SEO Strategy: Paid Links Can Hurt Paying for links to your website can actually counteract your SEO strategy. Unless the webmaster of the linking site tells Search Engines not to follow the paid link, using a snippet of code, Google and other search engines could penalize your website for it. Many business owners and marketers are unaware of this rule, and are unknowingly thwarting their SEO strategy. Buying links can be a viable choice, if done correctly and for the right reasons. Here are some things you should know when purchasing links: Purchase links only as a direct advertising strategy, not an SEO strategy. If the linking site will not generate enough qualified traffic to justify the cost, don’t bother. Search Engines know when a link has been paid for. Make sure the linking website prevents Search Engines from following the links they sell, otherwise your site will actually be penalized and ranked lower. Only buy links from websites which target the same demographic … [Read more...]