Will tier 2 links eventually get an a*s whooping?

Hey guys,

One thing that I've been wondering about lately (now that I've started to rebuild a site that was hit by Penguin last year), is how we build links to our tier 1 properties.

At the moment, web 2.0's seem to be a popular choice to build contextual links back to our money sites.

But from there, it seems like "high pr" links to those properties can be junky (but juicy) blog comments, forum profiles, spun articles etc... yet still get their share of link juice without any penalty. Penalties that our money sites would suffer if we sent those kinds of links at them.

Since I started building my new website, I am being extra cautious for the moment until Penguin atleast starts running "real time" as they put it.

that's why I'm building tier 2 contextuals to my tier 1 contextuals... I think that this will probably take much longer than usual to rank. From there, I am hammering my tier 2 (which is contextual) with high pr links. I usually just outsource them because I don't have GSA and still learning how to use Scrapebox... but my point is, it would make sense for Google to go after them because they really are quite effective for the time being.

Is it worth all the trouble? I don't know.

I know it's possible to go bananas on your tier 1 web 2.0s, but how long will that last? It seems to be one of the latest techniques SEO's are getting into, and we all know Google jizzes themselves every time some new algo comes out that makes life a little more difficult for us.

Anyway, it would be interesting to hear some opinions on this whether you agree or disagree.

You raise some good points, at least I think so because what you have outlined is very close to the strategy I have been following for a couple of years now and it works for me. I treat my tier 1 web 2.0s almost like my main site with well written content that is updated frequently, images and videos, etc. Then tier 2 is web 2.0s but with less care taken by using spun articles, etc, lower metric PBNs and also some better quality forum profiles, blog comments, etc. Tier 3 will include what we consider more of the "spammier" type of links.

The further away you go from your money site as far as pure spam is concerned, the safer your website would be.

I think it would be fairly easy if G wanted to go down that route, but at the same time there are thousands of legitimate web 2.0s that link out to external websites.

I suppose if they WERE going to do this at some point, they would treat each sub domain on web 2.0's as completely brand new websites, and also give them NONE of the domain authority that the web 2.0 has...

therefore, it would be treated as an equal website that is also subject to potential penalties.

That also raises another interesting question: If that were to happen, there would be no way to escape from a penalty (specifically penguin) since we wouldn't have have access to webmaster tools and disavow. It would be simple to just blast away at all kinds of 2.0 websites and never recover.

I think it would be fairly easy if G wanted to go down that route, but at the same time there are thousands of legitimate web 2.0s that link out to external websites.

I suppose if they WERE going to do this at some point, they would treat each sub domain on web 2.0's as completely brand new websites, and also give them NONE of the domain authority that the web 2.0 has...

therefore, it would be treated as an equal website that is also subject to potential penalties.

That also raises another interesting question: If that were to happen, there would be no way to escape from a penalty (specifically penguin) since we wouldn't have have access to webmaster tools and disavow. It would be simple to just blast away at all kinds of 2.0 websites and never recover.

The real point of the web 2 over and above its power boosting effect is that it is a link which you control so if it, or any of its links do get a penalty then you can quickly disengage it without any hassle.

Agreed, that's why I'm waiting to see what's happening with Google and if "real time" works as its name suggests.

Currently, if a website gets hit by Penguin and you disengage the link, your money site will still have the penalty... it doesn't matter if you disavow, remove the link, pray, beg the almighty g, you will be stuck until the refresh. As is the case with my website that got hit initially. About a year ago now... ridiculous.