Should I mimic my competitors questionable SEO strategy?

[Typo Titan]

Hey guys, so I've been slowly raising the rankings of my ecommerce site with contextual backlinks, quality pbns(t-ranks & toms). So far its good. I buy 5-20 links every month from a trusted vendor.

I recently noticed that one of my competitors, whose traffic had always been inconsistent—generally around 400 and never going above 600-700—has seen a sudden and rapid increase in the last 30 days. I believe I've identified the cause: it appears they are using a Fiverr service that claims to 'Skyrocket rankings with ********.' The backlinks from this gig seem quite sketchy and non-contextual, but it looks like they’re working.

Now my mind says this is a really stupid idea as this is a really easy target for google. Any next google update could potentially demolish this VERY sketchy tactic. My gut feeling says nothing will happen and I should do it

While it may be tempting to follow your competitor's risky backlink strategy, sticking to trusted, quality link-building methods is far safer in the long term and avoids potential penalties from future Google updates.

 

[Gants-P]

Parasites breed parasites, geniuses breed categories for parasites.

 

[Nikolaos]

Thank you for the reply! So should I just continue what I'm doing? Never bought fiverr stuff before and I always do a lot of research and vetting before I buy links. I dont want to sound paranoid but I think im doing things right

I suggest you don't do it otherwise you're risking of having a dead website.

 

[metropolitanBase]

How could you possibly identify which Fiverr service your competitor is using?

So i checked their ref domains that they gained in august. And there is 2 domains with a LOT of backlinks like boostseo . com or something and they redirect to fiverr gigs. Incredibly stupid. And the dates ref domains were seen correlate with the increase they have gained

 

[sanseraservices]

Hey guys, so I've been slowly raising the rankings of my ecommerce site with contextual backlinks, quality pbns(t-ranks & toms). So far its good. I buy 5-20 links every month from a trusted vendor.

I recently noticed that one of my competitors, whose traffic had always been inconsistent—generally around 400 and never going above 600-700—has seen a sudden and rapid increase in the last 30 days. I believe I've identified the cause: it appears they are using a Fiverr service that claims to 'Skyrocket rankings with ********.' The backlinks from this gig seem quite sketchy and non-contextual, but it looks like they’re working.

Now my mind says this is a really stupid idea as this is a really easy target for google. Any next google update could potentially demolish this VERY sketchy tactic. My gut feeling says nothing will happen and I should do it

I'd stick with your current strategy—Google updates can hit those sketchy tactics hard, and it's not worth the risk.

 

[domainmadness]

So i checked their ref domains that they gained in august. And there is 2 domains with a LOT of backlinks like boostseo . com or something and they redirect to fiverr gigs. Incredibly stupid. And the dates ref domains were seen correlate with the increase they have gained

I'm not sure if it's because it's Monday morning or you explaining this badly, but I still didn't get what you mean?

You checked their referring domains gained in August, ok.
You found two referring domains with a lot of backlinks like what? And what is redirecting to fiver gig? And how from that redirection you know that your competitor have purchased that fiver gig?

 

[metropolitanBase]

I'm not sure if it's because it's Monday morning or you explaining this badly, but I still didn't get what you mean?

You checked their referring domains gained in August, ok.
You found two referring domains with a lot of backlinks like what? And what is redirecting to fiver gig? And how from that redirection you know that your competitor have purchased that fiver gig?

Two ref domains have a lot of links that link to my competitor. The links and the domains redirect to fiver gig pages.

How come I know? We have been watching that competitor carefully for a long time and we know(with some insider knowledge) that they buy fiver gigs.

Also the links that they gained in august are almost entirely made up of these links.

 

[iAuthority]

I would say not to copy your competitor, continue what you're doing and see what happens to your rival because of this technique.

 

[MoonStarz]

You can try it, but is not a garantee will work or if you might have another result from the one you are looking for mostly because you are risking your job, I mean what you being working for all this time.

 

[bananasubmarine]

Well.. I'd say it depends on your goals. Make a quick flip? Yes. Sustainable long-term business? No.

 

[janubaba]

Mimicking questionable SEO tactics can be risky. While it might show short-term gains, it can lead to penalties in the long run. Stick with ethical, sustainable strategies for better, long-term results.

 

[Proxytitan]

using sketchy Fiverr backlinks is risky. While it might boost rankings temporarily, it’s an easy target for Google penalties in the next update. My gut says to avoid it, as my current strategy with trusted PBNs and contextual links is safer in the long run. It’s tempting, but I’d rather not risk it.

 

[Sarah Mathews]

IMO you dont do that. You can stick with the current process and so enhance the ranking.