| As one of the most important off-page SEO factors | | | | of visitors pour into for a peek and tens of thousands |
| related to ranking, back links pointing to your site are | | | | of more links are pointing to my site (Daydreaming |
| generally weighted by number and relevance. The | | | | stops here). |
| more links from authoritative and related sites/pages, | | | | Will I get red-flagged by search engines for getting a |
| the better ranking potential a site has. In addition, proper | | | | huge number of links overnight? I don't think so. I am |
| use of anchor text can also boost your ranking | | | | basing this opinion on the axiom that search engines |
| (remember the Google Bombing Story?). But today | | | | are smart enough to recognize these links as coming |
| we'll discuss a different aspect of link building - what is | | | | from all kinds of sources (news, social networking, |
| the optimal rate (and speed!) for link building and will a | | | | blogs, forums, images, and so on). After all, in this |
| site be punished if it gets too many links over a very | | | | fictitious case study I did not launch a link campaign ; all |
| short period? This deserves some discussion because | | | | those websites spontaneously linked to me. My site's |
| many are still confused. | | | | popularity may have mushroomed quickly, but it did so |
| It's not a secret that search engines (at least Google) | | | | naturally, not artificially. |
| evaluate links also by it freshness and age. Other | | | | Of course, the celebrity photo scenario is rare (lucky |
| criteria include: -- Behavior of links including appearance | | | | celebrity!). So, if you just launched a new site or are |
| and disappearance over time. | | | | mainly using link farms (which, as we all know, are |
| --- Increase, decrease and freshness of links as a | | | | frowned upon by search engines) or directories to |
| trend. | | | | direct traffic to you, I'd suggest you slow down and |
| Anchor text freshness and how it changes over time. | | | | get a tad more focused on quality and relevance of |
| So the common sense suggests that a gradual and | | | | links to avoid warnings bells ringing all over California. |
| steady link popularity approach is advised. But my | | | | Bottom line, though: how much is too much, and what's |
| hunch is that building a great number of links overnight | | | | the recommended link building speed ? As so often in |
| will not necessarily trigger a red flag; all depends on the | | | | search engine optimization, expert opinions vary. |
| status of your site, how you build links and where they | | | | However, a good SEO Consultant would agree that 5 |
| come from. I'll use a scenario to illustrate my point. Say, | | | | - 10 new links per week are not excessive. And even |
| I have some, ah, very interesting photos of a | | | | this number has to be qualified: if all of a sudden 30 |
| well-known, ah, celebrity, which have never been seen | | | | blue chip links point to my website, I very much doubt |
| before and are sure to create a huge buzz. So I put | | | | that the Googles of this world would suspect foul play, |
| them on my website and they start viralling (my own | | | | such as me having milked a link farm (pun fully |
| word creation) around. Soon CNN and some other | | | | intended), or slipping IBM or the US Government a few |
| major news outlets get into the action and all major | | | | hundred bucks for a one-way link. |
| blog, social networking sites and forums are talking | | | | We should all be so lucky. |
| about these photos and linking to my site. Then, millions | | | | |
