sites. I would never sell any links to adult (sex, etc) websites but i don't see the problem in selling links to gambling websites?

Please enlighten me.

Thanks.

 

Its not that it will lower your page rank, infact, no link can ever lower your PR. Its just some hosts have certain rules against gambling and adult content. Its also a bit unethical linking to gambling and porn websites knowing that you probably have kids browsing your website.

The only thing you need to worry about is linking to link farms and other websites that try to manipulate SERPs "illegally".

 

I don't like buying links from places that sell links to gambling or adult sites because links on these types of sites will probably be discounted since they may be linking to bad neighbourhoods and it's better to get links from theme-related sites and not sites that will link to anyone. You also don't want your site to be associated with gambling or adult sites by getting links from places that link to gambling/adult.

 

It's not bad. It does not affect your page rank. Some advertising programs (for example Adsense) consider any sort of connection with Gambling / Adult sites as a violation of their policy.

 

Isn't Ash talking about ranking and not PageRank? It may affect your ranking if you do it enough and get associated with a "bad neighbourhood" but it wouldn't lower your PageRank which is secondary to ranking anyways.

 

These are bad neighbourhoods.

 

yes, you can get a std

 

I heard your site will actually start to grow horns and a tail if you link to any of those sites, be careful.

 

Which one should you look out for?

 

I feel the same. Non-adult site shouldn't be linking to an adult content site. It really can be considered as bad as linking to a link farm. Of course, it's just a possibility and how fast G could catch it. Not all link farms or BH sites are penalized or banned in a timely manner.

 

what is the difference between ranking and page-ranks?
are you referring to ranking for search terms?

 

Nope - DOMZ and Google link to all sorts of sites. Just becase a site is adult in nature does not make it a bad neighbourhood.

Of course, you should always aim to make links relevant and on-topic.

 

Ok thanks for the comments.

 

Adult and gambling sites tend to create the bad neighborhood effect which can affect your ranking.The reason SEs frown upon them is, it is believed they practise unethical SEO techniques which eventually distort SE results. These are opinions and proof is yet to be deduced.

 

But DMOZ is a directory, covering many niches. This is not the same case with a site that has a particular niche.

I am sure G recognizes DMOZ is a directory that list MANY websites, so we can easily think G wouldn't penalize DMOZ for this reason although DOMZ's recent PR drop to PR8 (it may be back now) could have been due to links to illegal porn sites.

 

I'm just wondering if you have any evidence whatsoever to back this up?

 

Exactly - it's all about relevancy. Linking to an off topic site would have the same effect if it was adult/mortgage or pets related if your site was about SEO. It's all about link profiles and how natural they are.

 

I sold two gambling link on one of my sites a while ago and I have no problems, but all other links point to related sites. If you do not overdoit I think it's fine.