Question

Hi everyone!  I'm pretty new to SEO, and just hired someone for my website which is quite new.Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to SEO, and just hired someone for my website which is quite new. They are building links using Classified ads and Directory link building, Social bookmarking and setting up business profiles. But I was reading about John Mueller stating that directory link building isn't really effective. Should I trust my SEO, or is this a red flag? What are some questions I should ask them to see if they are legit? Thanks for your help.  

Answer 1

It's what they will probably do with a low budget SEO client I'm guessing. we run lots of link campaigns that cost anywhere from £1k-5k per month typically. These are guest posts or webmaster submitted content.  

Comments

@contrabandist Yeah I've tried guest posting, I actually got some decent success with it with a couple 70+ DA sites. I'm thinking i might just refocus on that. Just was hoping to avoid it because of how time intensive it is.  

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@photographer29307 DA is overused. We have our own blend of metrics using DA, DR, trust flow, traffic and keyword visability Doing something similar is sensible as it's an over used metric.  

Answer 2

Whats your niche and geo?  

Comments

@leftover personal finance in north america

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@photographer29307 - start with your business citations - trade assoc sites - bbb etc. lots low hanging fruit - you want to do basic stuff before u start going 200mph - otherwise you might blow a valve

Answer 3

Big red flag.  

Answer 4

If they are just revolving around them, then it can be a problem. Otherwise building the seo blocks around authoritative directories and classidied ads etc is not harmful.  

Answer 5

2nd hardest niche next to real estate in my opinion. Content, that is how you will rank. 3-4 pieces of original and awesome content. Citations. Then get someone to link to your content that is awesome.  

Comments

@chavarria that a joke? Have you ever tried to rank for lawyer terms?  

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Yeah, that's true. Finance is probably the hardest because it is not localized and it is national rankings you are after. Good call.  

Answer 6

Rule of thumb - ask for examples - ask for previous results

Answer 7

Thanks everyone. I think I will discontinue the service and just continue with guest posting. I hope my website won't be hurt by this :(

Comments

@photographer29307 sent you a pm

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Bullshit article.  

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You can always disavow if you're worried.  

Answer 8

I'm a backlink nerd. I spend about 4 to 6 hours a week analyzing websites and their backlinks and then analyzing those backlinks to see where they come from. I typically will only analyze the first 5 to 10 websites that rank for a keyword. You know what I've found. 98% of the websites at the top of the SERPS uses some directory links, guest posting, curated links, footer links, profile links, and guest posts. Every one of those types links will move the needle. Some more than others obviously. The trick is getting a diverse amount from each source. If all you have are the same type of link, it's a dead giveaway. Mix 'em up.  

Comments

@ubald hey great answer, thanks for sharing! I see what you're saying, I noticed that about my competitors with my research on Ahrefs.  

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@photographer29307 yep, through analyzing I've learned that pretty much everything Google says not to do or doesn't work, every uber SEO or affiliate company is using those and winning at it.  

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@ubald That's right. And I think reason is most SEO agencies are providing these type of "backlink packages". Don't you think it is not good strategy in the long run? I mean eventually Google will come with a algorithm to find pattern of such spammy links and reduce the ranking of such pages?  

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@inflationism If google could have found these links, they would have already done it. That's why they tell people not to build them. The people who get caught are generally the ones building massive amounts of links from one or two sources. Like sending 10, 000 comment links and 20, 000 profile links to a new site.  

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@ubald "if they could have done, they would have done it" - I don't really believe this. Things take time. They are still evolving and testing their algorithms everyday. I am sure they will soon come up with something to detect each and every spammy links.  

Answer 9

@ubald You nailed it. Its a fact, its just that some people make it too obvious n brag about it, get in trouble. :-)

Comments

I really think that those that get into trouble are the ones who will either order 250, 000 links at once for their 3 month old blog or build all the same type of link. Like have 200 comment links and nothing else.  

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@mattiematting and @ubald So I've worked with this company before, they've provided content for me which was great, but they also have an SEO division which is why i decided to hire them. They are only building around 20 links per month, for my 5 month old site. It seemed legit for me. I was mostly getting links from Guest posting before i hired them, but comments above and yours have highlighted that I can even get penalized for legit guest posting? Now I'm even more confused I think of what to do

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@photographer29307 everyone is freakin' out about the guest posting links. It's much ado about nothing. 20 links per month isn't a bad amount for a 5 month old website in finance. I'd continue having them build the links unless they're charging you an arm and leg. Those types of links are easy and cheap to get. At this point, you should be seeing some movement up the SERPS. Oh, those links are okay unless they use the same anchor. Mix it up!  

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ChrisLiew @ubald just mentioned massive amount of links. Just avoid any quicky service and focus more on ' Editorial ' and natural mentions i call them. They will follow you if you can manage to come up with quality content.  

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@ubald you mentioned they’re cheap and easy to get. Being somewhat new to the depths of SEO, where should I be looking to buy these so I can further my learning?  

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@synagogue you don't have to buy many of them. Just see who is ranking for the same terms you are. Take their domains and put them into Ahrefs or another program that will find their backlinks and get as many of the same ones they have. Then go to the website in the #2 position and do the same. By the time you've made it down to the #10 position, you'll have a lot of links built up. Depending on the niche, you'll find a lot of directory links. Some of these directories will cost anywhere from $5 to $100 to join. They're worth it.  

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@ubald ah okay, that’s fantastic, thank you. Being in web design, all my competitors have a lot of backlinks from client sites. I’ll keep an eye out for sites that aren’t their clients but are there other factors within the backlink I should be looking like citation flow, trust flow etc?  

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@synagogue I rarely pay any of that any attention. I go for the ones I can get easy and then start on the ones that need paid and/or an email sent to the webmaster asking how I can get a link on their site like "your competitior" got.  

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@ubald legend! Thanks mate, such obvious stuff ‍♂️

Answer 10

At the very least you are paying him to do something that will likely not make a difference long term. I lead the backlinking team for a company that has seen great success in the (extremely competitive) addiction treatment industry. I would be happy to discuss this more with you if you are interested.  

Answer 11

How much are you paying? This is the question