The Golden Rule
Do it for your visitors.
Read through Google's guidelines on paid links.
Use a rel="nofollow" on ad link exchanges, this way Google will know that the link is there as a benefit for your visitors and not for your page rank.
Text Ads
Text ads are a hot topic, and a bit of a controversial one. There are really only three ways to get them - Pay for them, Trade for them, or find a way to get them free.
The benefits of text ads are undisputed:
They actually get more clickthroughs than banner ads.
They can be set up to appear as context ads, so they appear within the content.
They can be made to be attractive, and to have visual appeal, so they need not be less eye-catching than banner ads when that is a benefit (it isn't always).
They have more power to improve search engine ranking than image ads or Links page ads.
They are most often placed on a content page, instead of a Links page, so they can be very closely targeted for maximum marketing effectiveness.
The controversy does not come in over their value, it comes in over how you acquire them.
Some SEO experts say that all search engines frown on the practice of link purchasing, or text ad purchasing, if the ad does not have a "no follow" tag (a bit of code that basically tells the search engine to ignore the link).
Others say that it is acceptable as long as you don't go overboard, and as long as you purchase ads on relevant sites.
Of course, some people saying that have a motive to say it. The fact is though, that there is compelling evidence to suggest that the second philosophy is a fairly safe one:
There are several highly reputable companies that broker text links. They do so in a way that keeps the risks low, by not flooding the net with new links.
Practically, the search engine people KNOW that you HAVE to be able to market SOMEHOW. Purchasing text links is a legitimate practice, and is not search engine manipulation unless you are trying to buy massive amounts for the express purpose of manipulating pagerank.
When you purchase them on small sites, many site owners do not know how to do more than just stick your ad in. Requiring a "no follow" tag is unreasonable, and impractical for most small sites.
Ad space is valuable, and nobody is going to just give it away. Trades, selling, and bartering are time honored marketing practices.
Smart site owners do not sell ad space to just anyone. They screen the ads for relevancy and for quality. So text ads on a high quality site, whether or not they are paid for, are STILL a recommendation for that site.
Purchasing links through a service that promises you thousands of backlinks is stupid. It always has been, and it can be considered nothing other than an attempt to manipulate. Many sites that promise this, or that sell links for that purpose have been banned by the search engines because the sites are low quality, apart from the sale of links!
Now, you really HAVE to take what I say with a grain of salt, and get information to back it up elsewhere, because I sell advertising on my own sites.
Supposedly, Google does not punish a site for selling ads. But they DO punish one for selling ads for the express purpose of increasing pagerank, and if they have a hodgepodge of links, or if the site is low quality it won't rank well either. And I heard one "expert" say that search engines have ways of knowing whether a link was purchased or not, but frankly, how could they?
Just because I sell ads on my site does not mean all were purchased. I place some of my own ads in there also, along with affiliate links, links to the websites of friends that I feel deserve the exposure, etc. And while I have a page that offers advertising on some of my sites, I don't have that on all of my sites, though I do sell ads on all of my sites. Sure, with some large sites that abuse the system, there might be an issue, but I think the issues are far too cloudy for small sites and small businesses to draw blanket conclusions.
When you look for paid text links, especially those on smaller sites, watch your clickthroughs. See if you actually get traffic from them.
Some smaller sites also have "lifetime ads", where you pay a single flat rate for permanent placement. Most business owners will be honest about it - it is in fact simpler to be honest than to take the time to remove ads! If you can find these, you can often get a lifetime placement on a new site for $10 to $20. It may just be a link and nothing more, but when you can find these, get them, because they'll offer you a good value - you paid once, and your ad will stay there as the site grows. The site owner offers these to get ads on the site initially, which encourages other advertisers to make purchases. Smart site owners will place those links on relevant pages, and won't approve ads that are low quality.
Some sites will also lock in a low rate if you get in early. This again, benefits them by encouraging early ad sales, and it can really benefit you as the site grows and traffic increases. You take a little more risk in the beginning, but you get the chance to win big on low cost advertising long term.
Just be reasonable if you choose to purchase text links. Don't purchase any that say "hundreds of links instantly!" or anything like that. Seek out high quality sites (quality is more important than anything else), which offer a reasonable price, and which have content that directly relates to yours. If the site has a good reputation, then your clickthroughs will be worth more as well, because people will come to your site with a preconceived attitude of trust.
Read up on banner ads also, because many of the issues for banner ads are the same.
Written by Laura Wheeler
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