In my experience as a link builder I have developed the idea that there are two dark sides in link building: the first is the one that lurks on the technical aspect, the second regards the collaborative/contractual aspect.  Now I'll tell you why.

Link building is one of the main ways to improve the organic position of a website on search engines. Google, in the penultimate update to its algorithm (Penguin) has given a very strong shock to the subject, that is, it has brutally intervened on the link issue. But which links? Not all and mostly spam links. Let's take a step back and see what happened.

The utopia

Until some time ago (in some cases even now) there were agencies which, using dedicated software, created a profile full of countless backlinks in a very short time (hours or a few days). In other words, the scenario was that a new site, just born or without links, suddenly found hundreds and hundreds of incoming links, thus significantly manipulating the classification of that site by Google. So, there was absolutely no analysis for authority, relevance, diversity and nothing that should be in any action plan for a serious link building campaign.

So at a certain point Google says “enough, it decides to declare war on manipulative links and to intervene with the Penguin update, communicating through its official channels and through its spokespersons, the operation and all that would have followed. It carries out real media terrorism campaigns on this topic, inviting all those who over time would have adopted "dirty" techniques to adapt to the new policies. And honestly, in several cases, he even succeeded, by closing the link building service to some SEO agencies, which, in some cases, have passed from one form of fundamentalism to another, no longer dealing with link building campaigns aggressive, but only serious and useful editorial plans, giving strength to the proverbial phrase "Content is the King" and creating a new celestial figure named "seo copywriter" (which for me does not exist, but we will see this in another article).

Indeed, several owners and managers of websites have seen a drastic drop in the traffic of their sites, precisely giving the responsibility to this update.

The truth

According to Google's guidelines, absolutely no link building campaigns should be carried out, because, in its view, every link is potentially penalizing.

The truth is that Google can't fight manipulative links. Maybe not everyone knows it but some time ago, for a very short time, Google had released a version of the engine without considering links in the slightest. Result? An absurd disaster. The serps no longer had rhyme or reason, thus forcing you to go back to the original version, the current one.

Unfortunately, say it all, there is still a lot of room for “black hat SEO” activities and it is very difficult to counter this aspect. Google would seem to not invest the right resources on this topic, in fact, after Penguin's initial boom, it no longer gave the right credit to fight spam activities. In addition, the intervention times are quite slow and not immediate.

Personally, I would avoid very aggressive link building activities except for particular sectors, such as for example forex or sites connected to high-earning affiliate circuits, which even if the volume of traffic spikes for a short period and then is penalized or banned, that short period could be quite profitable. Personally, I have tried in the past quite aggressive techniques and above all black hat methods, but in my opinion, it is not worth it. Every time an algorithm update was released, I was anxious, I had to study in detail what the same update involved, and then run for cover, often breathing down the customer's neck because they could no longer find their website in Google results .

Anyway, every link building campaign that is done must be organized with balance. That balance between mentions, quotes, co-quotes, anchor text. I will come back to this topic more specifically in another article.

The “dark” side in negotiations

“…Doing link building sometimes I feel like I'm in those somewhat hidden markets, on the outskirts of the city, where somewhat shady negotiations are made and as you walk you find on your right the fortune teller who would like to read your palm and on your left the guy who plays the game of three cards and invites you to bet a hundred euros. And you walk, you walk, with people who touch you inside, they come upon you and while one hand holds your wallet, the other your cell phone, so you don't let them steal…”.

The problem with creating partnerships

If you are a beginner you will play Russian roulette. You'll have to deal with ambiguous, strange people who would even sell their friends for a loaf of bread. When I started this business I had to deal with people who sold links from banned sites, links from sites with 0 traffic (ZERO), links from sites that didn't exist, links from sites that were about to buy (because dropped) and they no longer bought. They received the money and then disappeared; they received the money, put the link on their site and after some time the site expired and you were screwed; they received the money, inserted the link and after a short time the link was no longer present. They almost seemed to identify with Woody Allen in the famous film "Take the money and run". And I found myself lost in this jungle (because you can't call it otherwise) with no guarantees, no refunds (imagined), no nothing. Out of ten negotiations, perhaps half were successful. The same owners of banned or low-traffic sites also sell the links dearly, pretending that they were "precious" and that from there, shortly, your site, after inserting the link, would be splashed on the first page. All lies!

Luckily today the scenario…no no, the scenario is exactly the same as before. Nothing has changed at all, indeed, perhaps today it is even worse because, despite the battles of Google, link building is still talked about and perhaps even more. Maybe today, it's a little more "refined" than years ago.

But why does this happen? Simply because the negotiations are done in the markets that I have described to you before, nothing in the light of the sun, everything in secret, on the sly and the rip-offs can be around the corner. Everything is never contractualized, the only possibility you have is to receive an honest invoice, to be used as a supporting document. I have tried, along with others in the past to raise the issue, but to no avail. Several gentlemen much prefer the "flying deal".

What is the solution?

There are two solutions to get out of this impasse: create a strong PBN (I'll talk about it in more detail in another article) where you no longer have to depend on anyone. Obviously, the fact remains that the time and economic investment are decidedly important and at your expense.

Or, even better, over time, create an important network of serious contacts (and there are, I assure you), of people who in turn are PBN owners where you can forget about the problems I described above, sleeping peacefully, without the risk of losing money.

But you can do this only and exclusively through a serious and constant digital PR activity, where you will be able to get out of the dirty part of this subject, as complex as it is sometimes a little mysterious.