How does Google know I've Paid For Links

Google has openly stated that they're not fond on anyone paying for links and many have been put off by this statement for fear of reprisals by Google.
My question is - How does google know you paid for a link.

Most directories have various options for getting a link including, free no follow links, free reciprocal links, cheap paid links and more expensive paid links.

So how doe Google know you have paid for a link?

Has it tapped into paypal to see what money changes hands?
Is there some sort of coded imbedded into your link which is a tell tale sign to Google?
Does Google just rely on others to dob in someone who has paid for a link?


Have you got a legitimate theory on this or are we all just guessing?

 

I m dont know about directories and not about any other site that how google know.

But if u ask with just only this line " How does google know you paid for a link. "

Then

i wanna to say that this is a common sense becaz maximum advertiser write in site that
@ Your link here in just 5$ a month.
@ advertise here
@ this space for sale etc. etc.

and if google catech this and your link is in on neighbour, then may be u r penalize.

hope this help u much.


and as far as my common sense work for directories then i can say that they never catch you that u paid for links. becaz directories have a submission page and they not write at any other page that buy links here, where your actual link is place.

 

Sure all the sites say that but how does google know you paid for the link and didn't get a free one?

 

Google might keep a record of "advertise here" sites and check its neighbors and the links present on such sites.

 

Google doesn't know and if that was true it will first penalize the yahoo directory coz it's also paid does that make it paid link huh

 

Exactly my point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Will Google Read a Banner site, that's Selling Link Roll but Use another Alt Image, Such us alt="Just Banner" ???

 

in fact google respects the yahoo directory and it will give a boost to your search engine results and page rank, becuase of the nature of the directory itself.

some directories have areas where 'featured' or 'sponsored' links are displayed and those are paid for, right? so a search engine might know that....

i don't know or am not sure how google would know, i need to read more about that, and in fact i've kept pretty close track of a large number of highly ranked paid and bidding directories over the last 4 months, and it's only been the bidding directories that have really lost their PR, many going down 2 notches, say from pr 4 to pr 2 or from pr 3 to pr 0. i have pretty extensive lists and have been keeping track. the regular directories have faired well and some have gone up or down one PR ranking but it's been rare for me to see them to lose much page ranking dramatically. it's the bidding directories that have lost it dramactically and i assume google is penalizing many of them, has to be, and since many of them are related or advertise on each other's sites it probably isn't that hard for google to know about them...

i'm not so concerned about it myself as i have a big mix of links, some paid many free some reciprocal some bidding links others i didn't even ask for or initially know about. and also being listed in yahoo or paid pr 5 and 6 directories which are established and authoritative are good ideas, I can assume google certainly doesn't hold that against you/me since my page rank and serps have increased the last 4-5 months.

and no google would never know about any paypal transactions that's confidential info. though the NSA might be keeping track....
and some bidding directories have 'no follow' tags which is ok with google, apparently (though i am not so sure on this point).

 

I do not think it would be possible for google to determine if the link is a paid one or not....unless of course, the seller has been advertising for such SALE, from the roof top!

Regards,

RightMan

 

Google can't find out paid links. Its algorithm are under progress. still there is no such tool available by Google that make it easy to find diff between paid and non paid links.

 

There is no algorithm like that..
Webmasters reports google for paid links if they find on their competitors website from google webmaster tool.

 

One technique that I am aware Google use to determine if a site will accept payment for a link is they will contact the site owner and ask. Obviously they don't present themselves as a Google employee. The enquirer poses as someone who wants to purchase a link.

Something else that I believe has been confirmed by Matt Cutts is that a 'paid' link does not necessarily mean that money has changed hands. Google will potentially consider any link implemented for the purposes of SEO as a paid link.

 

type in keyword 'paid link' in google search. many results will come up and people who post the link will get in trouble

 

Google knows all!

Just kidding, most people can probably stay under the raider. The only true way they can tell is if you are on a link directory or location in which all links are paid links and you might get in trouble for having a bad link neighbor, someone correct me if I'm wrong. Even then, I'd say for most of us the chances would be pretty slim.