Are link requests using SEO software considered Spamming?

Is this considered spamming?

[xenithforever]

Hi Everyone,

We just purchased a software tool for SEO.

With the ability to request hundreds or thousands of link requests at a time:

Putting the potential links email address and the persons name if found on their link.

Anyone have experience with this procedure, and can it be called spamming?

All input welcome,

David

[neuron]

Yes, requesting thousands of link requests via email can be considered spamming.

Actually, I do this all the time, but I don't consider what I do to be spamming. So, what is the difference between what you are doing and what I do?

I have been heavily invovled in linking for more than a couple of years. During that time, I, or my more than a dozen full-time linkers, have manually reviewed thousands of sites. We categorize the sites, obtain the correct email addresses for link requests, and we make sure they engage in linking via email.

We use Arelis to collect custom databases of sites to that have certain keyterms already on their site, a raw DB. Upon review, we find that 70% of the sites collected are, for a variety of reasons, inappropriate for requesting links from. 20% of the sites use online forms to exchange links and only 10% use email. Thus, if you collected sites and email addresses using the same or a similar tool, and then emailed them all, 90% of the emails sent would be spam.

There have been threads in this very forum by members who have had their hosting accounts and even their domains closed down because they sent link request spam.

There is no substitute for manual site review. It is a slow, boring, and tedious task. In getting links, there is no magic bullet. It is difficult work. If you think you have found a magic bullet and use it, you may find you have shot yourself in the foot.

...and, welcome to WebmasterWorld, David.

[xenithforever]

Hello Neuron,

Thanks for the response & the welcome:

I am slightly confused in this regard.

Having purchased <snip>, I see that you will get the email address and other pertinent information.

If the potential link partner has a link option on their page, and you ask to link to them and them to you: Where does the spamming come in?

We have used <snip> also, and we have never had a problem searching for partners in their software.

We only got the SEO, to find page ranks and because it has more than the 60-100 or so link partners per category than Reciprical Manager.

Anyway, thanks for answering me Neuron.

Dave

[edited by: martinibuster at 7:27 am (utc) on May 1, 2005]
[edit reason] Edited for specifics [/edit]

[martinibuster]

Are you afraid of being an email spammer? Email spam is defined as Unsolicited Email (UCE). So if you have a database of people who want to receive your link request then it's arguable that it's not UCE. But, UCE seems to me to be defined, ultimately, by the person receiving the link request, and you never know what side of the bed they woke up on.

If enought people you contact file complaints to your web host, your web host is not going to launch an investigation to see if you were right to send that email or not. They're going to shut down your ALL of your websites because they don't want to be blacklisted as a source of UCE.

[stever]

Email spam is defined as Unsolicited Email (UCE).

There are some fairly authoritative anti-spam sites that actually define it as Bulk Unsolicited Commercial Email, mb. Not that this wouldn't apply in this case, but I think your statement was possibly unduly definitive and restrictive in leaving out two possible qualifiers.

[neuron]

There is a horse-related site in the State of Texas that only exchanges links with other horse-related sites in the State of Texas. On their site they specifically ask that if you want to exchange links with them you should fill out their online form. They do not accept link requests via email. Their words are as stern and forceful as can be while maintaining a thoroughly professional and gentelmanly contenance. They give good warning. The only way you would know this is to manually review their site prior to applying for a link exchange with them. I would speculate that whoever runs that site knows how to file a spam complaint and has done so in the past for improper link requests.

Yes, the software is designed to collect the right email address and the proper link information (anchor, description and URL). However, once you build a database of sites you need to do a manual review of a couple of hundred sites, and then you will see that approximately 70% of sites are not appropriate for link exchanges and that 20% of those that are ask specifically on their site that you fill out their online form to initiate a link request and not send them a link exchange email.

The software helps, but it only helps a little, and only as much as you let it.

Here are some threads that might help explain the situation and what other people have been through:

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