are invisible links any good?

[adm0001]

Should I pay to a pr6 (and generally non-spammy-looking) site that offers to place my link on the front page?

The catch is that they are actually selling links quite actively and there is a block of 10 or so links on the front page wrapped in the following code so that they don't display:

<div style=display:none>  </div>

Does google even index those?

 

[Autumn]

You can get display:none links indexed for sure and they count - especially if you wrap them in some jquery controls so it looks like it's just ajax content. There are a variety of other CSS / absolute positioning techniques you can use to hide content as well.

However I'd be more concerned that they're so obviously selling (hidden) links - that's a pretty dumb move on their part.

 

[zverr]

Yes they work until G notices that they are hidden. ( someone of your competitors searches for your links, sees that link then reports you to google) Then get ready for a penalty.

 

[Standard Toaster]

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66353

 

[Zak_A]

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66353

To cut it short : hidden links = cloaking. (i.e. presenting information to search engines differently than to visitors)

 

[adm0001]

Thanks for all the replies. Let me summarize:

1. For the seller, this may result in deindexing (which is their problem)
2. For the buyer, this may result in penalty if manually reported to G.
3. Until either of the above happens, this will pass link juice to the buyer as if this was a normal link.

Is this a correct summary?

 

[sfisher]

Thanks for all the replies. Let me summarize:

1. For the seller, this may result in deindexing (which is their problem)
2. For the buyer, this may result in penalty if manually reported to G.
3. Until either of the above happens, this will pass link juice to the buyer as if this was a normal link.

Is this a correct summary?

Yes to a degree in a nutshell, however, be very careful as hidden links can be seen by google for the benefit of the site being linked too and not the site they were placed on, as alot of BH's put links hidden or in say smileys, all of which can get found out, it isn't generally true that it is the site carrying the links that is penalised it is yours as they deem it to be you who was sneaky in putting them there , this is if found via their software and not checked manually when it has been identified as fishy, if checked manually which I very much doubt happens that often due to number of sites in the world and amount of BH's out there lol.

Then it is more likely the software that picks up on it and your site punished.

 

[chief99]

I would stay away from it. Any temporarily benefit that you might hope to achieve will not be worth the permanent penalty that you could suffer. Plus if they sell links it just a matter of time before Google catches them.

 

[lioness]

I have several sites in tourism and adult niche, im selling place and banners there, if interested.

 

[Zak_A]

I have several sites in tourism and adult niche, im selling place and banners there, if interested.

This kind of thread hijacking for advertising has no place here.

 

[VA.Golibu]

Now Google has changed the way they index so in some cases, your links will not be indexed

 

[thisismymp3]

Its good....for a ban hammmmmmmmmer