Can this have a negative impact on your site?

[Stampy]

Had an offer from a well know SEO company, to place two articles written by them and containing an anchor text link on one of my ecommerce sites, on behalf of a rather large multinational.

They would require the two articles to be on separate pages, and linked to from the homepage. The articles would be relevant to the content of my site.

The price they're offering is a monthly amount the equivalent of the profit of about six product sales, so it's not huge, but better than nothing.

I can't think how it would negatively impact my site, apart from lose a bit of link juice. It shouldn't impact customers, as they would be unlikely to navigate to the articles.

Is there any other reason why this wouldn't be a good idea, that I haven't thought of?

Thanks in advance.

 

[david64]

This is becoming ever more common for SEO companies to do this. Not a good use of budget IMO.

Anyway, what they are offering to do is not really kosher with search engines, but if the articles look like they might otherwise be placed on your site, who is to know you have been paid for the placement. This company are offering you this for the sole reason of manipulating search results.

The only other negative is if the articles are not very good, they will not look good.

Those are the only two negatives as far as I am concerned.

 

[fisicx]

How exactly is this going to benefit you? Unless the articles contain searched for material nobody is ever going to read them. In any case, why pay them to write the articles, can't you do it yourself?

 

[Stampy]

Sorry Graham, it's probably the way I've worded it.

They're paying me. I'm not expecting any SEO benefit from it, purely financial!

 

[32cardinalpoints]

I would recommend if you are paying for the articles to be written on a niche subject which is related to your business that you post your articles to a list of article submission websites for example ezinearticles with a link back to your site's pages containing the articles.

This would help boost the popularity of your website within the search engines and help increase the number of external links to your website. Also, if the article has been written very well you may get other website owners with similiar sites requesting your permission to use the article on their website.

I cannot say this is a bad idea, but there could be better ways of spending your money by writing the article yourself and paying someone else to submit or add them to a list of article submission sites.

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

[Ali-v-8]

dont do it.
Any links off your home page to another website in the same industry is only negative.

google likes to go from A to B
Currently you are in an A to B position. (you are B)
If you do the link you are replacing b with the company your linking to instead.
you are now C

why would Google go from A to C to get to B
Simple logic.

 

[Stampy]

Sorry, I've obviously not explained it very well.

I would be being paid to host two articles on my ecommerce site, on behalf of a major mobile phone network. In each of the articles there would be one anchor text links to that network's main site. I will have a link to each of these articles on my homepage, that link to the pages on my site where the articles are based.

I don't sell mobile phones, or network communications, I sell (amongst many other things) solar chargers that can power mobile phones.

Hope that makes more sense!

 

[32cardinalpoints]

I understand it better now. I have come across a similar thing with one of my clients who was contacted by GoCompare who offered to write an article to be placed on his website with a link back to their website.

I really cannot see how it can benefit your website unless they are going to place a link from their website to yours. It is more to help their website achieve better search engine listings within the search engines.

If your article has been written with SEO in mind then it will help your website's page (with the article on) to get found within the search engines but you will also need to setup one way links on external websites with the same phrase the article has been written on.

I hope this helps you?

 

[Ali-v-8]

in which case do it but linking to the article from your home page seems a bit drastic.
would they not be happy with just an article page.

 

[Stampy]

Hi Paul, thanks for your response. As I've said, I'm not expecting it to benefit my site. The benefit is financial, because they're paying me.

I just wanted to see if it could have an adverse effect on my site, along the lines that Ali-v-8 suggested.

 

[32cardinalpoints]

No worries. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I would still recommend posting the articles written on article related websites with a link back to the article on your site.

 

[Stampy]

No worries. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I would still recommend posting the articles written on article related websites with a link back to the article on your site.

Not sure how this would help me? I have no interest in promoting those articles on my site, as they are just providing an anchor text link to the mobile phone network. They won't be using it for traffic either, they will just be using it as a link from a related site.

I do a bit of article marketing generally to my sites, but would not see any benefit of doing so for these particular articles. I would be quite happy for visitors and Google to ignore them completely!

 

[mojomedia]

There are more than just positions at stake in arangements like these:

If the articles are in any way promoting the products and services of the multinational, you would have to disclose at the begining of the article that you were recieving financial compensation for posting it, otherwise you are in breach of the [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD), particularly section 11, which prohibits:

"Using editorial content in the media to promote a product where a trader has paid for the promotion without making that clear in the content or by images or sounds clearly identifiable by the consumer"

Hope this helps

[/FONT]

 

[Ali-v-8]

There are more than just positions at stake in arangements like these:

If the articles are in any way promoting the products and services of the multinational, you would have to disclose at the begining of the article that you were recieving financial compensation for posting it, otherwise you are in breach of the [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD), particularly section 11, which prohibits:

"Using editorial content in the media to promote a product where a trader has paid for the promotion without making that clear in the content or by images or sounds clearly identifiable by the consumer"

Hope this helps

[/FONT]

No, they just have to make it clear it is an advertisement not that they been paid for it

 

[Stampy]

I've seen an example of the type of articles on another site. They are not advertising the product or service, and make no mention of the company involved. They are a general article around the subject matter, and just use the targetted keyword as a contextual anchor text link.

