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All those pages were crosslinked with other 100 pages on that domain and EVERY page had a link to the SPONSOR site.The optimized pages showed up in pretty good positions in Google...
Do you think this is a safe way building traffic to the SPONSOR site(s)? Could it be safer if the links are php redirects? Could it hurt the sponsor site PR (if im the sponsor of my other site)?
Optimising each page for 1 or 2 pharases is an well knowbn and accepted SEO technique....
Problem comes only if you try to create a network of crosslinked sites or try to hide the links.
I built many pages and used subdomains and linked to my sponsor's every widget niche. Not just one sponsor link but many.
Honestly, I never saw any wrong-doing in doing this, just filtering traffic to the hilt. Why would I attract a person looking for blue narrow widgets to a page offering only widgets?
I always thought that if a sponsor 'nichifies' his offering there must be a good reason to market it that way!
Apparently someone disagreed and 'reported' me. All my hard work (seriously, i put many hours trying to avoid pitfalls and in particular avoid offending the powers that be) and dozens of pages have been annihilated. Gone. zip. nada. The domain was wiped out. In conjunction with all other related domains. In other words, a bloody massacre.
I wish they had contacted me. I made an effort to not crosslink but only sites that were related to keep the 'flow' within that particular widget segment.
As it goes, it seems permanent. Not that I got thrown to position #300. I got thrown out of the game...So, If any advice applies, be carefull. They are watching. Whether it is Google (who I respect even when they penalized me) or a competitor. If you give them reasons, you 'll be reported.
That engines cannot filter for hidden links is your smallest risk. Others, who may cowardly and underhandedly report you, is what you should fear.
Not trying to scare you, but if you give reasons...
I'd appreciate if anyone can bring a little hope to this demoralized SEO wanna-be.
My crosslinking was limited. I even had domains not linked to each other. And all linking was in the open for everybody to see, at the bottom as usual.
I had a few domains with little content. True. In which case just the lack of 'anything else' would make those pages highly optimized. The only elements on the page were highly relevant for the searches. In other words, well built 'doorway pages' that would lead to my sponsors'real content, who could not get good rankings because the way he built his home pages (frames and stuff).
But as for the main domain that got killed, content was plentiful and in any shape and color widget you would want.
Surely I used every single SEO element in the book (at least the ones I am familiar with); the keywords, the H1's, the H2's, the density of KWs, the bold links and the anchor text, the alt tags, the headings, the metas, the whole enchilada. BUT, behind all that there was real content filtered for each niche and segment. And sure, you could say they were a little 'noisy', but relevant to searches.
Are You asking me? All I can think of is that someone, whether Google or a nasty fella didn't like what I was doing...for whatever reason.
And as I say, the beating was nasty. They shut off the lights. When I see my referral logs and they are empty I want to cry. Really! No 'google' anywhere. It is like being invisible. You can see them all but noone can see you.
I am here to learn and I have faith I can correct my mistakes...next time.
