I say No. Google ignores paid links it knows about, and text-link-ads makes it's paid links very obvious. So to clarify: No for SEO, but Yes if you think you'll get good traffic from it.
What about paid directories? Are you saying google won't give credit for that as well? Damn, I just wasted $60 bucks if it's true what you said.
No, not worth buying. Since you have to choose manually which sites your TLA ads will be displayed on you are just as well contacting the publisher directly and saving yourself a bit of money. That's what I'd do.
You can find links at cheaper price compared to TLA if you look around so you can save some bucks . else , give them a try .
okay, i'm getting confused by reading some of the post here. Some say, paid links = (No for SEO) Paid Directory's=> (No for SEO) Link Farms=>(BIG NO!) Damn what options do I have left? It's hard enough asking webmasters to add your link, and google doesn't give much credit to reciprocal links. Article linking takes too much time and you have to submit hundreds of articles. That takes time...
hmm you read lots of bullshit ... of course it is good to buy links from t-l-a ... find some high traffic quality website there and you will see results in seo and in traffic ...
I have not used T-L-A for a good few months now, mainly because its quite expensive and i would rather purchase links from DP, all though buying links from T-L-A will increase your search engine positions just don't buy every single link available on the site , make sure if your spending that sort of money then there relevant and will bring traffic.
"Google ignores paid links it knows about" - That statement is not even close to correct. TLA can be expenisve, check out the links for sale section here, avoid wordcloud sites. Featured links in relevant directory categories are a very good value.
Why not monitor your site, see if it brings traffic or boost your PR/SERP ranking. It is too early to say you have wasted the money.
I'd say it's worth it to buy links on related sites there, if your site has a solid business plan behind it.
TLA provides a reliable service. You know that your link will be active at all times, so it eliminates a lot of link maintenance - like checking up on the site owner, etc. There are lots of options out there, so just choose the best for your site & wallet.
I wouldn't spend my own money on links from there, but would spend a corporate budget on them....they are easy to buy, guarantee PR and some traffic, but are expensive.
Apart from TLA , you can try Link Sales section at DP and I am sure you can find good deals here and yea buying links on relevant sites does help .
I prefer to go direct because it saves you money .. if I'm buying from TLA.. I'll prefer to buy for traffic instead of PR.
You guys are so awesome and helpful. I'm really glad to be part of this community. Thank you all for you input.