Key takeaways
- Google defines link spam as links created primarily to manipulate rankings.
- Buying or selling links for ranking and excessive link exchanges are named examples.
- Publishing on a strong site only to borrow its reputation is site reputation abuse.
- Earned links come from things worth citing: data, local involvement and expert input.
What does Google count as link spam?
Google's spam policies define link spam as creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate search rankings. The examples include buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges, automated programs that create links and large-scale article campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text. A provider selling packages of such links is selling risk.
The full list is in Google's spam policies. When you check a white label partner, ask exactly where links come from, a question also covered in how to choose a white label SEO provider.
What is site reputation abuse?
It is publishing third-party content on a host site mainly to benefit from that host's ranking signals, which it earned with its own first-party content. Paid sections of news or university sites with unrelated coupons or reviews are typical examples. Google treats it as spam, so the placement can lose its value quickly.
Which link building tactics are safe?
Tactics where the link is a natural result of something useful: original data or surveys journalists can cite, expert quotes for reporters, genuine partnerships and associations, local sponsorships and events listed on the organizer's site, guides other sites want to reference and reclaiming unlinked brand mentions. Each link should make sense even if search engines didn't exist.
- Every placement is relevant to the client's industry or location.
- Anchor text is natural, mostly the brand or a plain description.
- Paid or sponsored placements are qualified as such, never sold as editorial.
- The client can see every link in the report, with the page it sits on.
Links for local clients
Yes, as part of prominence, one of the three factors Google names for local ranking, alongside reviews and the business's presence across the web. For a plumber, a link from the local trade association or a community sponsorship is worth more than dozens of unrelated blog posts.
What a link report should show
The URL of each link, the site, why it is relevant, the date, the anchor text and whether it is followed. If a provider can't show this, treat it as one of the common outsourcing mistakes. Our approach is described on white label link building, part of our white label SEO services.
Frequently asked questions
Is any paid link allowed?
Paid placements are fine for traffic or awareness if they are qualified as paid and not used to manipulate rankings.
Are guest posts link spam?
Not by themselves. Large-scale guest posting with keyword-rich anchor links is listed by Google as link spam.
Can bad links hurt a client's site?
Google says sites that break its spam policies may rank lower or not appear in results. The safest path is not to build such links at all.
How many links does a client need each month?
There is no correct number. Relevance and quality matter far more than volume.
Should we disavow old links?
Only when there is a clear pattern of paid or spammy links, or a manual action. Most sites never need it.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is a senior SEO specialist with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships and supervises the SEO of 18 US e-commerce stores. He runs White Label SEO LATAM from Medellín, Colombia, and delivers white label SEO for agencies in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Read more · LinkedIn.