Backlink services were probably one of the fastest growing methods for promoting a web site quickly a year ago. They used underhanded, but not forbidden, methodologies for instantly driving traffic to a new web site without actually doing any work or going through the tried and true search engine optimization practices that are search engine approved.

Essentially a backlink service used one of the strongest attributes the search engines used to determine a sites actual value. The problem is that there were so many of these link farms that search engines like Google got tired of it and decided that they would eliminate this dubious method that was so often abused.

About six months ago, Google edited their codex that determines a sites strength so that a site believed to be using a backlink service would be punished instead of benefited for the use of such a service. This doesn’t seem to have deterred the companies selling these services as they continue to advertise their methods and spam site owners with offers of strong links and support from a network of site owners just like you!

While back linking is a valuable way to gain traffic, it is always best to be careful about how you get those links. Bear in mind that any trick used to subvert the search engines will be discovered and eliminated sooner or later. The easiest and most cost effective manner to gain traffic and ranking for your site is to follow the rules that the search engines use to determine your site strength and relevancy. That way when they eliminate the next big trick or scam, your site will still be on top where it should be.

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