Feedback on link building idea
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We came up with this idea at work for a client but before I initiate it I was wanting to get feedback on if this would be considered whitehat and alright to use.
It is for an ecommerce site. On the order confirmation and thank you page (not email cause they are on some old system that does not send out emails) we are wanting to put a thank you for your order message and continue with a statement about how they can save money on future purchases with a link that takes them to a page with info on how to do so.
That new page will have info about linking to the site from a blog or website. And will say if you link back to us and send us an email with that link as proof we will give you a promo code for your next purchase.
Is this alright?
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I like where your heads at and this can be a great way to build links. However, I would only allow relavent and authoritative sites to link to me. I would also be sure to have all these external linking anchors in variations to avoid over optimizing penalties.
Instead of just having them add a link and they get a promo code. Make the promo code something you email after manually reviewing the site.
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Overstock had done this on a large scale and many of their backlinks were .edu. IMO a site all of a sudden getting a ton of .edu links for many different keyword terms but all linking in [Exact] is a good reason to sound the alarm.
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I would recommend you read this article where Overstock.com was penalized for offering discount coupons/discount to students/universities for links.
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