Do "big" SEO companies remove links after termination of service?
-
Or worded differently:
Has anyone heard of "big" SEO companies removing links after termination of service?
I have a client who isn't particularly happy with the SEO he's getting from a big Aussie SEO firm, and he wants to terminate, however they've built thousands of links for him and he's a little concerned they might all get pulled.
Has anyone heard of this happening, or;
Do you think this is a legitimate concern?
I think its physically possible to remove backlinks like this because it seems the SEO firm in question is building links by using other client's websites.
I also wonder if they might have large content farm style sites where they place links for clients which might be quite easy to take down.
Please discuss!
-
Have I heard of this? Yes.
Is it a legitimate concern? Yes, but the impact of the links being removed depends on whether those links are "being counted by Google." If these "rented links" aren't being counted (or contributing very little), then their removal won't really matter.
Are the links indexed? Are they on domains that rank? What are the PA's & DA's for these links?
-
In my ten years, I have definitely heard of this happening. It's a bigger risk when your SEO provider has a private network of sites.Heck, I have even heard of people holding this over their clients; "If you quit you will lose all your traffic/rankings."
It's really no different than people paying YP for a directory listing, they are billed for "Search Engine Marketing" monthly and when they stop, the link is removed.
I view SEO similar to web design/creative -- if you pay us, it is yours, you retain ownership and that is the way it should be.
-
Has anyone heard of "big" SEO companies removing links after termination of service?
Some companies own or have partnerships with large numbers of websites and place links out there for clients. They control these links and can modify or remove them easily - with programs or with low-cost workers.
The monthly fee for SEO services is often a payment for paid links. The links are actually "rented" by the month.
Do you think this is a legitimate concern?
Yes.
I think its physically possible to remove backlinks like this because it seems the SEO firm in question is building links by using other client's websites.
That is really sleezy to use the sites of other clients. My bet is that they have bought a large number of websites that owners have gotten tired of for a couple hundred dollars each. Its pretty easy to buy websites that owners have not touched in a long time. They might have also grabbed expiring domains.
I also wonder if they might have large content farm style sites where they place links for clients which might be quite easy to take down.
There you have it!
-
If there is something in the contract that will affect the client negatively or if the old firm is suspected of being likely to cause problems then it may be that the clients best interest is suited by employing a reputable SEO firm to work on link building to strengthen the link profile before cutting ties with the old firm.
There will obviosuly be additional cost by following this approach however this would need to be weighed up against the possible rankings fall / traffic fall that might occur if the contract doesn't protect the client from the sort of situation described.
-
It depends. What's written into the agreement?
If they've built links on other people's sites then it will probably be too much of a hassle to contact all of them and ask them to remove it, so it will either naturally run out (if it's paid and you're not given the contact details) or remain there for the rest of it's natural life.
Alternatively if they run the sites they've been building links on (and it is the easiest way to guarantee clients will get links on sites) then they may remove them to make way for new clients links. I've certainly seen this happen.
It's important to note that Google doesn't overly care how quickly you get links, but it will certainly notice if you lose a lot quickly! Aa it means you've either bought them and they've expired or something has happened to make people lose trust in your site, either way it's going to raise some flags and possibly have someone look a little bit closer into your link profile.
Double check what's been agreed, find out who owns the sites the links have been built on and speak with the agency before you do it. If they're reputable I doubt they'll try and screw you over.
-
One would think that they have paid for those links to be built and thus own them, but I guess it's all down to what it says in the contract at the end of the day. I won't even touch on the ethical aspect of the whole question.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Does the Year according to the URL have an SEO impact
I ask to Godaddy if there is an SEO impact between buying a url for 1 year or 10 years. They said me that there is no impact, however, I read the historical URL has one. So, the question is : buying with 1 year and autorenew might be the right choice. Warm regards,
Industry News | | johncurlee0 -
SEO Strategy Report Structure
I am looking to get a structure for an SEO strategy document. While I understand that the specific tactics that you will used will vary significantly from project to project I would love to get my hands on a document that has heading that should be covered off in an SEO strategy report. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks
Industry News | | cbarron0 -
Are you affected by the Gov't shutdown or is it just your .gov links?
