Online scams are on the rise, and it is more important than ever to ensure that links shared online do not lead to dangerous or fraudulent sites. This article covers some of the most common signs a link might be questionable. All connections are not created equal, contrary to common perception. There are certain links on the internet that you do not want to be connected to your website. These may damage your domain authority and hurt your SEO ranking. These are what I refer to as “dangerous connections.”
You should never connect to unsafe links, and you should avoid receiving any backlinks from them. However, to prevent this from happening, you must first be able to recognize harmful connections. You won’t know what sites to avoid if you don’t do this. Dangerous links are sometimes apparent. Other times, though, it is not that simple. That is what prompted me to develop this manual. I’ll show you a variety of risky link instances so you’ll be wholly equipped to master your link-building approach.
Identifying a dangerous link:
Networks of blogs
Any sponsored connections should be avoided in general. These are referred to as “link schemes” by Google.
Any connections established to influence a site’s rating or page rank by breaking Google’s webmaster standards are characterized as link schemes.
This includes the purchase and sale of links. Any exchange of money, goods, or services for connections must be avoided. A link scheme includes partner pages expressly built for cross-linking and excessive link trading between sites.
If you’re found in a link scam, Google will penalize you, and blog networks are notorious for exposing you to these breaches.
However, I’ve seen a lot of companies do it unknowingly. They are unaware that they are receiving backlinks from a potentially harmful connection. Here’s an illustration of what I’m talking about.
My Medical Blog is the name of the website. If your business is in the medical field, you may assume this is a fantastic place to start building backlinks. However, closer inspection reveals that this is not the case.
According to the site’s name and subheader, the material is meant to be about “medical things,” according to the site’s name and subheader (which doesn’t seem very professional).
However, the topic of this blog article is about improving your home security. This has nothing to do with medicine. This indicates that the site is part of a blog network.
If you’re still on the fence about this site, have a peek at some of the other blog post titles as you go down.
It’s a bunch of random anchor text links with precise matches.
None of these subjects are linked to one another, and none are medical. Unfortunately, this link may be found at the bottom of every article on the site. This is a sponsored link, and it’s a risky one that you should avoid at all costs.
Profiles on message boards
Participating in internet forums and debates is very acceptable. Forum marketing is an excellent approach to building relationships and increasing traffic to your website.
I appreciate forums because they allow you to position yourself as an expert in your field. In addition, peers in your network may also provide and receive assistance. That is why I engage in online forums.
When you sign up for a forum, you may be given the option of including a link to your website. Again, if you’re active in discussions and have a few links on the internet, this is entirely legal.
However, there is a massive issue if you do this on a large scale.
This was a common SEO tactic a few years ago. However, since forum links tend to develop a spammy link profile, Google is now paying considerably more attention to them. You don’t want your website to set a bad name.
I highly advise avoiding filling your forum profiles with hundreds of links to your website. It’s OK to repeat this three, four, or even five times as long as it’s done legitimately and without the goal of spamming.
So, if you’re looking for unsafe links on a forum site, have a peek at the list of members. Whether a site permits you to construct an “about me” section or a biography, check out other users’ profiles to determine if they are genuine.
Here are some profiles I came across when investigating a forum network.
This is a potentially hazardous link, in my opinion.
All of these anchor text connections are precise matches. Unfortunately, the profiles on this site have been flooded with spam.
As I scrolled through more profiles, I saw more of the same pattern from other registered individuals. So, if they’re not even policing this sort of activity, this is a low-quality service, to begin with.
There are situations, however, when this method is suitable.
Assume you’re a web designer, and you join a web design forum to network with others in the field. There’s no reason you can’t provide a link to your profile here.
However, suppose the website has been spammed by unrelated individuals, as mentioned in the case above. In that case, you don’t want your name, brand, website, or connections to be associated with the forum.
Comments on a blog
Comments on a blog may be beneficial to your website.
When you publish a blog, it’s great if you can promote and support dialogue in the comments area from your readers. This is something I would strongly advise you to attempt.
So, if you’re reading a blog on another website, there’s no harm in posting a comment to express your thoughts, provide insight, and contribute to the conversation. That is precisely why the comments area was created.
If you remark on blog articles on your topic, you may even utilize blog comments to gain some focused traffic.
All too frequently, though, I see comment areas that have devolved into chaos and nothing but spam. Commenting on blogs isn’t a good way to get links, mainly if you’re using exact match anchor text.
This is a mistake that far too many individuals make. Here’s an illustration.
All of these comments are spam.
These individuals didn’t even read the post, and the issues have nothing to do with each other. Instead, they just accomplished one thing: they posted links to their website with exact match anchors.
This should not be done. This will do more harm than good to your website.
If you’re going to make a thoughtful remark on a blog, provide your name and business name and the entire URL to your site. However, avoid using this strategy in areas already inundated with potentially hazardous comments.
