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Sell Links, Drop PageRank

Filed in: Google, SEO Beginner — November 2nd, 2007

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Over the past week, many webmasters and bloggers got hit by Google by decrease their websites’ PageRank. Many top blogs got slapped as well, such as Engadget.com, tuaw.com, Problogger.net, and CopyBlogger.com (the later two got their PageRank back).

Matt Cutts (head of Google’s Webspam team) confirmed that the PageRank update was a penalization against links selling that pass PageRank.

Malaysian blogs are not spared

A few of Malaysia top blogs got their PageRank decreased as well, such as 5xmom(PR5 to PR3), Sabahan(PR5 to PR3), and HongKiat(PR4 to PR2). [list stolen from BytesWired]

Remember, the two PR7 blogs in Malaysia? Zeo still maintains PR7 but his donation page dropped from PR6 to PR5. Ades, on the other hand, is not as lucky. His site lost the precious PR7 and become PR5.

Oh, my LiewCF Tech Blog also lost PR6. It dropped to PR4 from PR5, then climbed up to PR6, now PR5 again. :)

How to rescue your PageRank?

If you are an innocent victim of PageRank update who don’t sell links, you can “request reconsideration” on Google Webmaster Tools. Google may return your PageRank if your site follows Google’s quality guidelines.

Bye-bye Paid Links, or no?

Earlier this year, I blogged that Google dislikes paid links. We have been warned. Then, I did seriously consider to remove paid links on this blog but I didn’t do so in the end.

This time, I will remove all paid links on this blog. As a result, I need to make a refund to the clients and losing hundreds bucks(USD) of extra income. There goes my dedicated server monthly hosting fee~ Well, if I still want to be in the game, I would better follows the game rules.

However, there are bloggers like Ades and 5xmom who decided to keep paid links and paid posts. They are confident that their sites can live without the Google PageRank.

Do you keep or dump paid links?

Related book: The SEO Book

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  • well, depends again. blogs like kennysia.com don't need traffic from Google, whereas blogs like our depends heavily on google traffic, my blog's PR went from PR 4 to PR5. Yes, there is an increase of traffic, around 30% extra. good news for me :)
  • LcF
    @Calvin: Yes, that's why I say "if I still want to be in the game, I would better follows the game rules." the "game" means Google. If your site has great loyal readers, of course you can ignore about search engine rankings. Oh, congrats on your PR5. :)
  • Liew, you really seh-tak ah. A few hundred bucks, woi.... I have to write like hell to earn that, lol.
  • I lost one spot of my PageRank as well. Bummer indeed.
  • Some went down, others went up. Mine went up 3 page ranks. :)

    Well Liew, at least your PR is higher than John Chow. ;)
  • PR update is important for problogger. I don't make a living by blogging, so basically whether it is PR0 or PRX makes no different.
  • It really depends how much you rely on your PR to get visitors and if your main source of income is from Adsense.

    I agree with Calvin that if you have large followers, you don't need Google for traffic. People just come in directly for your post.

    Then again, PR is also like an ego for bloggers. Don't you agree?

    Btw, I also did a post on this matter on my blog. :)
  • I think I've heard someone said that doing this is nothing more than just gaming their own system. I think it's true because even though you are selling paid links, that doesn't make you a money-hungry person who'll do anything - including bad things just for the sake of hundred bucks.

    and is it about PR or TR (TrustRank) that matters most?

    I've seen a site with PR3, rank better than the PR5 site.

    Just my 1 cent thought.

    Abdul Rahman
  • SEO Book blogged about this before: http://www.seobook.com/archives/000661.shtml

    You could well Google about "TrustRank" as well.

    - Sorry for double commentating
  • Live without Google PR.... I'm going from 5 to 3... Paid links give me too much cash to take out.
  • Mine drop from PR5 to PR3 as well.
  • I think, there is an underground paid links market raising right now... and also additional creative ways to place paid links will be found. I would take out my paid links if they are very obvious.
  • Lots of new sites have gained PRs. I see lots of new PR2 and PR3 from my friends new in blogging. I myself have 2 new PR4 blogs.
  • I seems to have my PR increased from 3 to 5!! What on earth Google is doing....

    Btw, can anyone point me out what's the importance of keeping high PR? I see you all like freak out when PR drop.... Sorry if I sound pathetic, I'm still learning. :)
  • liew, zeo just got back his PR7. yours also will get PR6 back coz I just had a chat with Google just now. I asked them to increase back your PR5/10 to PR6/10. don't worry.....

    tadaaa.........!
  • I still keep them anyway.. my other blogs got hundreds of sponsored posts.. i don't know how to get rid of all of them :P
  • I've got my first PR2 from NA. Maybe bcoz I didnt sell any text links.

    --blog for dream--
  • My blog got PR2 now from 0 :)
  • my self from PR1 to PR3, i think is great, but after see alot of blog from 0 to 3... it make no much different to me...

    1 thing weired, i have a URL very less traffic, can said no some time, and i did not build back link, just few... but now from PR0 to PR2... seen like google simply give PR...
  • BytesWired is right.

