10 Types of Backlinks to Avoid

Gaining quality backlinks is a challenge most webmasters spend a great deal of time fretting over. There are several different techniques to generate incoming links - some methods do a wonderful job but there are just as many that cause more damage than good.

Most of the time, you can experiment and try out a few different ways to do something to determine what's best for your website. When it comes to backlinks, testing the wrong method can mean eternal doom for your domain name. Manipulating the search engines is a guaranteed way to remove your website from Google, Yahoo, and other major search listings.

Before submitting your website to a directory listing, be sure the site is a legitimate directory. Scraper directories steal traffic rather than driving more and typically use frames, no-follow tags, or simply omit the backlinks intended for your site. Gaining links from these websites will benefit their rankings rather than your own.

In Google's eyes, any types of link schemes are not approved and can seriously decrease your rankings. This includes buying, swapping, and giving away links simply to generate links. There are some reputable programs that have developed acceptable methods but traditional link farms and backlink exchanges are noticed by search spiders.

A common tactic among some internet marketers is to publish a collection websites, generally with the same content on each, just for the purpose of directing links to the sites in hopes of better rankings. These sites are typically filtered out of the search results, especially when the content provides little use or entertainment to the online community.

There are a variety of programs available online that promise to increase backlinks to your website. Typically this is done with a software script that can be set to run automatically, leaving comments on forums and blogs that include your links. These scripts are annoying to other webmasters, are often ineffective because the comments are blocked by spam catchers, and can get your website blacklisted by search engines.

Just as backlinks from respected, high ranking websites can provide great benefits to your own, backlinks from blacklisted websites or those deemed unsuitable by search engines can damage your standings. Avoid incoming links from gambling sites, adult entertainment, and other questionable niche communities.

Directories are a great way to drive traffic to your website, but not all are effective link building tools. If you're hoping to gain a solid backlink from a directory listing, look for the following characteristics:

• The directory page is included in the website's navigational links and/or sitemap.

• The page is not using the nofollow or noindex attribute.

• The directory should be a static database rather than dynamic so it is easily read by search robots.

• Organized links arranged in categories or grouped by similar topics. A mish-mash of urls thrown on a page generally signifies spam to the search engines.

Remember that website directories are not bad and can increase traffic to your site - but most will not generate quality backlinks.

Once upon a time in internet land, everyone traded links. Blogrolls and link lists are still quite common in the blogosphere but "trading links" is not an acceptable way to build links. Google actually states that "Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging ("Link to me and I'll link to you.")" is in violation of their webmaster agreement.

As with most website directories, buying sidebar links is a wonderful way to generate new traffic but it is not an effective way to increase page rank with backlinks. Because blogrolls and reading lists are such an integral part of online communities, search robots place very little importance on these links. Backlinks within the site content are best.

Whether you're buying links or building links between your own websites, it is important to remember that the most benefit will come from a variety of natural incoming links. Search robots scan the words within the link, as well as the text surrounding it. A large number of backlinks from the same website or with the same context may signal warning flags to search engines.

Many website owners create separate web pages specifically to host their outgoing links. Before listing your website on such a page, it is important to consider how many urls are on the page and the rank of that page. Your backlink will receive its share of influence based on this information so a listing on a high ranking website will still have little effect if there are dozens of other links listed as well.

While there are several ways to increase the number of backlinks to your website without bringing punishment from the search gods, the safest and most effective technique is still high quality, completely original content that generates incoming links because of its worth - not the author's online popularity.