When is Asking For Links NOT a Link Scheme? Ask Google and The Answer is Far From Clear

SEO is ever changing. And a lot of it is (very educated) guesswork and experimentation. It is also about trying to make sense of the little information that Google does share, because much of this can be both confusing and conflicting. When I make this kind of statement though, usually people who don't work in SEO have a hard time believing me. It can't be that complicated and changeable. But it is. And today I wanted to share a good example with you that illustrates this. For those in SEO, I hope it is interesting. For those who are not, I hope it illustrates just how tough SEO REALLY is. 

The Asking for Links Conundrum

Links are a very important part of any SEO strategy for all websites. However, it can be a pretty grey area for site owners to request links, especially when those links are in exchange for something else, such as content or money. And mostly, those are clearly a violation of Google’s Webmaster guidelines. Several months ago, Google's Search Liaison Danny Sullivan, who used to be an SEO himself, was asked about link building through content published on other sites, which most SEOs have long considered a  very grey area. According to Sullivan, there’s still plenty of room to request links without having any negative implications from Google. In the past John Mueller and Gary Illyes from Google have often said, if you’re when you’re asking for a link, that probably isn’t a natural link and could be a webmaster guidelines violation. But, according to Sullivan, asking for a link is fine. Confused yet?

Here is how Google describes a link scheme in the context of articles.  “Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and in violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.”  Most people giving free content for links are not doing it from the goodness of their hearts–they are doing it for links.  Yes, there are some that want the exposure or traffic, but those are from very well known sites in those markets, and the reality is more and more of them are either refusing to link or nofollow those links so they do not run into problems with linking to lower quality sites or sites they don’t want to vouch for.

Buying or selling links that pass PageRank. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links; exchanging goods or services for links; or sending someone a “free” product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link

Yes, a free piece of content could be considered “goods or services” when it is republished for the links.

Then there’s also the specific link scheme for article marketing.

Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links

Here is what Sullivan said.

Now in theory, this would refer to sites like Reuters or Associated Press. But most of those articles republished don’t have links back to the original source, although they do often cite the news service the article came from.

Then there are sites like Medium, where the content is often republished from other sites, such as personal blogs.  Writers import their content that has been published previously, and Medium automatically includes the canonical to the original source.

Google does include info on linking and syndication in their help documents as well–but with no mention specifically of canonicals and also without mention of nofollow.

Syndicate carefully: If you syndicate your content on other sites, Google will always show the version we think is most appropriate for users in each given search, which may or may not be the version you’d prefer. However, it is helpful to ensure that each site on which your content is syndicated includes a link back to your original article. You can also ask those who use your syndicated material to use the noindex meta tag to prevent search engines from indexing their version of the content.

Something also important to consider here is that canonicals are only a suggestion, not a definitive, so content could outrank the original, especially if it is just with a regular link and not a canonical.

Note that even you you explicitly choose a canonical page, Google might choose a different canonical for various reasons such as performance or content.

There are many sites that carefully vet any content they publish. There are many who don’t, and are looking for the free content instead, regardless of whether it has been published before.

In the first example, it is specific to syndication and canonicals.  But the conversation quickly moves on to more general links for content discussions.

Now, this isn’t a canonical link he is describing but a regular link.  And linking with the same headline–considering keywords are often in the headline, that is instant rich anchor text for an article.

Sullivan even took it further, stating that if you’re sharing contents and you’re making a link back a requirement for publishing that content, he also agrees that’s perfectly fine.

But then it gets even more complicated. If a license agreement requires a link back to the sites, this is intent. But Sullivan seems to disagree and calls it “nuance and perspective.”

But where is the line drawn between a link scheme and a mere link campaign in exchange for content, specifically syndicated or otherwise?  There is a reason Google has discouraged the practice of guest blogging for links for years.

Sullivan also talks a lot about intent, and he feels that site owners should not be afraid to ask for a link. He says the difference is when it is moving into whether you want the link for content just to help rank, but unless it is an extremely well known and respected publication, it’s likely that someone wants that link for the SEO value and not just the traffic.

 

Now, even with Sullivan’s comments, algorithms are algorithms and they may not differentiate between what is a legitimate link exchange for content republication and what is simply what we know as being a guest post. Because even as Sullivan describes as, they can definitely be one and the same.

With how Penguin works, these types of links might be discounted automatically, meaning a lot of work for links you think should be legitimate as how Sullivan describes, yet give no link value at all.

And you also need to think about link related manual actions. Will a person at Google who is handing out manual actions for links know if the links are gained legitimately as per how Sullivan describes or not?  Because even if you feel you are in the clear according to Sullivan, a manual action for links can still result in a significant loss of traffic and potential revenue for a site, not to mention the time for a reconsideration request to be reviewed, and you might still end up with the manual action if the reviewer doesn’t agree with your view on those links.

In a nutshell, the exchange raises more questions than it answers for many SEOs. And suddenly, guest blogging, especially if you call it syndication, seems be back on the menu. Or maybe not. Like many SEOs, when an issue is as murky as this one, I tend to experiment with my own sites rather than risk a client's, so our research into this issue is still ongoing.