In Defense of Paid Links, why Rand is Wrong

Rand Fishkin of SEOMoz fame recently released their corporate position on the issue of paid links. I rarely disagree with Rand on the common practices of search engine optimizers, but I must respectfully disagree with this position because it misrepresents the risk-reward ratio for the overwhelming majority of online business owners. I will try my best to both respond to his points and outline my own position regarding paid links. First, let’s be clear about a few things. Paid Links != Rented Links. There are a wide array of paid linking methods that are not rented, each with its own risk-reward ratio to consider. Cheap, automated paid directory linking may offer very low reward and high risk. Renting links may be somewhere in between. Paid Links != Text...

The Virgin’s Guide to Viral Marketing

Since its public boom in 1996, the Internet and social media has mirrored human development in one important manner: we’re now in the middle of the awkward, hormone-ridden age of middle school. As sites like Digg, Propeller, and Reddit begin to blossom from niche political communities and into girls sought after by acne-ridden social media marketers such as ourselves, we must keep a few things in mind.             Like middle school, there will always be the “jock” marketers with epic mustaches always getting laid first and bullying you around. If you find yourself to be one of these 13 year olds admiring the upper lip fur of sites such as Cracked, College Humor, the Huffington Post, or the Onion as you stare at the social networks beauties from...