If Google is "detecting" unnatural links. Then they know what the unnatural links are. It would be easy for them to just discount the unnatural links --- Instead they penalise your site to the point of removal from index, for having these unnatural links. They must have a reason for doing that. So if they are choosing not to tell you (or whoever is being penalised) then the point of the exercise is probably to see how guilty someone really is. Sending back "I've removed all the spammy links, please consider me for reinclusion" is basically an admission of guilt and I wonder whether they would bother returning someone to the index... Sending back "I've built no links, and certainly no spammy ones, please explain why my site is being de-indexed" is a clear indicator that someone is unaware as to what exactly has been done wrong. The people that are being penalised, in many cases, will have done something wrong (or their SEO/webmaster will have if they don't do the off-page stuff). They know what they've done wrong, and can probably fix it. The ones harrassing directory owners, have probably submitted their site with the same anchor text to all the directories, so now they are blaming the directories for a bad link. When in fact, the unsuspecting directory owner is unaware that they have provided an exact match anchor text link which is causing the penalty. That's not the directory owners fault at all, it is the site owners fault, so them getting aggressive and threatening really is out of their own fear and mistakes. They know they've done the wrong thing, so they go blame someone else Google ISN'T after paid directories (if the directory payment is a review). If it is a paid link, i.e. someone buys it, and you give it to them. Then yup they are and always have been after that. You DO need to review and/or edit and/or provide some means of moderation on sites submitted to the directory. If you aren't doing that, it will reflect in your content, and if spammy content appears in a directory that asks for payment for a review then you can bet Google will slam it (as it should). You are correct there is nothing wrong in asking for a review fee. But the directory MUST review. It MUST be human edited. It cannot rely on some automated system to weed out junk, cos it won't work and what you will end up with is a directory that is no better than an un-paid one and all of a sudden the question is asked "so what exactly is the review fee for?". It's an ethical question, because people take the money from everyone and list them all, rather than review. Site owners may have been free to do whatever they want with their site in the past, but that is no longer the case (well it hasn't been for a long time). There are many rules written and un-written which site owners will have to follow if they want to exist in Google. If they want to exist outside of Google they can probably do whatever the heck they want. Pagerank is dead? Look around. There is still a huge open-market, and an even bigger black market, that sells links based on TBPR. It's ridiculous, and it makes no sense, but it still exists. Google for a long time was allowing people to sell PR via adwords. The ads even showed up on my site back when I used adsense years ago. It's hypocritical, but that's the nature of business when there is a monopoly. Do as I say, not as I do. What's the reason Google does it? Think about what Google is (and don't say they are a search engine, because that's naive). Google is a corporation, with shareholders. Their business? making money for their shareholders. Do you think they really care if you or 10,000 businesses go out of business because they are increasing their profit? You need to start thinking of Google as more like a ruthless bank. That's how they operate (oh how come my bank is charging me a $2 fee to withdraw my OWN money)... ummm cos they can and because it's in their nature to generate vast profits for their owners -- the shareholders. Forget everything you know about SEO when Google was the "little search engine that could". They are now a corporation with vested interests and they need to diversify (hence entering other markets like mobile phones) in order to generate those profits I speak of. Why else would there be sponsored ads crowding the space "above the fold". Who needs SEO when you can buy those spots directly from Google? Seriously why would anyone bother to hire an SEO company to get them 4th or 5th place on Google (1st organically but 3 or 4 spots below the sponsored ads?)... The actual organic result might cost you 3 times as much from an SEO, and you end up in 5th place. Why not just go buy the ad straight from Google, get #1, or #2, and forget about SEO altogether? Just concentrate on content and your products and selling to your visitors
yes i am agree with you some paid directories are penelized by google which will provide your website loss if your post your site on it thanks.
Simple solution. Charge to remove them: http://www.kingbloom.com/advertise.php#linkremoval I'm still unsure if people are misinterpreting google's webmaster tools, or if google is indeed hammering on directories indiscriminately. If the later is the case, it may be time to look at anti-trust.
The only one slapping anyone right now are the SEO's that are scrambling in a panic reactionary mode.
Here is the latest source being thrown up at us when we direct people to our unlisting link: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/new-notifications-about-inbound-links.html
i think you must know what different Paid Link and Paid for Directory review. http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=2567744&goto=newpos
Golly, I like the idea of that. Free links for everyone!!! Think if I send that to the New York Times, they'll put a link on their homepage to my site?
A simple answer would be, they need to punish you for trying to game their search engine. Of course, if your site is new and someone wants to damage your rankings with those crappy links, they can do it easily by blasting scrapebox comments at your site by the thousands.
i just dont get the logic of google. links should either have value, or not have a value, and never have a negative value.
Google penalized paid links, if landing page or Website doing Spamming activity like Black Hat..!!!!!!!!!!!
Last google update is not targeting paid link directories but has huge impact of them. Seo os changing a lot nowdays, it takes lot of effort to keep up with all the update and stay on top.
Think online Yellow Pages and the $400.00 per month FEE they charge business owners for a premo listing at their site. Think many of the other various online directory listing services. They get PAID too just like Business owners wanting a sponsored ad spot in Google HAS to pay for it. Does Google penalize quality content or paid for listings - NO not today, not tomorrow or they would quickly go the way so many others before them have gone - Away!
Now i understand the whole story. Free links? Since when Google started policing the directories. Agghh.
Google says at its site, Low Quality Sites, Low Quality links they are not interested in. Say you have an auto repair business and site. Say you have link backs from high traffic sites which have nothing to do with auto repairs. Google will not be interested in helping your sites PRV ranking just because you have your site linked back to from non related yet highly ranked sites. Lets Say you pay Disney World $10,000 per month to link to your auto repair business. That could be very good for you because Disney world gets a lot of traffic to their site but what Google is saying is not that they care about what you are paying for your ad listing at Disney, but the fact that Auto Repairs has nothing what so ever to do with Disney (totally non related business models). Because it is totally unrelated to what Disney does, your listing at Disney will pull NO Disney link juice (Page ranking values) back to your site like it used to be able to do just 2-3 months ago. Page Ranking Values (Or PRV's) is overblown in real world searching and search results pages (SERP's). Do a search for almost any Keyword in Google. You will find on page 1 results a mix of very high ranked sites (maybe such as PRV5-9) as well as some very low PRV ranked sites in the page 1 results! Web masters/SEO pros tend to over value this well - Value when in reality it has little to do with getting your site listed on Page 1 in Google. It will always be YOUR CONTENT, Your Page TITLES, Business related link backs to your site (are excellent to get done) which will help you the most in Google. There are a LOT of factors for page 1 results but the main ingredient in the mix is dedication of YOUR TIME, and following the rules of the game according to Google as trying to game Google today will only serve to land your site or page in the back of the list. I have a Business directory service myself where I allow Free classifieds, as well as pay for business listings. Every Business listing which has followed our in page Seo tips and advice IS on page 1 search results in Google. We follow Matt Cutts (works at Google) articles, Web Pro news, and other SEO and web design trade related materials Daily and add the How to advice from these into How To Pages within our directory listing services Members have direct access to while creating their business listing.
But alas, EVERY link in a directory has something to do with the directory and IS related to the directory in some way. The very nature of a directory is to assemble and organize a categorical hierarchy of organized links to generate traffic. Paying for that organization is a much different than paying a high traffic, high profile site to pass link juice.... PERIOD..