I tried a shady SEO backlinking business, and this is how it went…
No one tells you how hard it is to get found on Google when you start a business. Visibility is one of the most challenging problems that small businesses face. If you rely on online traffic, people have to be able to find you. The only other option is to take out ads, and if you’re anything like me, the amount of money you need to spend on ads to see a return seems pretty steep. As a result, most business owners look to alternative ways to reach the front page on Google.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Enter… the Fiverr backlinker who is promising to bring you to the front page of Google. But as we all know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So I decided to actually try one of these Fiverr SEO services to test the waters. What I discovered was a mix of intrigue, deception, and a lesson in the perils of shortcuts when it comes to SEO backlinking.
The Fiverr Gamble:
I didn’t want to just choose any random SEO backlinker. I wanted a service with some social proof, something that your average business owner might be enticed by. Fiverr has thousands of SEO services listed, but a lot of the services have zero reviews or very few reviews. After a little bit of research, I chose a service with: a Top Rated Icon, 14,000 reviews, and a 4.9 rating. They even had the phrase, “white hat” backlinking in the service title, purposefully leading people to believe that they were using above board practices.
Side note: Something I found out later, some of the reviews on Fiverr are fake. I couldn’t find any real proof of this, but there are websites that write reviews, so you can’t fully trust the reviews you read. It’s also exceedingly difficult to verify if a review is fake or not.
Here's an example:
You can see here, as advertised, for $6, this company will write a business review for you.
Reality Check:
After I purchased the product, the seller asked me to list out a few keywords. The service takes the keywords and supposedly lists blurbs about your website on other highly trafficked websites. This in itself is a good practice. That’s how you improve your SEO, you get other websites to mention your site and write a quick blurb about it. But in order for this to be effective, the sites you are listing on, have to actually be content driven sites with real followers.
After a few hours, the seller sent me a message saying they had my delivered product. They attached an Excel file with a list of websites they partnered with to list a blurb about my website.
Here were some of the sites they “partnered” with:
The websites that they listed my site on were solely built for the purpose of SEO stuffing. Your average business owner probably doesn’t want their site listed on “goowonderlandd.com.” But they definitely don’t want their website listed on known scam sites like, “ray-banoutletstore.com” or “vznetwork.net.” In fact, listing on those sites might yield a short term boost, but Google's algorithms and human reviewers will eventually flag your website and apply a manual penalty.
The Google Penalty:
Google's algorithm isn't fooled easily. In fact, Google has a reputation for policing and monitoring web activity in relation to SEO. People who attempt to game the system by using spam websites or SEO stuffer websites are flagged by Google’s algorithm and often suffer a manual penalty. Just the act of adding your website to 50 other affiliate websites over night is enough to trigger an investigation.
If a manual penalty is added to your website, your website will probably never see the first page of Google again. You will be down ranked.
Effective SEO Strategies
Now that we know that SEO backlinking services do not work very well, that brings us to the question, “what are effective SEO strategies?”
Here I share with you The Ultimate SEO Guide:
Leverage YouTube
I tell every small business owner I know to make YouTube content. Google owns Youtube, which automatically means the algorithm favors YouTube. Not only do the Youtube descriptions help with search engine visibility, but you can add the content yourself. Oftentimes, in order to get listed on high traffic websites, you have to contact the website, obtain permission, and maintain a relationship with the site publishers. With YouTube, you can bypass all of that and make your own content.
The SEO Impact of YouTube Descriptions:
Another quick tip is to use a tool that scans for keywords and makes website recommendations. I personally like this tool from Word Steam. (https://www.wordstream.com/keywords) It’s easy and free. Just enter in your website and it will give suggestions on keyword searches. You can then sort for a keyword with high demand and low competition and weave those keywords into the Youtube description. This not only aids search engines in understanding your content but also helps potential viewers find your videos when searching for related topics.
Regular Publication of High-Quality Videos:
Consistency is key when it comes to YouTube and SEO. Regularly publishing high-quality videos not only keeps your audience engaged but also signals to search engines that your content is fresh, relevant, and worthy of consideration. If this does not seem achievable with your schedule, block off some time and talk to a small production house. There are hundreds of companies that film all of your content over the course of one day, edit the content, and create a catalog for you to roll out over the next 6 months. I would highly recommend using one of these services.
Offering Value to Your Audience:
Additionally, high quality content is the number one thing that the SEO algorithm rewards. Making a YouTube video is a great way to ensure that your content is reaching a minimum barrier to entry on quality. Making a video forces you to make reflective and engaging content. If you’re relying solely on blogs, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get lazy and use an AI creation tool. We all do it! But in all honesty, a bunch of AI written blog content does not help much when it comes to SEO.
