{"id":3201,"date":"2013-09-16T06:30:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-16T13:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pdxtc.com\/wpblog\/?p=3201"},"modified":"2014-12-04T13:58:30","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T20:58:30","slug":"why-do-you-want-your-link-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pdxtc.com\/wpblog\/link-building\/why-do-you-want-your-link-gone\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do You Want Your Link Removed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u00a0got an email back from someone that was offended by a link removal request we sent them.<\/p>\n

He not only asked “did you even read my site?” but implied that we “must not like my message of truth” and accused us of some desire to censor his opinion.<\/p>\n

When I reviewed the site, I admit that I DIDN’T like his message at all, but I still support his right to spew his misguided and ignorant opinions<\/del> express his point of view all day long.<\/p>\n

At his website, I easily found their contact information, and the site seemed legitimate and well put together. The link to our client was on a well organized resource page, it was just a raw link after the company name with no anchor text, and the page itself had a pretty decent backlink profile.<\/p>\n

In fact, \u00a0the longer I looked at the site, I began to believe there was no way we would want this link removed.\u00a0 I looked even more closely at his domain history, at his site backlink profile (not bad), at his content (deep and original), and even his on page SEO basics (they were there) and I was JUST about ready to admit we may have judged him too harshly…<\/p>\n

Then I saw it. \u00a0The whitespace way at the very bottom of his lengthy home page – I click \/ dragged my mouse over it, and was able to highlight about a dozen lines of hidden text.<\/p>\n

BZZZZZZZZ –\u00a0 Game Over
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Hidden<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unnatural = Undesirable<\/h5>\n

In 2013, being linked to by an idiot playing SEO games has the potential to harm you.\u00a0 You MUST dispel yourself of the notion that “there’s no such thing as a bad link” and I realize that the longer you’ve been in the search game, the harder that is to accept.<\/p>\n

I and many others have made that statement before,\u00a0 most<\/a> quite<\/a> a<\/a> while<\/a> ago<\/a> (although some<\/a> even\u00a0in the<\/a> past year<\/a>) but by now Google’s ever evolving Penguin algorithm<\/a> SHOULD have changed your way of thinking.<\/p>\n

Accept the fact that the world is not flat, that there IS such a thing as a bad link, and that undesirable links can and often do, hurt you.<\/p>\n

What Makes a Link “Bad”?<\/h5>\n

Honestly? \u00a0One could argue that mere fact that it was placed there at all by someone hoping to help or improve another pages rankings makes it bad.<\/p>\n

Google judges the intent <\/a>of the linker, and when anything is even remotely questionable, they do NOT get the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

In the old days a link from a crummy site was simply ignored, but now, not only can Google hold it against you, they sometimes even point out examples in your Webmaster Tools account.<\/p>\n

\"Manual<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can’t Find Anything Wrong?<\/h5>\n

Look harder. Find a reason to GET RID of that link, not a reason to keep it.\u00a0 Many times at first glance a site may seem harmless or perhaps even helpful, and your first thoughts might be “well that’s not too a bad link”, and you might be tempted to keep it just “in case it helps”.<\/p>\n

However, I say, be strict. Be overly harsh. Cut the cord and kill the link. Bleed out now and get it over with. \u00a0The reality is that Google continues to get more and more aggressive, and the rules keep getting stricter all the time. If the best thing you can say about a link is that it’s “not that crappy” then the odds are, eventually, you’ll want it gone.<\/p>\n

Just this summer we’ve seen Google change it’s stance on press releases<\/a> and from the sound if this video, infographics aren’t far behind, so what’s next?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n