Google: Redirecting Spammy Links From Similar Domain Won't Trick Us

Mar 4, 2019 - 8:19 am 8 — by

Google Penalty

Google's John Mueller said you won't trick Google's spam algorithms by setting up a similar domain, building spammy links to that domain and then redirecting that domain to your main domain. It won't work - he said "you might as well skip the detour, it's just as obvious to the algorithms & spam team."

The Reddit thread suggests:

Whitehat or blackhat? Seo consultant advised me to buy a similar domain to the main, they will create web2.0, backlinks, blog comments and forum posts to that domain. I then use a 301 redirect to the main domain. He says that's how everyone's ranking quickly these days.

If it becomes a time it negatively effects my seo. simply remove the 301 redirect to my site.

John Mueller from Google responded:

The 301 basically makes the main site canonical, meaning the links go directly there -- you might as well skip the detour, it's just as obvious to the algorithms & spam team.

We've covered this topic numerous ways in the past:

Of course, many may feel Google doesn't know what they are talking about.

Forum discussion at Reddit.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: October 26, 2026

Oct 26, 2026 - 10:00 am
Google

Over 80% Of Google Searches Have AI Overviews & Growing

Oct 26, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google Ads AI-Generated Review Summaries Help Doc

Oct 26, 2026 - 7:41 am
ChatGPT Ads

ChatGPT Ads With Learn More Arrow Link; Some Served Through Amazon DSP

Oct 26, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google

Google Discover Tests Disabling Clicks In Sources Section

Oct 26, 2026 - 7:21 am
Google Ads

Google Ads 1-Click AI Max Experiment Recommendation

Oct 26, 2026 - 7:11 am
Previous Story: Google Is Okay With "Uncertain Spam" Reports