Can selling links via TLA be bad for rankings on Google?

[Automotive site]

This rumor use to go around webmaster forums a couple of years ago and I am wondering if this is still the case.

[tedster]

It's pretty definite that when Google first attacked paid links that pass PR, they lowered the toolbar PageRank of sites they thought were selling - including sites who placed links for TLA.

In many cases, it did not seem like there was a true ranking penalty, however. Some sites reported that there was, and others said no. So it may have differed on a case by case basis.

One thing is certain - Google does not like the practice of selling links that pass PageRank value. For the moment, it seems they just stop the link from passing PR on their back end, if the site itself hasn't already taken that step.

[goodroi]

Google has made it clear they are not happy with paid links and Google can figure out who is using TLA. Even if there is no ranking penalty today (which is debatable) it does not mean you will be safe next month or next year.

I don't know your business model or your site but I think you should ask yourself "Is it worth risking my site for a few extra dollars a month?"

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

...and Google can figure out who is using TLA.

~ Google history is turned on.
~ The Google toolbar is running, or off but not disabled.
~ You trigger a bunch of web beacons (adsense, analytics etc) while browsing around sites listed on TLA.
~ Browser history is "sniffed".
~ your own cookies
~ you get the idea.

There are SO many ways Google knows and/or can deduce that you're a busy bee on TLA. Don't assume you're being any kind of ninja, lol.

[Automotive site]

Well, here is the problem. I have quite an authoratative site that has around 10,000 uniques a day and i ahd the site analysed by some marketing company and they said I should be making around $3,000 a month from it and at least $2,000 minimum, but I am not making anything close to that (around $800) despite running Adsense on it. I just don't know how to chase up advertisers and its time consuming, so I just see something like TLA as a broker who supplies ads, not really different to privately selling ads. I should be able to make close to $300 a month from TLA by selling a few links.

[Planet13]

I should be able to make close to $300 a month from TLA by selling a few links.

Unfortunately I don't have any info to add to the TLA debate - and as a matter of fact, I don't even know what TLA stands for.

However, have you thought about finding e-commerce companies that have Affiliate programs and linking to their products directly?

You could nofollow those links, so then you wouldn't have to worry about getting in trouble with google, because those links wouldn't pass page rank.

Most of the onus would be on you though, because you would have to find a good ecommerce site related to your topic, and make sure you link to the products that your visitors want, and update your links when a product goes out of stock.

It's not an EASY solution - but as long as those links don't pass page rank, then you wouldn't have to worry about upsetting google.

[chicagohh]

I just don't know how to chase up advertisers and its time consuming

Let Google do it for you. A real simple way is to just watch the sites that show up on your Adsense and contact them directly. A better way is to run an *Adwords* campaign for the Display Network only. It will cost you a little, but advertise for the products/services that your site is focused on. After a while go to the Networks tab in Adwords > click on Show Details for the automatic placements >> you will have a long list of websites that advertised on your site. Export to Excel.
Many of them may be interested in a direct relationship.

Edit - I would *not* join any link selling network. Your site may never recover and $800 is much better than $30 or zero.