Google Hits Yet Another Link Network

It’s no secret that for a long while now Google has been cracking down on those that try and manipulate page rankings for their own ends.

Therefore, when last week yet another link network was hit, they couldn’t say that they weren’t warned.

Just to reiterate how serious they are, last week Mat Cutts head of the Webspam team at Google stated they were “scaling up their plans to take on the link networks.”

So What’s a Link Network Anyway?

If you’re wondering exactly what a link network is, then these are sites that you pay a monthly fee to in order to add your own site to the network. When you use these sites you can submit content to them with a link leading right back to their sites. The links in turn passes PR value and helps you to rank better. A good idea in theory and for many thousands of link users it worked, but however you sugar coat it, it’s still page rank manipulation and that’s something that Google hates.

You could say that the storm has been brewing for some time with more and more companies springing up over the past few years. However, the search engine struck a huge blow in March of 2023 when BuildMyRank got hit. As a result, the service was shut down once and for all and refunds were handed out to thousands of unhappy customers. The company initially thought that Google would allow their service, as in their words; “They felt they provided a better quality service”. However Google didn’t see it that way.

In the latest round of link network hits Google just released a statement saying that “They had taken action against several thousand link sellers that bought and sold links as part of a link network.” There is much speculation as to which link network this is, but a quick search will undoubtedly reveal all.

So Does this Mean the End of Quick and Easy Manipulation Tactics?

The problem is that Google is always going to be chasing its tail. There’s always going to be someone out there who invents a system that goes against the grain; that sails in that grey area between what the Search Engine thinks is acceptable and what isn’t. Yes, these individuals may make money and in some cases a lot of money for a while, but like the tortoise and the hare, Google will eventually catch up.