Can you rank well and be profitable WITHOUT buying links?

[WagerX]

I first started promoting gaming affiliate sites about 13 years ago. Things were much easier back then. Buying directory links, article submissions, and press releases were the bread and butter of ranking well. I had decent quality content. However, I remember having to gradually increase those efforts non-linearly. It was an exponential increase in inbound links. At one point there were diminishing returns where I was paying 10-20k per month on links for a small network of sites. The sites were eventually penalized by google.

I was seriously considering starting another network of affiliate sites. This time around I was thinking about only relying on quality content. I remember some of GPWA's more prominent members saying that they have never purchased a link before.

Do you guys think that this could be done?

[pokeraussie]

Quality content helps but it will only get you so far. Anyway, I don't think I should be offering advice to someone who had a budget of 10-20k per month lol.

[PaulEchere]

As pokeraussie said above, you're probably way more experienced than I am
But as far as my observations go - there are some search terms where it is definitely not possible to rank well without paying for links.
Then again, looking at your original post, the budget of 10 - 20 k is a boat load of links in my estimation (yet I don't know how many sites you had) and the fact that those websites were penalized probably goes to show that "less is more" when it comes to buying links.

So I guess to sum it up - I don't think there is any good reason to shy away from buying links, especially when you have the resources. It would have to be done in moderation and in tandem with good content.

[Omnia]

I think in this day and age it would be incredibly difficult, basically impossible to rank for competitive terms in this niche without the help of quality backlinks. Similar to other niches such as Finance, etc. It's so saturated you just won't be able to do it.

[chaumi]

I think the true answer to this is 'you won't know for sure till you try'.

I agree with everything already said...but there are also a lot of dependencies..........

It depends.....

On what level of profitability you mean
On how long you can give it to achieve that profitability level
On what your targets are
On what authority (or age, or trust, or expertise) level you start with (or can build over time)
On how expertly you can present your subject
On algorithm changes
On how much you can get done and how well you can do it

...and probably a few more that I've missed.

There are a couple of points worth noting that involve the word 'purchasing'......

1. You don't have to purchase every link. There are (admittedly, not always easy) ways of obtaining links
2. There are many ways of buying links that could give value and have a positive impact

I'll make a guess that you don't have access to the sort of budget previously mentioned anymore, hence the point of the question in the first place.


Bottom line. I personally believe it's possible. But the only way to have a chance is to positively meet all the dependencies above. You almost certainly would never nail big terms, but then you don't always have to (depending on what your target profit level is, of course, in relation to the time/effort/spending you have to put in).

Even if you get all that 'right', you still won't know till you've tried. What's (almost) certain is that (without at least some forms of link building...and I would venture to suggest that's not in the 10-20k a month region or anywhere near it) then you would have to be doing everything really, really 'right'. And the reality is that the level of success will likely depend on all the dependencies + links. The debate/unknown being 'how many' and 'of what quality'.


PS As encouragement.......

1. I know of at least one general gambling site (owned by a member here, I won't say who/what because they may not wish me to) that's roughly a year old and is already making big enough waves. I don't know for sure, but they probably haven't been spending a lot on links and are relying on structure/content etc. Needless to say, those are of high quality.

2. I know that (some) new pages (on a weakish, but fairly aged site) can go straight into top 20 (for 'hammered to death' terms) with minimal external inbound links helping (I mean either none or at the most one or two). Which suggests that with added links, there could be some untapped potential.

[WagerX]

Thanks for the input guys.

As pokeraussie said above, you're probably way more experienced than I am

I've found that knowledge in general is somewhat perishable. What worked back in the past may work today. I guess that's one of the great things about internet marketing. If the dedication is there, new affiliates can compete with older ones.

It depends.....

On what level of profitability you mean
On how long you can give it to achieve that profitability level
On what your targets are
On what authority (or age, or trust, or expertise) level you start with (or can build over time)
On how expertly you can present your subject
On algorithm changes
On how much you can get done and how well you can do it

...and probably a few more that I've missed.

.....
I'll make a guess that you don't have access to the sort of budget previously mentioned anymore, hence the point of the question in the first place.

PS As encouragement.......

1. I know of at least one general gambling site (owned by a member here, I won't say who/what because they may not wish me to) that's roughly a year old and is already making big enough waves. I don't know for sure, but they probably haven't been spending a lot on links and are relying on structure/content etc. Needless to say, those are of high quality.

2. I know that (some) new pages (on a weakish, but fairly aged site) can go straight into top 20 (for 'hammered to death' terms) with minimal external inbound links helping (I mean either none or at the most one or two). Which suggests that with added links, there could be some untapped potential.

Yes, I do not have that sort of budget. By the way, great feedback guys. Thank you.

Ultimately, I think I will concentrate on the quality of the content, and then reinvest in links when sustainable.

[jurgen]

As they say - good content. Content that is most interesting to the user allows you to promote the site and without links. But light help is always needed.