than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links

We all know the value of back links when it comes to search engine optimization campaigns. But unfortunately, some myths have developed because of many years of false assumptions brewed in the rumor mills.

The fact is, some linking strategies are labeled as red flags by the search engines. Determining them will help us know what to avoid.

1. When a young website suddenly gets thousands of links within a short period of time. Search engines find it quite uncanny that a newly created website would be able to gain a lot of back links – especially one way links, within a period of a few days. The search engines will just view the same as a red flag, that the website may potentially be involved with unfavorable practices such as link farms and the likes, to be able to amass such links. This does run contrary to what many believe is a sound article marketing tactic: submitting articles everyday as much as possible. The best way to approach things is to submit articles twice a week, at most. Control the growth of your back links and stay under the search engines’ radars. This red flag is only applicable for new websites, however. Older websites, those that have been in existence for years, are expected to gain a lot of links given their more established online presence.

2. Reciprocal links are alright, but too much of the same will penalize your website. If the search engines trace most of your links to web pages that you are likewise linking to, then prepare for a lower page rank. Search engines despise circular paths for their search engine spiders. Also, reciprocal linking is prone to abuse. Webmasters can merely collude to link with one another, or worse, a webmaster can create multiple websites that he’ll link together, instead of relying on the strength of the content to garner the much needed back links.

3. Links hosted in a links page are less valuable than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links

that a newly created website would be able to gain a lot of back links – especially one way links, within a period of a few days. The search engines will just view the same as a red flag, that the website may potentially be involved with unfavorable practices such as link farms and the likes, to be able to amass such links. This does run contrary to what many believe is a sound article marketing tactic: submitting articles everyday as much as possible. The best way to approach things is to submit articles twice a week, at most. Control the growth of your back links and stay under the search engines’ radars. This red flag is only applicable for new websites, however. Older websites, those that have been in existence for years, are expected to gain a lot of links given their more established online presence.

2. Reciprocal links are alright, but too much of the same will penalize your website. If the search engines trace most of your links to web pages that you are likewise linking to, then prepare for a lower page rank. Search engines despise circular paths for their search engine spiders. Also, reciprocal linking is prone to abuse. Webmasters can merely collude to link with one another, or worse, a webmaster can create multiple websites that he’ll link together, instead of relying on the strength of the content to garner the much needed back links.

3. Links hosted in a links page are less valuable than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links

oach things is to submit articles twice a week, at most. Control the growth of your back links and stay under the search engines’ radars. This red flag is only applicable for new websites, however. Older websites, those that have been in existence for years, are expected to gain a lot of links given their more established online presence.

2. Reciprocal links are alright, but too much of the same will penalize your website. If the search engines trace most of your links to web pages that you are likewise linking to, then prepare for a lower page rank. Search engines despise circular paths for their search engine spiders. Also, reciprocal linking is prone to abuse. Webmasters can merely collude to link with one another, or worse, a webmaster can create multiple websites that he’ll link together, instead of relying on the strength of the content to garner the much needed back links.

3. Links hosted in a links page are less valuable than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links

nks to web pages that you are likewise linking to, then prepare for a lower page rank. Search engines despise circular paths for their search engine spiders. Also, reciprocal linking is prone to abuse. Webmasters can merely collude to link with one another, or worse, a webmaster can create multiple websites that he’ll link together, instead of relying on the strength of the content to garner the much needed back links.

3. Links hosted in a links page are less valuable than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links

than contextually relevant links found in the body of the content. Avoid having your back links placed in a page where other links of different natures are found. The best thing to aim for is to have your link in the content itself, hyperlinked to a relevant keyword.

4. Links that are hosted in a group of websites with similarly high page ranks is a red flag. Most webmasters aim for their links to be displayed in websites with PR 5 or higher. But if all their links come from the same group of high ranking websites, the search engines will start thinking that such links were merely bought. The best way to deal with things is to have links that come from a variety of websites with a variety of page ranks.

5. Links that carry the same description are likewise frowned upon by the search engines. Again, aim for variety. Make sure that when you leave your links, you should try to at least change the descriptions attached to them. This will ensure the search engines that the webmasters of the places where you will leave your links were the ones who chose to have your links displayed on their pages.

You may have read about SEO practices that taught some lessons contrary to what you have heard. Such are borne by a vicious cycle, rumors that festered into facts. What you have read are borne from experience, shared by webmasters who have learned how things really work – and they learned them the hard way.

Are these rules certain?

Let’s put it this way. No SEO tactic is ever certain. Every SEO method is a hypothesis that comes from months of testing. The rules we get to know are products of deduction.

Only the search engine personnel know how search engines really work, how their algorithms are really designed.

Yes, every SEO strategy…they’re all guesses.

It’s just a matter of choosing the most intelligent ones.