Question about backlinks and PR

[DrK]

I was researching some keywords today and checked the backlinks of a PR5 website. I found that the majority of the backlinks were from paid link directories. I have 2 questions.

How difficult is it to rank against a site with links in link directories if I'm manually creating backlinks in other blogs and article directories?

And are paid link directories worth it? I don't want to pay for it at this time but I'm just curious.

[sadiessay-so]

I don't have any paid links. My blog isn't ranked right now just because I moved the url the day before Google did it's PR update, but my website that it's linked to went up to PR2 with no backlinks at all - not even free ones. Every time I leave a backlink on other blogs I always use my blog link, so all of the PR came from hits and keywords. Just food for thought.

[mintblogger]

Google cracks down on sites indulged in paid links for increasing Page Rank. Stress on creating quality content and let the links build organically.

[Nathan]

I have never used paid links. I have traded links with some other blogs, but paid links are guaranteed to mess you up. Google is more likely to penalize you if you engage in such practices. They keep track of the providers that sell paid links and don't count them, or even worse give their links negative value.

The best way to build PR is the slow way.

[trexle]

buying paid links would hurt you in SE as well as the website from whom u r buying .. stress on article submission .. ie writing and submitting .. and also dofolow blogs to build good backlinks .. PR is not really imp!!

[Usman Sheikh]

If PR isn't important why does everyone stress on it? Does it help to market your website to advertisers if you are a PR 6 instead of PR 4?

[shakingspear]

Originally Posted by mintblogger

Google cracks down on sites indulged in paid links for increasing Page Rank. Stress on creating quality content and let the links build organically.

I think this is the most important part of building your blog. Unfortunately it's also a lot more time consuming. We live in an instant gratification world now, so it's hard to believe there isn't a faster way to make things happen. But in the end if you have good content you will find a steady audience--one that will link to you regularly.

[Ferox]

You know, having your blogs in your signature here will help towards PR. That's about all teh backlinks I have for my fiction & writing blog, and it was PR 2 last time I checked.

[raider23]

Backlinks are probably the best way to improve your page ranking

Reciprocal links really dont do much good as your site then has as many links going out as coming in, Google tends to see this as a balance

There are many ways of 'buying' links and not having them show as paid links. For instance, there are many services that will do such things as place your links on blogs as a blog comment and as such they do not show as paid links and lots more.......

Just find the most convenient way for you and build those links

[Trey Baird]

Yup, the best advice that I can give is to just develop a strong web presence. If you provide value to your readers, and you are not anti-social in the blogosphere, the backlinks will spring up.