Making quality Youtube videos is also a great way to attract new customers and help legitimize your business. High quality videos visually help your clients connect to your business and help spur growth. It’s similar to looking up a restaurant’s Instagram before going to eat there. People want to see what your business is about before engaging
Creating synergy: Linking YouTube videos to blog content
If you do not have a blog, you absolutely need one. You should be writing at least one high quality blog post a week. Choose relevant content to your industry that would have been helpful to you. In the next section, I am going to detail how to create not only a success blog, but show you how to turn that blog into a funnel.
Youtube-Blog Link:
After publishing a Youtube video, embed your YouTube video into your company’s blog and write a summary about it. As you can tell, we’ve done something similar with this blog post. This is going to be the best way to boost search results and drive traffic directly to your site. Additionally, just having a blog of high quality content for your business also helps improve your SEO. The algorithm loves websites with large amounts of high quality content. Which is why you should always host your blog instead of using a 3rd party.
Expanding on Video Content:
While videos offer a dynamic way to communicate, they may not cover every detail or nuance due to time constraints. Blog posts act as an extension, allowing you to delve deeper into the subject matter. Use your blog to provide additional insights, resources, or step-by-step guides related to the content presented in your videos. This not only enriches the user experience but also positions your brand as an authority in your industry.
Internal Linking for SEO:
Linking your YouTube videos to blog posts creates an opportunity for strategic internal linking within your website. Internal links are crucial for SEO, as they establish a hierarchical structure, guide users to relevant information, and help search engines understand the relationships between different pages on your site. This, in turn, enhances the overall discoverability and indexing of your content.
The integration of YouTube videos with blog content is a strategic move that goes beyond mere multimedia presence. It establishes a cohesive narrative, strengthens your website's SEO foundation through internal linking, and adds layers of credibility to your brand. As you navigate the digital landscape, consider this symbiotic relationship between video and blog content as a key element in your overarching content strategy. By doing so, you not only enhance user experience but also position your brand for sustained growth and recognition.
Build Multiple Website Pages
In the realm of digital marketing, a website is not merely an online presence; it's a dynamic platform capable of influencing your brand's visibility and authority. To bolster your SEO efforts, it's essential to go beyond a static homepage and delve into the creation of multiple, purposeful website pages. By expanding your site with diverse, high-quality content — ranging from comprehensive guides to referral pages for partners — you create a robust online ecosystem that not only engages your audience but also elevates your website's ranking on search engine results pages.
Collaborate for Quality Backlinks
Prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to backlinks.
One effective avenue for achieving this is through strategic collaboration. By securing features in high-traffic websites or engaging in mutually beneficial link exchanges with business partners, you not only build a robust backlink profile but also establish your website as a reputable source in your industry.
Quality backlinks act as endorsements from other reputable websites, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
Platforms like https://www.helpareporter.com/ (HARO) serve as valuable resources for connecting journalists and content creators with industry experts. By participating in HARO queries relevant to your expertise, you position yourself as a source for credible information. When your insights are included in articles, you gain authoritative backlinks from reputable publications, contributing significantly to your website's SEO.
Collaboration isn't limited to securing features; it can also involve strategic link exchanges with trusted business partners. Identify partners whose content complements yours, and explore opportunities for cross-linking.
Go to local meetups, meet other business owners in your community. Leverage each other and create a referral network. Not only will this help you bring in more leads, but getting listed on multiple real sites with quality content will also help you with the search algorithm.
Bonus Tip - University Collaboration
Reach out to your university to explore the possibility of having an article about your business published on their website. Chances are, if you are running a successful business in the same industry that you graduated in, they will want to show off your success. If you cannot get listed on the website, reach out to a reporter on the school newspaper or see if your business can sponsor some sort of charity drive at the university This adds credibility and authority to your online presence.
Conclusion:
While the allure of shortcuts in SEO may be tempting, the long-term consequences far outweigh the immediate gains. Genuine efforts invested in quality content creation, strategic collaboration, and organic growth yield sustainable results.
If this guide makes SEO sound like a full time job, it’s because it is. Eventually, that is what I did. Hiring a dedicated SEO expert became a crucial investment for navigating the complex world of search engine optimization. If you're considering the same, feel free to reach out for more insights into hiring an SEO expert.
I'm Paris Bland, founder of Digital Executive, and I'm here to guide you through the intricacies of digital success.
Learn more about this passionate world. Here are some articles that I found very interesting:
Why SEO Is Important for MSPs: https://www.the20.com/blog/why-seo-is-important-for-msps/
What is SEO? A beginner’s guide to search engine optimization: https://www.wix.com/blog/what-is-seo?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=16242205830^136002928760^search%20-%20dsa&experiment_id=^^582527080077^&gclid=CjwKCAiA75itBhA6EiwAkho9eyrxGO3EdZKQD8Lc48STV7_x7_5hs24yhhE4yEOxo0Sat8q5mYbTJxoCZeQQAvD_BwE
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