    Many of my sites are PR0 but getting traffic (+5,000) from various sources since already established for many years.
  • Well, if I were you then I will keep the text links because your blog has a lot of loyal readers & I am sure advertisers will buy links from you based on how much traffic you get insted of PR
  • LcF
    @BytesWired: although I have regular readers but the main traffic is still from search engines.

    @Abdul Rahman: how well a site ranked is depends on the important of the page (PR) and the relevant of content. Therefore, a site with relevant content might get higher rank than high PR sites in search engine results.

    @CLF: low PR means Google think your site is Less Important, thus your site might get lower rank in search engine results.

    @weirdoux: Zeo never lost his PR7. Talked to Google?! you are kidding, right?

    @iCalvyn: PageRank has nothing to do with "traffic". It is about links.

    @Edward Khoo: paid link buyers want PR score, not traffic. Text link does not bring much traffic, anyway.
  • It seems google is adopting forceful loyality programme. Those who are going out or looking for new ways of revenue are being penalised. So now there are going to be hard options, either to worry about the PR or to continue with text link ads resulting in cash. Some who are earning well with the text link ads will not bother about it much.
  • Just adding to the list. When you sell text links, more PR means more money. Maybe Google don't want you to take advantage of that.

    Mine too ... dropped from PR4 to PR3

    But I don't care much for PR.
  • liew... you've got me...! wakakaka...
  • hello!! like ur blog very much!! n just wanna thank u for sharing alot of good ideas!! enjoy ur weekend!! n wish ur page rank will up soon! cheers!!! anyway i am new to this blogging world!! still along long way to go.... heheeh
  • I dont care about PR anymore even though MY PR rank up from 2 to 3 and its nothing big effect to my traffic.Ive seem many niche blog out there at PR0 still can rank higher in SERP. For me the more important is how much and fast google will index my site especially after finished updated my blog and how much traffic i can generate from that.

    Just FYI, since Ive join 3 waylinks by jonathan legger(you can view my post for that) and all of site from 3waylink network seems doesnt effect by new google PR updates. From their forum, all has reported that their site gained new higher PR then previous.

    What im thinking right now is either its possible for us to build 3 waylink link building manually without cost a single penny?


    p/s Note if you visit my post about 3 waylink the analysis done only for google malaysia(google.com.my) and i will update how about my position in google.com
  • I'm so lucky... My blogs maintained at PR3 and PR2, the rest from N/A to PR2 and another still stuck at N/A. None of them drop. Actually one of them did drop from PR2 to PR1 but check back few days later, it got back to PR2. I'm doing paid posts and sell links for all of them except one I recently started which originally has a PR3 :P Phew.. lucky lucky but I'll be taking measures to no-follow those paid post links that are more than 6 months old soon, provided if I'm in the mood to do it. Losing PR really a big ego hahaha...
  • 2 of my best earnign blogs dropped by a point each but this was more or less offset by the PR climb on the rest of my blogs. My oldest blog is now PR 5 and my earnings did jump up.
  • Khairy
    you guys are lucky to lose some pagerank, but still getting traffic from google.

    3 of my websites are gone for good ! no more traffic from google, instantly after the pagerank update. 3 of them use to have PR6,5,4 but now all makan telur (zero). FYI, i manage to sell 28 paid links and write paid post like crazy to earn my living full time from internet, and now just because somebody go and report this activity to google (highly suspected), all my websites get banned !

    and now i can't barely survive with my current traffic, i'm stuck !

    seriously, better play by the rules ... don't end up like my situation .. :( this really caught me red handed.

    it's sad that i need to look for a day job, still got mouth to feed ....
  • LcF
    @Khairy: that's sad case. paid links and paid posts are the easy ways to make money online but search engines dislike them.

    If a site is depends on search engine traffic, better stay away from the paid links/posts.

    Wish you luck, Khairy!
  • Khairi, that's the scariest thought of all for all bloggers making a living from online revenues. It's easy to say 'don't depend on Google' but there are so many websites that depend on the big G for traffic.

    I guess I'm lucky enough because I'm too small and don't get much traffic from Google. I make money from having multiple small websites.
  • Gawd, mine had gone to N/A too, I hate the fact that they have to reduce our PR’s just because we monetize our blogs. What’s the catch anyway? They do the same thing, too I guess on their ‘other’ websites perhaps. Damnn, it makes me go all crazy. --,
  • thank for interesting information
  • from online revenues. It’s easy to say ‘don’t depend on Google’ but there are so many websites that depend on the big G for traffic.

    I guess I’m lucky enough because I’m too small and don’t get much traffic from Google. I make money from having multiple small websites.
  • My blog history.
    First time go to 0, next to 1 then go to 3
    Recent updated X pagerank
    Suck !
  • Just a few day ago, my page rank drop from 3 to 2, i dont know that selling link could make your pagerank drop :(

    Well. its not it really matter anymore coz i dont really pursuing pagerank, i just blog for fun, if people came and read it good, but if no one read it, its still ok

    doesn't matter anyway

    Thanks for the info anyway
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