Links to other organizations
A frequent black hat link-building tactic is the use of partner links. I briefly mentioned this when we discussed purchased relations against Google’s rules.
These are frequently blatantly sponsored links placed in the sidebar of a website.
This, in my experience, gets individuals into a lot of difficulties since they don’t understand they’re doing anything illegal. However, because it doesn’t look as spammy as other instances we’ve seen, many website owners believe this is a simple technique to get connections.
This may seem authentic at first sight. However, this is not something you should be doing.
When you examine the connections more closely, it becomes clear that they are sponsored links. Attorney for immigration, carpet cleaning, bail bonds, and vehicle audio. These links have no relation to one another, and none of them are tied to the main website.
Although I would not advise it, you may utilize partner links to generate visitors to your website rather than as an SEO technique. However, to prevent getting punished by Google, make sure your links are nofollow.
With that stated, I’d stay away from it entirely.
Never purchase dofollow links from a website’s sidebar or section labeled “partners” or “sponsors.” You’ll get into problems with Google if you do that.
It’s just not worth the risk, and it has nothing to do with your link-building approach.
Signatures in the forum
We spoke about forums before, but just in terms of forum profiles. Now I’d want to continue the conversation by discussing forum signatures.
Forums, once again, are an excellent method to attract targeted traffic to your website.
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t join discussion boards. However, you must adopt the proper approach. Joining forums to create connections is terrible, and participating in meetings with harmful links.
How can you know whether a forum is harmful if you don’t look at the profiles?
Look through all user signatures to see what you can come up with.
Here’s an example of what you should stay away from.
It provides exact match anchor text to a website, as you can see. This is unquestionably spammy. Instead, provide your company’s name, your name, or a brief call to action.
The issue with the example I provided above is that one anchor will seriously degrade your total anchor text variety after you start publishing hundreds of times. As a consequence, you may face Google penalties. It would be best if you also stayed away from forums where you see a lot of this.
Aside from Google and SEO, this method seems to be spammy. You don’t want people to overlook your postings because they believe you’re a spammer. It’s terrible for your brand’s image, mainly if you do a lot of forum promotion.
Directories on the internet
When it comes to hazardous connections, online directories are a murky area. However, several directories give a lot of value in terms of link development.
However, in my experience, the vast majority of them aren’t exactly what you’re searching for.
It would be best to only use reputable and legal directories for guides. It’s also crucial to discover directories relevant to your specialty rather than getting included alongside other unrelated sites at random.
Avoid using folders that aren’t well-known.
Make some inquiries. Sometimes merely exploring the directory for a few minutes is enough to notify you whether it’s harmful.
Take, for example, this directory that I discovered.
It doesn’t seem to be the most polished website on the earth, yet it may appear credible at first sight.
But first, let’s look at what occurs when you choose a category.
This is what the web software area looks like.
Yes, there is a link for the most excellent web hosting. But I also notice exact match anchors unrelated to web software, such as “cheap prom gowns” and “wedding dresses in the UK,” which are spam.
This site takes money in exchange for links and buries them anywhere. Don’t spend your time building links on sites like these that will not benefit you.
Building quality links from resource sites rather than random directories are better.
Directories of articles
Directories of articles might help you get more visitors to your website. But, like some of the other strategies we’ve discussed so far, it only works if you execute it correctly.
Let me give you an example.
You get the idea immediately that this isn’t going to be the most pleasing piece ever written, but that isn’t the goal.
A site like this might still be an excellent approach to get people to visit your site.
Here’s what you’ll discover when you approach closer to the end of the article.
There is a spammy anchor text that is an identical match. However, the URL in the following link is much better and safer to use.
You may undoubtedly engage in content marketing. But, just as we spoke about with forum profiles and signatures, don’t spam your author or bio box.
I don’t believe article directories will assist you much with SEO in general. But because it isn’t the point of today’s conversation, I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Just make sure you’re not spamming your bio or article finishes to be on the safe side. If you wish to avoid being judged spammy by Google’s algorithm, use broad URLs to your homepage rather than exact match anchor text.
Conclusion
Backlinks are beneficial to search engine optimization and bringing targeted visitors to your website. However, you never want your website to be connected with harmful connections.
- Networks of blogs
- Profiles on message boards
- Blog comments
- Links to other organizations
- Signatures in the forum
- Directories on the internet
- Article directories
When determining if a website is authentic or hazardous, these factors must be considered. If you’re uncertain, it’s advised to err on the side of caution and stay away from the link entirely. However, there are many different secure connections available that you may take advantage of.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know if a link is dangerous?
A: You can tell if a link is dangerous by checking the website’s domain. If it has YouTube or Facebook in its name, you know that site is safe to use.
What is the easiest way to recognize a dangerous link?
A: Assessing a link for danger is difficult without some training, so it’s hard to say. However, you can use the following guidelines to help figure out if something might be dangerous on your computer or mobile device:
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