Ask HN: How to properly increase search rank against site that are gaming SEO?

5 points by steve8918 14y ago ↗ HN

I have a couple of web pages and a site that I'm trying to increase my relevancy for. However, when I look at my peers, they are using every trick in the book to increase their relevancy, and it certainly looks like it's working.

When I use a backlink tracker to see what backlinks they have, it's incredible how pervasive they have created links to their site, from sites that generate false new links, to adding links to their sites on profiles for golf forums. I imagine they must have paid to get these links because it would otherwise be a huge amount of work and most of the backlinks are garbage.

I know Google says "trust us, just create good quality content, and we'll recognize it", but frankly I don't have confidence that that will work. I'm competing against people that are really gaming the system, and I don't think the "honest" way will actually work. The type of site that I'm creating isn't really popular, and there aren't any blog sites or blogrolls that will link to my site, unless I create my own sites, and link back to my site, which I'm guessing would be frowned upon by Google.

Have other people found that they can compete against these sites that are gaming the system without resorting to their tactics, or is this a fight-fire-with-fire situation?

4 comments

[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 17.5 ms ] thread

goochtek 14y ago ↗

The "trust us, just create good quality content, and we'll recognize it" line is true. If you write genuinely good content (ie: others think it is good, not just you) then you will do better. Yes, they are using these tricks now, but eventually the cream will rise to the top. Just keep plugging away at great content and you will eventually build traffic. Don't play their game. Google will eventually start swinging the ban hammer and you don't want to be in their sights when they do.

steve8918 14y ago ↗

Thanks for the reply.

However, is the only way to determine "good" content thru the number of links that the site has? Or does Google somehow have other algorithms? My site focuses on a subject that really doesn't have a well-developed community at all, so the chances of people linking to my site are very, very slim.

So basically, I'm creating what I believe is good, original content, vs my peers that have no content but lots of links to their site via gaming methods. And their gaming methods are really working, at least on Google, so I'm wondering, can I can really gain any ground against them?

AznHisoka 14y ago ↗

It's very very tough to believe this. Google said the same thing 7 years ago, and look at what the OP observes now.

Can you really afford to wait 7 years for Google for the "just create good content" guys to win? Unless you got a budget of millions, and time to wait, the answer is No.

That doesn't mean you should get out your blackhat. But it means you have to proactively improve your SEO, rather than relying on good quality content. You play the game, but you ditch the blackhat strategies.

RileyJames 14y ago ↗

Sounds like they're link spamming. Those links are very very low quality, you can easily beat them.

Don't chase low quality links, get higher quality links. It won't be considered "black hat".

If you are writing good content I'd suggest using this quality content to increase your rank.

Here's a solid way to do that: 1. Buy high Page Rank domains / Websites related to your niche. 2. Begin posting press release style content about your content, with links, on these high PageRank domains.

This will mean every post you write will have 50 - 100 high quality links to it straight away.

Fight fire with fire.