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A High Rankings Forum thread is a perfect example of how people can misinterpret SEO terms. In this particular case, because a site has lost its rankings, an individual is looking to build a "link farm."
Well, sort of. A "link farm," he says, is how he builds reciprocal yet relevant links. (A real "link farm" is frowned upon by Google.)
If you ask me, that doesn't sound like a link farm. But there's a problem within this industry that can cause serious penalties (without any idea why) if you're not understanding the proper SEO terms.
My guess is that in this particular member's case, he lost rankings because his boss misinterpreted another SEO tactic yet again. It's very important to understand these terms clearly. If in doubt, ask a forum member for help.
Forum discussion continues at High Rankings Forum.
Comments:
Jaan Kanellis
04/15/2008 02:53 pm
I have always thought vocabulary is a huge problem for all of us.
No Name
04/15/2008 03:12 pm
I've been reading some pretty heavy stuff about SEO today so that brought a smile to my face :). Thanks for the post.
Michael Martinez
04/15/2008 07:02 pm
You're linking to the wrong glossary if you were trying to show people what link farms are. As one of the people who helped originate the concept of link farms, I'm far better qualified to explain what they are than most people. A link farm is any group of sites where every member in the group links to all other members in the group. And contrary to what some people say, editorially control was always part of the process. Just because a linking resource exercises editorial review doesn't mean that Google will find the resource to be acceptable. Link farms were created to help sites get into and stay in Inktomi's primary Web index (which was rebuilt every four weeks). They just happened to really help out with Google when Google started indexing large portions of the Web.
Ammon Johns
04/16/2008 09:49 am
While it is always amusing to witness Michael Martinez' delusions of granduer, and to hear in one's mind the wonderful echo effect his voice gets with his head that far up his own rear, the term 'Link Farm' was really coined as a direct evolution of the 'Banner Farms' of the Nineties. It is, fairly obviously, a site that exists purely to grow, gather, and harvest links, just like the banner farms before it we built purely to host as many banners as possible.