My own Network of sites to boost PR?

Is this a terrible idea or what?

[elklabone]

In our industry, the top 10 spots are dominated by individuals who have used some dirty underhanded techniques...

They have their own network of domains with "doorway pages" that all link to their real site. These are a bunch of junk pages with little content or purpose other than channeling PR to their "real" site.

And, they submit to guestbooks.

I've reported them to the Google spam police, but nothing has happened yet.

Here's my plan...

We keep working on reciprocal, one-way, and three way links for our site.

We add more content.

Also, I'm considering building a network of sites like our competitor has (maybe 5 or six different domains on different topics related to our industry), except put REAL CONTENT on these sites, of course with the ultimate goal of boosting our PR and rankings.

I realize I'm pushing the envelope a little, but with this industry I'm afraid if we don't get creative, we won't be able to beat the "black hats".

Is this a major mistake? or am I just doing what's necessary?

[prairie]

Its probably a bad, short-term idea. Google will most likely discover that you're faking popularity.

[skipfactor]

>>Also, I'm considering building a network of sites like our competitor has (maybe 5 or six different domains on different topics related to our industry), except put REAL CONTENT on these sites, of course with the ultimate goal of boosting our PR and rankings.

It's a perfectly legit idea if you don't go to crosslinking it all like a fool. You may have PR in mind now, but a few strategically placed anchor links in good content should eventually compete with your top non-search referrers.

Personally, I don't interlink content sites. Normal external link development and maybe 1 or 2 links from the selling site. I stick to a max of 5 relevant links from each content site (typically deeplinking) back to the selling site. Focus on funneling converting users from the content sites, not PR. I change the 4-5 links/anchor/content when I need to drive people to specials or pages currently lacking traffic from other sources.

[elklabone]

skipfactor,

so you're saying that this isn't necessarily a bad idea...

as long as the true goal is to bring in related traffic and funnel it to the sales site? I think I understand what you're saying.

So if I sell widgets (as everyone does on WebmasterWorld) I could build a site about "widget restoration" with good information and then funnel the visitors to my widget sales site?

Is that what you're saying?

--Mark

[martinibuster]

I could build a site about "widget restoration" with good information and then funnel the visitors to my widget sales site?

Sure, why not? Google wants to rank informative websites with good content. Just don't link back to the info site from your merchant site, nor share any links at all between the two.

[neuron]

I've reported them to the Google spam police, but nothing has happened yet.

Here's my plan...

You reported me to who? and now you're gonna do what? LOL

Hey, that sounds like a plan to me. What is described here sounds like the way it's done. Build lots of peripheral sites and get lots of links to them while feeding a central site.

[Macro]

>>Build lots of peripheral sites and get lots of links to them while feeding a central site.

There's a better method. Find long established content sites in your category in DMOZ - or in related categories - and buy them. With half a dozen of those you can add a few relevent links (with whatever anchor text you want) ....everyday.