Comments on: Linking to yourself on a client site is not SEO

By: boris

boris — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:07:29 +0000

Right on… I don’t want links from my customer… I want SEO related links… It’s not a bad idea to have a link “optimized by…” but make it a “no follow” This way you might actually get traffic and keep the big SE happy!

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 06:49:11 +0000

Too often, web deisgners, SEOs and other Internet-related companies focus on themselves before the needs of their clients. Try to imagine the logo of a video production house emblazend on a client’s TV commercial?? It is simply not done. Yet, on the web, it is standard procedure.

That said, it IS SEO, because it is used for that purpose and, to a degree, it works. If the client agrees to it, fine. Many of my clients are so happy about their results, they offer entire pages on their site for me to promote my company. I generally decline, though because they pay me to focus on results for their company. To use that space for my purpose will, in my opinion, dilute their message.

As an SEO, I am unique, however. I don’t do a lot of the things typical SEOs do. And, if the client doesn’t increase revenue, or phone calls, or foot traffic, or whatever the goal, I feel that I failed–even if I acheived top rankings.

Finally, its about content. I have worked for pretty prominent SEO firms. They all preferred that I do very little writing and editing or other “wastes of time” that keep me from blasting through the usual stuff. Bad for the client. Bad for our industry.

By: First Page Fitness

First Page Fitness — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:49:36 +0000

“I say to people who are looking for a SEO company that they should look at the company’s client site’s rankings, not the company’s own rankings…”

Amen – couldn’t agree more. Also, there are many good independent SEOs out there who DON’T rank well for SEO terms because they spend all of their time working on their clients’ sites. Look at what they do for their clients and you can’t really go wrong. Send the clients an email and ask them how happy they are with the services.

With that said, there is nothing wrong with putting SEO by … in the footer of your clients’ site if you have specific permission to do so. Often, the client will ask if you will drop the price of services for the link. But I would advise against site-wides.

By: Shell Harris

Shell Harris — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:38:29 +0000

I am the founder of Big Oak SEO and we always ask permission from our clients, usually after we have achieved many of our ranking goals. Then I feel like we have earned it. Otherwise we are stealing PR from the site and it hurts their rankings, even if only a little.

Some clients don’t mind and some do. We are okay either way. I also tell perspective clients that our ranking for SEO company should be irrelevant. Check our client rankings and that will give you the true measure of a SEO company.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:30:09 +0000

A website is no different than a newspaper or magazine ad, the only difference being the medium used. Do you see any reference to the ad agency involved with creating the ad in printed media? Not usually. But if an agreement is reached between site owner and designer to place the link and even a reciprocal link from the designer’s site to promote the new site’s PR, then by all means link away.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:20:41 +0000

I am not a SEO expert, or even really any type of expert, but I agree that linking to yourself from a client's site isn't the most ethical thing to do. That is unless you have it written in your contract stipulating as much. If you are donating the time to create the site, then I would think they wouldn't mind a link back but again it should be stipulated up front. I would like to thank you for making my stumbling that much more enjoyable. Your bloge made the Life Is Risky Blog Stumbling for today! (Note: The post is updated as I am stumbling. If you don't see your site listed check back!)

By: Billy

Billy — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:17:37 +0000

If a website was done pro bono, then by all means leave your link on the client site. However, if a client had paid money for the design or development, then it is kind of frowned upon to have a link on their site whether is it in the footer or deep in their content pages. Clients need to be more savvy to indicate to the hired designers that they don’t want to drive traffic to an unrelated website; and the designers need to be more honest as well.

By: Harvey

Harvey — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:27:30 +0000

I say to people who are looking for a SEO company that they should look at the company’s client site’s rankings, not the company’s own rankings. It’s not important how well ranking their own site is, which may have taken hundreds of hours + several years. The important thing is what they can do to a site like yours with a budget like yours.

By: ogletree

ogletree — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 03:13:14 +0000

Ne0 I used the word some not all. There are some people that rank for SEO terms that don’t do this. I was just pointing out that I know some who do. I was also talking more about local SEO terms.

By: NeO

NeO — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:59:38 +0000

While I agree that putting your link on a clients site is… well unsavory to say the least…

I’ll disagree about ranking for SEO term’s (I rank for quite a few, haven’t written a book, and don’t link to my site on clients’)

If your looking to bring traffic into your firm via the net you pretty much need to rank for your desired key phrases! Not to say that it’s hard if your any good at SEO

.02

NeO