Backlinks are not all made equal. Here is all the information you need to know about Google penalty recovery, link quality, and link-based penalties.
The phrase “build quality links” will almost surely appear if you read a few SEO articles.
It is frequently used.
First off, this statement is untrue.
Because “create high quality links” is what SEO specialists really mean when they say this.
Which prompts the following queries:
- What distinguishes a “high quality” connection from a “low quality” link?
- Why are links of poor quality harmful to SEO?
I’ll delve deeply into the shadowy side of link building to address the aforementioned questions and more. Additionally, I’ll consider link penalties (and give tips for recovery).
So here’s all you need to know about low quality link building, whether you want to call them bad, spammy, or black hat.
What Makes a Link “Low” or “High” Quality?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as it largely depends on the quality of the link and what you are looking for. Generally speaking, links with more backlinks (links from other high-quality sites) are considered to be of higher quality than links with fewer backlinks. Additionally, links that are updated more frequently tend to be seen as higher quality than those that are not. For example, if a website has an active blog section, it would likely want all its external links from that section to be high-quality and recent.
How Bad Links Can Impact Your Search Rankings
Bad links can hurt your search engine rankings. While there is no surefire way to prevent bad links, taking steps to remove them can help improve your ranking. Here are some tips to help you minimize the impact of bad links:
- Check link quality. Check the link quality of all the links on your site and make sure they are high-quality authoritative sources. Poorly written or copied content can have a negative effect on your site’s ranking.
- Remove low-quality links from your site. If you find low-quality links on your site, take steps to remove them. This may include contacting the webmasters of those sites and asking them to remove the link or rating it as spam.
- Use an algorithmic tool to remove bad links from your site automatically.
Google Link Penalties
There are two main types of link penalties: manual and algorithmic.
Type 1: Manual Link Spam Penalty
The manual link spam penalty is a new penalty that was added to Google’s Penguin algorithm in July 2013. This penalty can be applied to websites that are found to be systematically posting irrelevant links on their site. The goal of the manual link spam penalty is to help improve the quality of search results for users by reducing the quantity and frequency of links from low-quality sources.
Manual link spam penalties can be tricky to apply, so website owners should be aware of the possible consequences if they’re found to be violating these guidelines. If you’re concerned that your website may have been impacted by this penalty, it’s important to contact Google as soon as possible.
Type 2: Algorithmic Link Spam Penalty (generally Penguin)
Algorithmic link spam penalty (generally known as Penguin) is a ranking factor used by Google to penalize websites for excessive link building. In order to reduce the risk of being penalized by Penguin, it is important to understand the algorithm and how it works.
Link Building Tactics To Avoid In 2022
Here are several link-building strategies that will undoubtedly get you in trouble with Google.
1. Links From Spun Content/Splogs
In the past few years, many SEOs have turned to link building as a means of improving their website’s ranking. However, there are certain link-building tactics that should be avoided in order to maintain a high Google search ranking in 2022.
- Spammy Links – Building links that are not relevant to your website or industry can damage your site’s search engine rankings and make it harder for potential customers to find you.
- Black Hat Link Building Tactics – Some unscrupulous SEOs use black hat methods such as paid links, link buying, and article spinning in an attempt to manipulate the search engine rankings of their competitors.
- Duplicate Content – Creating duplicate content on your website not only wastes bandwidth and increases server load times but also decreases your site’s chances of ranking well in search engines.
2. Comment Spam
What’s the Comment Spam?
Comment spamming is a link building tactic where people post links to their websites in comments on other websites. This can damage the reputation of the website owner, as well as those who comment on that site.
Why Avoid It?
Aside from hurting your online reputation, comment spamming can also annoy other website owners and readers. Not to mention, it doesn’t help you build links – in fact, it can actually backfire and decrease your link popularity. Plus, if you get caught spamming comments, you could face penalties from Google or other social media platforms.
How To Avoid It?
There are a few things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of comment spamming: First and foremost, be sure to check the commenting policy of any site before commenting.
3. Forum Spam
In the year 2022, forum spam will be a major issue to avoid. Forum spam is when a website publishes messages on forums with the sole purpose of promoting its own website. This can be done by posting links to their website in every post, by filling up the discussion thread with promotional material, or by contacting other members of the forum and asking them to promote their website.
