MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

As SEM becomes more of an increasingly prominent entity in the marketing arena, so do “experimental tactics”. As Jane Copland mentions in a very thoughtful post, Google doesn’t like tricks, but without some kind of tactic, where would that leave our industry? It’s just about being clever with your “tactics” and ensuring that you don’t use them in any kind of manipulative and malicious manner.

Keep under Google’s radar and you will be ok, but what exactly is under the radar and how far can you go before you get whacked over the head by Matt Cutts?

Linkbait has been a contentious issue for some time; it’s a necessary evil and if used correctly, will create buzz and interest along with the obvious benefit of increased links and traffic.

Copeland points out that, generally speaking, what we do with linkbait is not in the best interest of the user. Google are stringent on this point, as according to them, end user interest is paramount.

Linkbait can be manipulative, but this is appropriate within different contexts; it’s the interesting content that attracts interest, and therefore a large amount of links, fast. This is the same as “not so legit” tactics, like link buying, aid the speedy acquisition process of gaining a significantly large amount of links to a site within a tiny timeframe.

The trickery comes in the fact that these people who give in to your link baiting are totally unaware that they are being baited. Even though Google could work out what sites are implementing these tactics, they choose to ignore this because the linking takes place by choice, using the editorial judgment of the linkers. There is no bullying and no financial exchange.

In actual fact, Google has considered link bait as acceptable and quality content is quality content. Relevancy is important however, and if one is to use linkbait in a legitimate manner it should be filtered by Google, just as Google filters everything else. Linkbait on a Deck Building website about “comparing music tastes” or something completely unrelated should be flagged.

But often it isn’t tagged, and irrelevant linkbait from anywhere has been an accepted practice. Why would this not have an effect on page rank if Google page rank was all about quality, relevance and authority content? Relevancy and link-bait should go hand in hand.

So if Widgets and other linkbait techniques are allowed as long as link buying doesn’t occur, what does this mean for Google? Well it cannot be doubted that they are recognising Linkbait as a profitable link building strategy. How long will it be until the crack down?

Despite the controversial reputation of link baiting, many corporations are implementing the strategy to gain momentum, interest and traffic by detaching the piece of link bait from the main website. Temporarily… until they make the switch and the context becomes all- important.

So in effect, smart corporations are attracting a large amount of links and then redirecting it to a place whereby that can pull in business without penalty. It’s actually quite sneaky; sneaky but effective.

Within context and relevancy, it’s all happiness, for now at least. Great content is great content but how long till Google draw their swords? I’m sure they will, just as they did with reporting paid links. The SERP police are out and they are not going away anytime soon.