With the shutdown came the take down of sites such as http://www.usda.gov/ and even: http://nsa.gov/ (even though http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/nsa.gov says its up UPDATE: now down). Those .gov links might not be worth as much (pun somewhat intended) But here comes an actual question as I was thinking about this, I am really curious... Did your SEO efforts suffer in anyway due to the government shutdown, or is it too early to tell yet? PS Isn't it also interesting that Google's homepage is choosing to celebrate Yosemite's National Park 123rd anniversary when all National Parks are to be closed in our nation? Tfe85nN.jpg
Industry News | | vmialik0 -
What are other SEO's calling themselves now?
I am piggy backing off of Rand's latest Whiteboard Friday: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/why-we-cant-just-be-seos-anymore-whiteboard-friday (It is an awesome post if you haven't checked it out yet.) I just want to hear some feedback from other industry professionals. Have you started defining/communicating your business as more than just, I do SEO? If so, what are you calling yourselves now and why? How has that been working out for you?
Industry News | | VentaMarketing1 -
Concerned about where links are coming from
Hi I am hoping someone can help me with this. I run a small seo company for a few select companies in the luxury markets. Due to certain circumstances I need to outsource a lot of link building until my in house link builders can return to work. After a phone conversation with an SEO company which offer white label service (quite a large UK company but will remain nameless) I became extremely concerned that they are supply paid links to there customers. I will explain what i mean and would appreciate advice on whether I should stay clear or not. They claim to have access to over 1000 websites in many different niches and can get a whole host of links from contextual (which they said would give 3 links in 300 words which rang the first alarm bell) then said the other come from primary theme links and hybrid links (oh which neither they would properly explain what they are). My main concern is they said the links are made and need to be "maintained" by a yearly fee so they are not removed. When I asked if they surely count as paid links I got a usual boiler room style sales pitch. My instincts tell me to stay away but maybe I am just reading it all wrong. They claim to already white label to over 300 other SEO companies, but it all sounds a bit risky to me after Googles tough stance on this! Thanks Paul
Industry News | | hanv0 -
Help! I need to hire a SEO / SEM Specialist - Am I asking for too much?!
Hey all! I'm expanding my in-house marketing team and I need to add an SEO / SEM Specialist that will strategize, execute & manage the following: Organic SEO PPC across multiple channels (Google, Bing & also social sites like Facebook) Remarketing & Display marketing Banner ads Retargeting We're a lean company that's all about doing more with less. But not being very familiar with the SEO / SEM world I'm afraid I'm asking for too much! What do you guys think? What's your experience been? If you do think that this is potentially a single position, what would be the best title for attracting talent? SEO / SEM Specialist? Digital Marketing Manager? With the research I've done - jobs / titles have been totally across the board! I'm not able to find much consistency. Thank you all for your help 🙂 It's greatly appreciated!!!!!
Industry News | | RochelleRietow0 -
SEO Conferences - Which One(s) do you Attend ?
I have been in SEO since over 10 years now. And have been attending Pubcon since 2004 in Las Vegas. I think I have only missed 1. This year, I have been thinking of which conferences to attend and here are the options. I am looking for 1st hand experiences from people who have attended multiple conferences to kinda do a comparison. Here are the upcoming conferences by date. I am only listing the US Conferences. SES New York March 19-23* BlueGlass Los Angeles April 23-24* SMX Advanced Seattle Jun. 5-6* MozCon July 25 - July 27* SES San Francisco August 13-17* SMX New York | Oct. 2-4, 2012* Pubcon Las Vegas October 16 - 19* SES Chicago November 12-16* SMX Social Media Marketing Las Vegas | Dec. 5-6 Please let me know what conferences you have attended in the past and which ones of these people here are planning to attend ?
Industry News | | NakulGoyal1 -
What is the best seo software?
This question is in relation to doing site audits and creating branded reports for clients. Do seo agencies create there own software or do you use one that is accessible for all? Also what do you think is the best general seo software?
Industry News | | paulbaguley0