SEO Tycoon

**bigcat1967** · 02-20-2010, 01:52 PM

Well...what Chris (the moderator) has said in the past that backlinking isn't SEO - how true that is.

Here's the deal. For the past year, I have seen some of my backlinks take some of my client's websites to the first page in both competitive and non-competitive niches. However, the last three months, backlinks - especially sig links (where I used to call them my "bread and butter" links) - have not taken any of my client's websites up in the SERPs. Article marketing, Press Releases, Web 2.0, nothing is working anymore. Sure - I'm getting decent referral traffic - but as far as organic...nothing. I've paid other people to backlink to different sites as well for testing purposes - nothing.

I'm here today to say from my tests and others - that backlinking is dead if we want to go about it SEO wise. It can get you some solid referral traffic - but I really don't believe that backlinks help any sites move up the SERPs.

I believe possibly Google has changed their algorithm - because in the past - backlinking has helped me in the SERPs. That's no longer the case.

I'll leave my sig links on like the ones below for referral traffic....

Just wondering if anyone has noticed a difference with their backlinking? Do you believe that it is dead when it comes in boosting your site up in the SERPs?

**edgray** · 02-20-2010, 03:28 PM

I totally agree with you on the forum links, I've noticed the very same thing myself recently. Ordinarily, a couple of thousand forum posts used to be sufficient to bolster some decent positions in the SERPs, recently however, that seems to have changed.

That said, I don't agree with you that backlinking doesn't help sites move up the rankings. The system of counting backlinks is what makes the Google results so much better than everyone elses, and is the very core of their algorithm.

Before Google was born, Larry & Serge theorised that in a network of interlinking documents, the pages with the most links pointing to them would contain the best information. This is what Google is all about. No amount of SEO is going to push your site up the rankings. Basically, SEO is just getting Google to understand your page, but it's linking (which is akin to democratic votes) is what pushes you up in the SERPs.

I'm guessing that Google, ever striving for better results, want links to be natural and not due to some SEOer dropping them everywhere.

Don't disregard backlinking, it's still as important as it ever was, we just have to much more clever and creative about how we get them.

**FenceGuy** · 02-20-2010, 06:35 PM

I agree with Ed, I think this has been coming on for a while with Google, more natural links will be important to make it up the searches anymore.

The other links are still good for referrals and brand awareness, but having content that people actually want to link to will be more important now.

**gillian2009** · 02-20-2010, 10:10 PM

I think sig links still have value because it is still provide backlinks. And getting backlinks will mean traffic. Inbound backlinks from other sites who have your link have a greater value. But what matters here is that it create an added backlinksto your site.

**tomson84** · 02-21-2010, 09:04 AM

I have seen a few websites that are number in in google for the top competitive keywords without links (in fact 1 link according to google and 12 according to yahoo). I failed to figure out why it ranks number one as it does not fulfill any condition from SEO point of view. The keyword is not in domain, not in title and it is still number one in Google.

**chrishirst** · 02-21-2010, 09:24 AM

Quote:

I failed to figure out why it ranks number one as it does not fulfill any condition from SEO point of view. The keyword is not in domain, not in title and it is still number one in Google.

Do we take that you haven't quite figured out either is that " The keyword is not in domain, not in title " obviously means that what you have read about "SEO" is complete garbage then??

**dvduval** · 02-21-2010, 03:52 PM

I never really thought of them as an "seo thing". They are more useful to let people know what you do. I often click on people's signatures because I am interested in seeing what they do in their business.

**Fusion BPO** · 02-22-2010, 12:41 AM

Link in content is more valuable now a days. Some visitor click on the signature because they they want to know your website.

**hannah123** · 02-22-2010, 05:12 AM

Signature links are a great source of traffic as well as back links. In fact most of us are posting on this forum just for gaining backlinks from signatures....

R u people agree with me.

**sajan1kota** · 02-22-2010, 12:33 PM

Natural linking is more important than forum posting,blog commenting.

**blue-dreamer** · 02-22-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvduval

I never really thought of them as an "seo thing". They are more useful to let people know what you do. I often click on people's signatures because I am interested in seeing what they do in their business.

Spot on DV!

And that's how most of the known world sees signature links, except certain folks that badge themselves with "seo".

**surgeryhuston** · 02-22-2010, 09:32 PM

Then why do we have an SEO forum?
Of course there is some value in links. Do you think google just throws all the sites in a hat and picks one out?
Use your noodle people.

**amorsolo** · 02-22-2010, 09:46 PM

We really can't tell, changes in the Google Algo are no longer announced so we really can't tell the exact weight of backlinks nowadays.

The best thing to do is to focus not only in one link building strategy but to use as many as we can or as much as we can afford to. Directory submission, articles, blog commenting, social sites, bookmarking sites, squidoo, forum signatures, etc.

But one thing I've noticed with forum signatures, even if their value does not count much with Google, is that they drive referral traffic to my sites effectively.

**eagleshot** · 02-22-2010, 11:15 PM

Ok... I have done a test on this lately. I have seen that some forums hold water over others. I did 50 forum posts for 1 keyword for a local small business owner. His keyword went from being ranked in Google from 78 to 3 in 12 days. That forum was a PR-2. Then I did the same thing with the same site, different keyword (both keywords in description, in Title, and the keyword had the same competition) on a PR-7 sight. I did 50 forum posts for 1 keyword and it went from 66-58 in 12 days.

I was baffled!

**Jon Michel** · 02-23-2010, 01:19 AM

I Don't thing so dear, back links has a major role in building your site value in the eyes of Google. If you have a number of good quality or high quality back links then obviously they helps you in boosting your rank in SERP.

**jef** · 02-23-2010, 02:33 AM

i think forum signature with backlink is effective ways to increase traffic and PR for you're website .....

Thanks

**chrishirst** · 02-23-2010, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by surgeryhuston

Then why do we have an SEO forum?

What exactly have that got to do with the question???

Quote:

Originally Posted by surgeryhuston

Of course there is some value in links. Do you think google just throws all the sites in a hat and picks one out?
Use your noodle people.

Maybe you should have READ THE WHOLE QUESTION!!

**edgray** · 02-23-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by surgeryhuston

Then why do we have an SEO forum?
Of course there is some value in links. Do you think google just throws all the sites in a hat and picks one out?
Use your noodle people.

none of any of that makes any kind of coherent sense whatsoever.

Apart from the bit about the noodle.

**veikoh** · 02-23-2010, 05:51 AM

So, why Google Webmaster Tools are showing me those signature links if they do not have any value?
I have established over a thousand backlinks to my site, however Webmaster Tools is showing less than 100 out of them. When I make a link search in Google, I never got more than few pages showing up.
At least I still have success getting to with the keywords I have used in backlinks anchor texts.

**chrishirst** · 06:38 AM

Quote:

So, why Google Webmaster Tools are showing me those signature links if they do not have any value?

Because they are links! the simple fact that it shows them doesn't mean they count for anything.

Quote:

I have established over a thousand backlinks to my site, however Webmaster Tools is showing less than 100 out of them. When I make a link search in Google, I never got more than few pages showing up.

And?
http://www.modtalk.co.uk/article/c-a...link-counting/