Google PageRank Update was a Non-Event
After this PageRank update was finished, sites that dropped one point in PageRank basically stayed the same. All that Google did was turn the PageRank meter up a bit driving the average PageRank down by one point across the web. So a PR7 has the same value as a PR8 one week ago. Read more
Masive Link Packages Rocking in Google
Everyday I study the Google SERPs and continue to be happily amazed. I find it ironic that for all the tough paid link talk, Google seems to love crappy paid links more than ever. Link buyers with new sites that bought those 1,000 -10,000 non relevant link packages over the past 6 months are happy as pigs in slop as many are ranking with the big boys now.
Normally turnover on these packages is fairly high as new webmasters give up after three or four months without measurable results. Now that they are killing the SERPs non-renewals are almost non-existent over the past 4 months.
Still, I have to think this complete loss of the ability to manage link spam is a temporary Google glitch (one that can make someone several thousand dollars in the right niche). It is also a great opportunity for those that have 100,000s of links to sell because SEOs are buying up as many links as possible for their clients.
It’s funny, I’ll see an SEO preach about buying high quality relevant links and they are the first ones to buy up all the garbage links - I think they know what I am seeing and don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Let the competitors run scared while they slash and burn.
But stubbornly I stick to my mantra (for now) - Buy links in the existing content of relevant websites.
Now Is Your Chance to Buy High PR Links Cheap
Several reports have come in over the last few days of PR9 and PR8 websites that sell paid links having their PR downgraded by one point. While Google is still running its “I love all backlinks algorithm“, if you are a buyer, this is your chance to get on a high powered site at a deeply discounted rate. PR9s that were selling at ~$1000 per month a week ago can now be had for ~$300 per month. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If your site is already ranking well, I do not recommend buying and footer or sidebar links whatever the pagerank, but if your site is in Google never-never land, one of these links could pop it into the realm of real SERPs. If the affected high pagerank website still ranks the same, a PR9 a week ago is still a PR9, even if Google shaved a point off of visible PR to hurt the sellers pocket books and give squirrelly buyers and sellers a scare.
Take stock of what you have to gain or lose and make your best decision based on where your site stands. This is a low risk, high reward opportunity for those smart enough to take advantage.
10 Ways Google Can Spot Paid Links
With all of their spidering and datacenter power, it should be very easy for Google to spot paid links. However, they continue to give top 10 rankings to sites having nothing but obvious paid backlinks.
To make things easy for Google engineers, I have created a top 10 list on how to spot paid links. Read more
An Example of Where Not to Buy Links
Money hungry bloggers never cease to amaze me. Here you have another blog bragging about selling text links and advertising just about every link program under the sun. Do link buyers on John Chow’s blog really think that his links have any value other than putting money in his pocket? The saddest part is what he is making is not even worth bragging about 
Please, link buyers use your common sense, don’t buy links from a site like his, at best you are flushing money down the toilet, at worst you risk being labeled as a text link buyer.
Buyers – if you want to save money and get actual results use the Jazz Link Buy Rule: Purchase links in the existing content of great websites related to your site that don’t look like (or advertise) they sell links. Buyer wins, seller wins.
Text-Link-Ads Banned by Google
Yes, I know this is old news. However what is a bit strange is that everyone in the SEO community knows about it but very few have written about what happened and why. The question that lingers is why was Text-Link-Ads banned (or perhaps penalized)? Why was one of the original text link brokerages banned by Google while others were untouched? At SES, there were two theories floating around: Read more