A link exchange occurs when you and another site owner agree to link to each other’s website. If Google sees you’re doing this a lot, it might suspect that you’re paying for links or just being spammy in general. As a result, you might get a manual action or a demotion in rankings.
Example of link exchange outreach email
Screenshot provided by the author
Money anchors
Not using the right anchor text is another dead giveaway for link schemes.
For example, overusing money anchors in backlinks could raise red flags. A money anchor is a commercial or transactional keyword, like “buy used boats.”
If you’re constantly using those types of keywords as anchor texts, Google will notice this unnatural linking pattern. It might also think your site’s sole aim is to make a profit and not help users.
Other patterns
Other patterns Google might look for include:
Exact-match anchor text: Overuse of exact match chile mobile numbers list keywords in the anchor text, especially if unnatural
A sudden spike in backlinks: A quick increase in backlinks, especially from low quality sources, can indicate link purchases
Links from irrelevant websites: Backlinks from sites with unrelated content
Links on low-quality or spammy websites: Backlinks on poorly maintained sites, content farms, or those with thin content
Sponsored content not marked as “sponsored”: Failing to mark paid links with a “sponsored” or “nofollow” attribute.
Link placement in widgets or footers: Links that are present in non-content sections like sidebars, footers, or widgets.
Sitewide links from other domains: Links appearing sitewide on another domain
Links from link networks: Backlinks from known link networks, which typically exist solely to sell links
Links embedded in poor content: Links with poorly written or irrelevant content (auto-generated or spun content)
High number of links from press releases or guest posts: Excessive use of press releases or guest blogging just for links, especially on unrelated sites
Sitewide links, one of the oldest link building tricks in the book.