netmeg - 2:07 pm on Sep 19, 2012 (gmt 0)

do they really expect me never to add any more follow links, ever

They don't expect you to SELL any more do follow links, correct.

The only value that BUYING a do follow link has (over a no follow link) is the potential to pass Pagerank. Wrap your mind around that. Google wants Pagerank to be gained naturally, not purchased or gamed. That's why Google doesn't want you to sell do follow links. It doesn't matter that they created the ecosystem to begin with, so they pretty much created the mess to begin with. It's their search engine, they make the rules, and they change the rules. You've vented your resentment, now get over it and get with the times (or else just live with the penalty) This is the world in which we live. If that's the only way you can sell advertising, then you have a choice to make - continue to sell follow links and stay penalized, or change your business model. Because no matter what, Google isn't going to change theirs. So at some point you need to be practical.

(And yes, it *is* the footer links. It might be the text ads too, but it's also the footer links. Nofollow everything.)

There's no "fair" with Google. You either roll with whatever they're doing or you don't.