Forum spamming will become an even bigger issue in 2022 because of two reasons: First, there are more forums online than ever before. Second, people are using more and more platforms to communicate (including social media, email newsletters, and discussion boards). If a website is trying to promote itself on all of these platforms at the same time, it’s going to run into trouble.
To avoid forum spamming in 2022, you need to be selective about which forums you post your messages on.
4. Obvious Paid Links That Pass PageRank
Paid links are one of the most obvious ways to improve a page’s score on Google. However, many people don’t realize that paid links are also one of the most common link building tactics that Google penalizes. In 2018, Google announced that it would be penalizing websites for having too many obvious paid links. This means that in 2022, it will be more difficult for your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
The easiest way to avoid this penalty is to make sure that all of your links are considered organic. This means that you can only receive organic links from websites with which you have a relationship or affiliate agreement. Additionally, make sure that your linking strategy is focused on building relationships rather than simply increasing your website’s traffic.
5. Low Quality Directories
Directories are an important part of any link building strategy, and they can provide you with opportunities to improve your website’s visibility. However, there are also a number of directories that are low quality, and as a result, they can be harmful to your SEO efforts. Here are some tips to help you avoid using these directories in the future:
- Don’t use directories that have low quality content. Low-quality directories typically have poor information on their pages, and this will likely damage your site’s ranking in those directories.
- Verify the quality of the directory before using it. Make sure that the directory is well-organized and has accurate information about the resources it offers.
- Avoid signing up for too many directories at once.
6. Links From Bad Neighbourhoods/Hacked Sites
Are you looking to avoid negative associations with your neighbourhood in 2022? You may want to consider link building tactics that avoid hacking and cybercrime.
- Avoid linking to hacked sites. This will only add to the negative reputation of your neighbourhood.
- Use quality, authoritative sources when linking to other sites. Only links to sites that you trust and feel confident will not be hacked or taken down by cybercriminals.
- Make sure your links are relevant and interesting to potential visitors. No one wants a website that is filled with irrelevant links.
- Keep your link building efforts private for now and wait for the right opportunity before publicizing them. This will help protect you from being targeted by cybercriminals who may view your links as easy targets.
7. Links From Lots Of Foreign Language Sites
In order to avoid link bait in 2022, you will want to focus on building links from high-quality, authoritative resources. Additionally, make sure to avoid using overly promotional or sensational language when linking out. Instead, focus on providing valuable content that your audience may find useful. Finally, be sure to keep your linking profile active and up-to-date by regularly adding new links to your portfolio and posts.
8. Scaled Guest Posting
Scaled guest posting is a link building tactic that can help you avoid penalties in 2022. By hosting guest posts on other sites, you can show that you are an active and contributing member of the online community. This will help you build links and credibility with your target audience.
9. Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
Private blog networks (PBNs) are an effective link building tactic to avoid in 2022. This is because many search engines no longer consider links from PBNs as credible or valuable. Google has stated that “PBNs are not considered as an authoritative source of information by our search engine.” Therefore, if you want your website to rank higher in search engine results, it’s important to avoid using PBNs as a link building strategy.
10. Excessive/Non Niche Relevant Reciprocal Link Building
In order to avoid losing out on potential links in the future, it is important to focus on non-niche related link building tactics. Doing so will help you avoid becoming known as a link builder for only one type of website or industry. By branching out and building links from other types of websites and industries, you can build a more diverse and valuable link profile. This will help your website rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for people to find and connect with your content.
When To Be Careful Of Outgoing Links
Outgoing links have become an important part of SEO. However, you need to be careful when using them. Some things to think about are the age of the link, the website it is going to, and whether or not it is a trusted source.
When using outgoing links, make sure they are relevant to your topic and that you can trust the source. If possible, test out outgoing links before you use them in your content.
How To Recover From a Link Penalty
If you’ve been penalized by Google, there are a few things you can do to try and recover. The first thing is to contact Google. Chances are they’ll be more than happy to reinstate your link if you show them that it was an accident and that you’re taking steps to prevent it from happening again. If that doesn’t work, you can go about trying to rebuild the link yourself. There are a few different methods out there, but the most important part is making sure you do everything correctly so that Google doesn’t punish you again in the future.
