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Do Backlink Advertising Networks Really Work?
When I first heard of backlink advertising networks, I have to admit I was more than a bit skeptical. Of course backlinks are probably the most important tool in the search engine optimization kit, but buying or acquiring backlinks in an unnatural way has always been something Google and other major search engines do not condone. I took a look at a few networks hoping to find some answers.
The first network I looked at was DigitalPoint's Coop Advertising Network (http://www.digitalpoint.com). DigitalPoint's network allows you to create either banner or text ads that will then be displayed on various websites in the network with an active backlink. Websites receive a "weight" which determines how often they appear on other sites, although it wasn't exactly clear on how a site gains weight. Further reading explained that certain factors such as Alexa Rank and number of pages showing ads may contribute to weight. It was even possible to target your ads by category. I was very impressed with the setup. So, I installed the ad network on a few websites and, sure enough, the system started to churn out backlinks.
After testing out the network, I decided to read what others were saying in their forums. Sure enough, my worst fears were realized. As I suspected, churning out links can have a negative impact on search engine rankings. Various sites complained of being completely dropped from Google or Yahoo's index. The problem, it seems, was that links were not permanent. DigitalPoint's network rotates links as you reload a page so you have no permanent backlinks. I immediately removed the links from my sites, and moved on to analyze the next network.
The next backlink advertising network I found was AdCaliber (http://www.adcaliber.com). I quickly read over their FAQ and was pleased to find that they promised permanent backlinks that only get removed when I choose. Other than that, the system seemed similar to DigitalPoint although it was a bit ......
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