Want to kill your competition in the SERPs?

Like I said in my next PM, it would be perfect since that's exactly what just happened to John Chow... http://www.johnchow.com/ just dropped to the 50-70 range for [john chow].

However, I did provide an alternate URL as well.

-Michael

 

It would be stupid for Google to do anything like this because they would only be trading one problem for another. Instead of people buying links to get better serps they'd be doing it to penalize their competitors. I see people spreading theory's similar to this one all the time, but the problem with all these theory's is that you have no control what so ever over who can link to you. I swear it seems like people believe that the only links you have are the ones you create your self. There is such a thing as natural links that come from people who think you have a good site. If you've forgotten this maybe you should examine the content of your site.

 

As mentioned, you make a good point with the John Chow argument. We'll go with the first url and keyphrase.

For the record, I don't think it'll hose the site. But I like testing SEO theories and this should be fun. Links will be purchased over the next 10 days or so as I come across sites I think would work well.

 

It doesn't mean they aren't doing it. Maybe they think they are choosing the lesser of two evils, or maybe they are being lazy, or maybe it really doesn't work. Without some testing, everyone is just spouting opinion.

How is that a problem with any theory? "I can't control it so it can't hurt me" doesn't make sense either.
You're right people can link to you and it's out of your control. But thats just a statement of fact. It doesn't prove or disprove whether identifiable paid links hurt a site.

I definitely agree with you on that one. I never buy links. Never have, never will.

 

No, THIS IS SPARTA!!!!

 

any proof for this? if i try this yahoo.com or wikipedia, what is going to be happen?

 

ok, i will try to buy link for shoemoney, let's see if google will penalize them...lol... Google will fall soon if they penalized the site with paying links and everyone will be doing this (chaos in google, everyone buy links for competitors in the near future...)

 

What if I said that sites which use the color blue and link to you will get you penalized by Google? Is this statement even worth testing? Or can people just see that the statement is ridiculous and go about their business and worry about more important matters.

 

ok fine everyone interested pay me $3 and I'll start a very obvious site and I'll add your competitors links. To top it off I'll contact Google and Matt Cutts weekly and let them know that my site sells links and that they can't do anything about it. Seems like a great business model [/sarcasm?]

 

Please don't do this kind of work. Be honest.

 

we shall proceed with the thread starter's website

 

More thoughts exactly. It crazy to think any search engine will penalize or ban sites due to paid links. Paid links may be a determining factor of the value of the link and page, but that's it...it's a determining factor and does not hold much weight.

Google has various determining factors to penalize, ban, or devalue a page/site. Each of these determining factors have voting power, but each does not have equal voting power, some factors weigh more heavily than others, depending on the factor.

I think paid links have very very little voting power...if any! I think Google is more concerned with detering webmasters/SEOs from using paid links as a link building strategy for ranking, as they have no clue who is trying to exploit and get over on the system, furthermore what consitutes as paid or free links on a page.

 

i think google will only not consider paid links as backlinks, that's all. Penalty means chaos to themselves...in the future (if google penalize websites with paid links) the results even can be more irrelevant. Imagine if all people doing this thing to their competitors, who will be ranked 1st in popular keywords? A website with so little content? Google will dead.

 

That is a bit cloak and dagger for me I am afraid

 

I can't believe that you talk about something like this.. jesus!!!

 

My honest opinion, it won't work and mvandemar will get a couple of free backlinks.

However i will say, big kudos for the OP for laying the cards on the table and openly testing this whether he's right or wrong. This is what the core of SEO is all about and it will be a valuable experiment regardless of the outcome.

 

lol, this thread appeared as " Want to kill your competition..." on the forum homepage. I was hoping Plinks could bump someone off for me, oh well.

 

No, zero kudos to the OP, he's not even participating in the damn discussion. He started what he thought would be a controversial topic to boost interest, and bailed.

zsales is the one willing to test, and I'm just the guinea pig.

-Michael

 

Ehh, ok that will teach me to post on a mobile with a 3 inch screen.

 

Right on. Is that our desire, to "win" in the SERPs by compromising our integrity? I would have zero confidence in any website/webmaster who did this kind of thing.