JS_Harris - 8:43 pm on Aug 26, 2007 (gmt 0)

Callivert, read Matt Cutts blog, he works on googles spam team and he provides examples of sites he's personaly cut from google completely for things like link selling. YES, there is evidence and he even gives screenshots as fair warning to others.

About buying and selling links through a service. The major problem is that the service creates an internet map you want no part of. If you find a site you like and buy a link the odds are an unsavory site will have done so too, often on the same page. Two clicks between you to scuzzy content is a red flag.

I don't recommend buying links for pure link anchor text value at all. I would however use a service like text link ads to sell sponsored links but only with the automatic approval feature disabled. I'd want to review and control which relevant sites I link to, there are a few great sites out there on any subject still.

Theres no need for paranoia, just be sure you can vouch for the quality of the sites you link to. You might need to explain it in a re-inclusion request someday.