For sometime Google has been harping about paid links and the difference between a “good link” and a “bad link”. Even the debate over which paid links are OK, and which are not is confusing. For example, links from Yahoo!’s directory are OK paid links. Why? According to Google, Yahoo! is charging an “editorial fee” and not a fee for the link. It’s like the difference between not having a late fee on your video rental in exchange for a restocking fee. You’re still paying, arghhh!
Nevertheless, the debate rages on, and Google appears to be cracking down. Over the last few weeks several paid link directory sites have been losing their rankings in Google – in some cases not even ranking for their own names anymore.
Here is a snippet from WebProNews about it:
Some of affected directories included Aviva, Alive, Big Web Links, ewebpages, Directory Dump, Elegant Directory, and Biz-Dir. David Eaves, the owner and operator of Biz-Dir told WebProNews that about 550 of his directory pages have been dropped from Google’s index altogether.
Google is not talking about it, and those affected are not getting notices. Whether Google is targetting these sites directly, or if this is a result of an algo change has yet to be determined. As always, if you think your site is being affected we recommend patience as the issues usually work themselves out as the algo change settles in. Note, we’ve not seen any affect on our clients as our processes are based on developing a robust and extensive SEO strategy vs. leaning too heavily on any one single factor such as paid links.
We’ll be keeping an eye on this topic as it unfolds, and we’ll be keeping you updated along the way.
