Episode #347
Why Do Big Brands Get Away With Spammy Link Building?
July 13, 2017

In Episode #347, Eric and Neil discuss why big brands get away with spammy link building. Tune in to learn how Google has changed their algorithms, making businesses think twice about using shady link tactics. And even if these tactics work, find out why it’s still not recommended for you to use them.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

  • 00:27 – Today’s topic: Why Do Big Brands Get Away With Spammy Link Building?
  • 00:44 – Big companies like Google and Amazon make hundreds of millions of links
  • 00:50 – The over-optimization cup
    • 01:01 – Once it overflows, you’ll get hit with penalties and adjustments
  • 01:08 – A new site or brand has a smaller margin of error
  • 02:06 – One of hardest indicators to manipulate is brand craze
    • 02:10 – This is when more and more people are searching for your brand
    • 02:30 – When Google knows that you’re a big brand, it’s harder for them to remove you
    • 02:38 – Google just penalizes a big brand for shady link building
    • 03:05 – Google notices that people will turn to other search engines when they don’t see the big brands from the search result
    • 03:08 – Google now does not penalize big brands as easily
  • 03:23 – A lot of industries are using shady link tactics
  • 03:58 – Google has adapted different algorithms to determine if a brand should be penalized
  • 04:30 – Google now tries to showcase the best sites first
  • 04:27 – Viper Chill’s How 16 Companies Are Dominating the World’s Google Search Result
  • 05:08 – Hearst Media started BestProducts
    • 05:24 – The total number of visits skyrocketed in just a few months
  • 06:05 – SEO out-playing still happens
  • 06:29 – If you’re creating too much possibility by doing something wrong, it will look bad
  • 06:46 – Shady tactics still work but is NOT recommended
  • 07:00 – Top keywords from SEMrush
  • 07:31 – That’s it for today’s episode!

3 Key Points:

  1. People tend to use a different search engines when they don’t see the brands that they want from the search results.
  2. Shady tactics are still being used today and while they work, they aren’t recommended.
  3. Google now shows the best sites first.

Leave some feedback:

  • What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below.
  • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with us:

Discover Latest Episodes

Episode
The New Startup Playbook, CEOs Are Choosing More AI. Less Jobs.
May 08, 2025

In episode #2968, Eric Siu and Neil Patel discuss the new startup playbook, questioning the need for traditional venture capital and emphasizing AI’s growing role. They highlight the shift toward se...

Episode
How To Get The Best Speakers For Your Events (For Free), Are TikTokers Really Broke?, What I Learned From Hosting A Private Summit With 185 Business Operators, They Raised $25M And Spent $12M On A Domain, Agency Is Eating The World
May 07, 2025

In episode #2967, Eric Siu and Neil Patel discuss building relationships to attract top event speakers, share marketing insights from a private summit, and examine TikTok advertising. They highlight t...

Episode
60% Of Traditional Searches Don’t End With A Click Now, The One Common Thing With The Best Marketers In The World, How To Generate The Most Revenue From Conferences, How To Manifest 7-Figure Deals From Thin Air
May 06, 2025

In episode #2966, Eric Siu and Neil Patel discuss the shift to zero click results and the growing importance of strong branding in digital marketing. They cover strategies for mastering marketing chan...