Paid links - or free but "set up"

[smallcompany]

So, you see the site that has the network of link pointing to it, and it ranks among first 5, and there is nothing on those sites ponting to it that alludes to paid links, yet you know there is no way they're real.

What can Google do about this?

I find it so annoying... It makes me go and start 10 sites, and develop some content from which I'll point to my important site.

And yes, fire the company I pay for 2.5k/month SEO (real white).

Isn't this sad?

[tedster]

Hey, there's nothing wrong with building out halo sites to focus on one specific facet of your main offering. Many (most?) major brands do this. I'm not sure that it will help you compete against paid links that slip under the Google radar, but it can be a useful approach to an online business.

[aristotle]

If you create halo sites for this purpose, I recommend that you disguise their ownership, so that Google won't detect that they are all owned by the same person, especially the person who owns the main site. Otherwise there could be some risk.

[tedster]

My experience runs quite the other direction - transparency works the best. Just make sure that each halo site has a distinct business purpose and then be up front about ownership. The odds are that Google will detect common ownership anyway and being transparent avoids even the appearance of wrongdoing.

Even small organizations I work with have been successful in this. The distinct business focus of each halo site is a service to the visitor.

[smallcompany]

transparency works the best

That's what I'm after - the sad side is that (black) work behind the scene.

Thanks