Ten Commandments of Link Building

(updated May 2017)

I – Linkest not just to seek favor from Google*
(*If your site’s success is dependeth on Google alone, it shall destroy you, or worse, be featured in the Knowledge Graph without attribution. The irony…)

II – Those who link in exchange for gold are link whores*
*Caveats:
a) Linking in exchange for return link is sometimes kind of slutty
b) Philosophically, LinkMoses agrees that all links are paid in one form or another, but this discussion gives LinkMoses a headache and he wanders the desert pondering this conundrum, which my clients do not appreciate.
c). Offering discounts to students via links on .edu domains. So you think you’re clever. You think you’re not leaving a sandal print the engines can spot? Fools, all of ye. I recently saw an edu discount for paternity testing kits. Demographically relevant? Sure, but slimy. If you’re in college and need a paternity testing kit, saving 10% on it is the least of your worries.

III – Thou shalt not link to thine own site from 367 different social media profiles. And don’t get me started on link wheels.

IIIb – Thou shalt not take advantage of Google’s current love-fest with Pinterest (look who ranks top 10 for How to Build Links with Infographics even though LinkMoses has never created one and hasn’t updated that Pinterest page in years), nor will thee send an email to all employees telling them to Plus the corporate homepage.

*Caveats
a) It is completely acceptable to include a couple of those cute little share, tweet, etc., buttons on your own content. They work nicely. Here, try this one: Tweet This Now

b). If you seed YELP with fake reviews, a swarm of locusts will follow you to the next SMX conference, or worse, you might get sued.

IV – If thou beginest thy link request email “To whometh, it may concern”, it shall hastily be deleteth

IVb – Please stop sending emails to LinkMoses that begin: “I just came across your site“. No, you didn’t. Lying to LinkMoses has dire consequences. I know a guy…

V- Thou shalt not refer to thine content as “link bait”, any more than thou shall refer to your site’s users as “Carp”. It’s insulting to both sides.

VI – Thou shalt study and analyze, but never covet, thy neighbor’s links*
(*if thou doest covet them, please limit your desires to highest trust TLDs, and remember that mimicking competitor links is wise, but should never be the core of your overall strategy. And just to be clear, extra shame is reserved for those who volunteer to be webmaster at child’s school and then secretly add anchor text links back to your company site.

VII – Thou shalt never use the name ~~Matt Cutts~~ (or anyone who works on the Google spam team) in vain*
(*at least not where it can be crawled, and be careful with javascript and flash, they can read it now)

VIII – Just because you thinketh bing search is stupideth does not giveth thee permission to link spameth them

VIIIb – If you do so under the guise of “testing“, it’s not a formal violation of this commandment.

IX – If thou has truly reformeth, beg forgiveness via the reconsideration formeth
(If you receive no response, do not hang thine head. Contact LinkMoses and he may be able to deliver a formal scroll documenting your heathenism so it can be cleansed in an attempt at link reformation. LinkMoses does of course charge for this as he has three children who require much Manna)

X – The link schemer may eat today, but the link earner eateth from a bountiful table for a lifetime

Link and share wisely,

Eric

[Note: While you’re here make sure to check out my Link Building Strategies & Best Practices, Link Building Myths, Link Request Email Tips posts.]

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