So it's SEO, rather than advertising. If that makes sense.

 

[Ali-v-8]

I've seen an example of the type of articles on another site. They are not advertising the product or service, and make no mention of the company involved. They are a general article around the subject matter, and just use the targetted keyword as a contextual anchor text link.

So it's SEO, rather than advertising. If that makes sense.

Yes you're right. i class it as seo adverts.
You create a article to target the term. The link back is worth every penny if the page tittle metas and page contain the term linking back.

But the thing mister Mojo was quoting was wrong. you don't need to say that your getting paid. you just need people to know its an advert IF you get paid.
Its to combat advertisers tricking people into believing an advert is an actual article

 

[mojomedia]

Yes you're right. i class it as seo adverts.
You create a article to target the term. The link back is worth every penny if the page tittle metas and page contain the term linking back.

But the thing mister Mojo was quoting was wrong. you don't need to say that your getting paid. you just need people to know its an advert IF you get paid.
Its to combat advertisers tricking people into believing an advert is an actual article

My apologies for not being clear: yes, so long as you make clear it is an advertisement you don't also have to explicitly specify that you have been paid to publish it (though one could argue an unpaid advertisement isn't an ad at all...)

As an example the articles in the back of Vogue are clearly labeled "Advertorial" where they are promoting products in an editorial style and for which they have been paid.

That this is a common SEO practice does not alter that fact that websites which are operated in or by an organisation within the UK are subject to the [FONT=Arial, sans-serif] UCPD as it was amended last year specifically to encompass this very scenario, along with paid-for-post blogging and fake reviews. Just to be clear - this isn't a guideline, it's law - the last time I checked the penalty includes a fine of up to £5000 and 2 years in jail.

If you're still unsure I strongly urge you to check with your solicitor to verify the circumstances of your particular situation.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[Stampy]

Interesting points, and ones that I had not been aware of, thank you.

Just to be certain though - how can an article be classed as an advert if it does not refer to the organisation or product in question? Is it because it would have a clickable link in it? For example, the article could be about the ecological benefits of a solar phone charger (not a specific model, just in general), and have "phone charger" as the anchor text link.

Because I've got articles published on various blogs and article sites with links in them back to my ecommerce sites, and these have not been classified as adverts.

 

[david64]

Stampy, does the SEO company that contacted you to place this article on your site have a colour in their company name?

 

[Stampy]

Stampy, does the SEO company that contacted you to place this article on your site have a colour in their company name?

They may well do David. Hypothetically, if they did, what would your thoughts be?

 

[david64]

Just to be certain though - how can an article be classed as an advert if it does not refer to the organisation or product in question?

If the article has links that stick out as paid links like sore thumbs it will be pretty obvious that it is paid. See this site as an example:

http://terryurban.com/

It's just a farm for selling links with a view to manipulating search results. If the article they want to place is the same sort of blatant manipulation as that it will obvious you have been paid to place the links.

However, the companies that offer to place these article on your site usually do a good job of making them look natural. Some of them will even get links to the page. Their aim is to simulate natural links.

 

[david64]

They may well do David. Hypothetically, if they did, what would your thoughts be?

My thoughts would be that this company does this on a large scale if its the company I am thinking of.

 

[mojomedia]

I've got articles published on various blogs and article sites with links in them back to my ecommerce sites, and these have not been classified as adverts.

Hi Stampy, this is always where the water gets muddy, we generally advise on the following lines:

If you've released an article for syndication that has backlinks to your site, but haven't paid, or otherwise reimbursed, the publishers for using it - you're in the clear. The publishers choose to post your article because they believe it has value to their readership, a similar situation to linkbait.

If you've paid a blogger or website owner to publish the article then you're in "stealth marketing" territory, the fact that the article itself isn't explicitly promoting your product is irrelevant is the article links back to your product (and not competitors). In these cases we tell our clients to stay clear.

The criminalisation of online stealth marketing is fairly new ground and the battle lines have yet to be drawn with significant test cases in the courts. The fact that you are potentially dealing with a major brand won't help or hinder from this respect.

If you're in for the long haul, I'd recommend you protect yourself and your brand. If you're going for hit and run tactics, well it's up to you if you want to take the chance.

Regarding straight-out SEO impact on your site for posting these articles, it's not likely to be significant. Adding the extra link to the homepage will marginally dilute the PageRank flow to your internal pages, and you may damage your perceived integrity with some of your audience. If the monetary offer is not particularly significant, I woudn't entertain it.

I hope this has helped and not just added to the confusion!

 

[malcolmcoles]

I suggest you read this:
http://www.insiders-view.co.uk/gocompare-banned-again/00465
and the links off it, especially this one:
http://www.redcardinal.ie/link-building/20-04-2009/link-building-in-ultra-competitive-niches/

You are effectively selling links from a website that makes you money. Is the risk of a search engine penalisation worth the few quid you'd be getting?

 

[Stampy]

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I've decided not to go ahead with it. My site is not their to promote anyone elses at the end of the day, and I'm not going to risk it's success for a few extra quid.