Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Calls Web 2.0 Style Links as Spam

Recently, John Mueller, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst said that the style of getting links from sites like Tumblr, classified sites, linking to your own profile in Alexa and other places that give links from profiles is called Web 2.0 Link Building.

He spoke about abusing Web 2.0 websites to get links. He further said that identifying web 2.0 links is the easiest kind to spot and they are thus regarded as worthless.

In Mueller's words:

"So off hand, all of those examples that you mentioned are really terrible ways of promoting your website.

So that’s something where if you hire an agency and they go off and post links on Tumblr, on classified sites and free posting sites and they claim this is going to help your website then I would move to some other agency.

So just to be really clear like this kind of activity has zero value for SEO.

It’s not something where you’re promoting your website in any way but rather essentially they’re spamming the web.

So that’s something I would strongly discourage anyone from doing."

Read full story at SEJ: https://www.searchenginejournal.com...ewsletter&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter#close

Should we stay away from web 2.0 profile links now?

Regards
Aleale

Interesting and worrying.

Or is he discouraging it because Google find it hard to pinpoint, because it still provides link juice?

I already read here that web 2.0 links are not effective anymore - specially Tumblr

At some point Google had to turn their eyes to web 2.0s, I am sure they have been well aware for years about the use of these links and the numerous tools available to mass produce them, so I would not be surprised that this is actually true and not some misinformation attempt by Google to confuse SEOs around the world. I personally have reduced the use of web 2.0 a lot over the last few years.

And what do you see guys as key to formulating other alternatives to web 2.0 for SEO ranking?

Zayn11 said:

And what do you see guys as key to formulating other alternatives to web 2.0 for SEO ranking?

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Backlinks from high authoritative websites