Article Links
-
I write and publish artcles. Typically I publish them on a few top article sites like EZineArticles. The articles then get picked up by other sites, often numbering in the hundreds. All of the articles are published with a link back to our website using a keyword. Are there any SEO risks in this type of link proliferation?
-
Late to the part with this but I just can't see G penalising a site because it has too many links from articles with the same anchor text.
If that were the case we would see a lot of webmaters and SEOs arranging lots of those links to their competitors sites in order to de-rank them, thus leaving the way clear for their own sites.
-
Hey Everett,
Good answer - and it makes sense. Having once been banished to page four, I'm now being very careful about everything, especially over-optimized linking. Diversity is the way!
-
Jim the key to link building is diversity. It might still be worth doing a distribution now and then, but - like everyone below has said - your time is usually better spent in other ways, including putting high quality content onto your own website, doing exclusive guest posts on higher-quality sites, etc...
I would have endorsed someone's answer instead of posting my own, but have to disagree that there is no danger in building massive amounts of links using article distribution, as you describe. I have seen sites get hit with algorithmic penalties for having overoptimized anchor text in their links. So if you have thousands of such articles all pointing with the same, highly optimized text, and your link profile leans heavily toward these types of links from article distribution, you could trip a filter and end up with a penalty that sets you back anywhere from a few spots to a few pages - or even a +950 penalty if some of those links are suspected as being paid for.
Long story short: If you diversify and focus your efforts on the highest quality links you can get - you'll be fine.
-
Hey Mike, Thanks for the thought. I'm inclined to agree that there are better ways to improve search engine rankings, including adding content to my own site, writing on my blog, etc. So, in the end, I am left wondering if there is any value at all from investing time in writing articles.
-
Agree with Sean, time spent on writing for EZA would be better spent writing for your own blog or site. You can do some article marketing but don't obsess on it. If you outsource the writing then I would still keep it in moderation.
-
This is definitely the bottom of the barrel type link. You're not going to get penalized and it's not risky, but the time you spend working on an article that will go on a site like ezinearticles could be better spent on higher ROI link building. Plus, I read that ezine experienced a huge traffic drop with the most recent algo update and have talked about putting nofollow on article links.
-
I would say no. If this was a problem a lot of sites would get in trouble, too many for Google to go and mass penalise.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Link Exchange
Is link exchange always bad? What if I want to add a link for other related products on my site which I do not offer, and the other site does the same for me? Will it be better to rather an article for each other product and link to somebody, than have one page with a list of other products to other sites. For example. We do training. Lets say we offer computer training. We search companies that does health and safety training offer to put their course on our site with a link to them, if they do the same.
Link Building | | Heinwest0 -
Any advantage spreading linked-back articles vs concentrating them?
I have had good luck getting a reputable ezine in my field to publish my articles, and they always link back to my site. Would I do better SEO-wise to spread my articles among several different ezines?
Link Building | | Lysarden0 -
Links from other country same language
Hello Mozzers, Let's say I have a local webdesign business in Zurich, Switzerland. I try to get good rankings in Switzerland, to get real clients. Now I have a blog in German (Yes, we speak German in Switzerland) and get most of my links from other German Blogs. Why? Most of the Swiss sites are competitors and there aren't many Swiss blogs for this topic. Of course I have links from Swiss Sites too. But most of my strong links are from German sites, is this a real problem? Thanks for your answers, appreciated!
Link Building | | grobro0 -
Who should I reach out to for external links?
As a web designer, who should I reach out to for external links, other than former clients?
Link Building | | IntentioDesigns0 -
Locksmith link building
Can anybody please give me any recommendation about a locksmith/security related websites that i can build strong/meaningful links with?
Link Building | | lockstarwi0 -
Linking Root Domains V.s Total Links
When analysing a company's inbound links, what is more important to note: The number of linking root domains, or the total number of links? And why?
Link Building | | SEOrookie170 -
Does Seomoz Help Me Identify The Most Linked Articles From My Competitor Site
Does Seomoz Help Me Identify The Most Linked Articles From My Competitor Site -- Is there a feature to help me sort the results by this parameter I would like to set ?
Link Building | | helpwanted0 -
NEW LINKS
Hi If you plan to add new links to a site which currently has very few inbound links what is the maximum amount you could add in any one day before it is deemed by Google to be suspicious and unatural. I am referring ot manually added links, not robotic. Thank you 🙂
Link Building | | PH2920