Social Bookmarking for Rank Boost

[pgaming]

Sorry Gary no offense intended but this appears to be a Blackhat tactic IMO. Not far off from the master of BlackhatSeo who recently suggested via email:

Hey xxxxxx.

This is just a quick mail to let you know about Serpscraper.
I was supposed to send an email out a few weeks ago but i think i forgot.
Sorry if this is the second email you got.

You can read more about it on the xxxxxx page http://xxxxxxx.com/
But let me tell you a bit about it in my words.

There are loads of free php scripts that do almost the same as what serpscraper does.

What seperates xxxxxscraper from these php scripts some coder threw together in a few hours?

It dosent get banned for scraping!
That has to be the main feature.


I see people search for free php scripts to scrape google.

Then a few days later after they have ironed the bugs out they are searching for a proxy script because google and yahoo keep banning them.

A few days later they are searching for proxy lists to use with the buggy script they are using to bypass the dreaded google spyware and the 999 yahoo message.

A week has maybe passed and they still havent scraped a single thing.
They valued a week of their time at $99.

Why $99?

Thats because serpscraper only costs $99 and very rarely if ever gets your ip banned.
There is proxy support but i never needed it and i have been using serpscraper for ages from my desktop and 2 virtual machines on my servers.

I dont know how neek managed to get round the banning in google and yahoo and to be honest i never asked or really cared because all that matters is that i dont get banned and i get the data i need.
Serpscraper is perfect for grabbing fresh targets for Autopligg and is perfect for any link harvesting from the search engines you may need to do.

Check out the xxxxxxx page at http://xxxxxxxx.com/
Any questions you can just ask them in xxxxx.

Peace out from xxxxxx

And as always you can unsubscribe from these pesky darned emails by asking me to delete your account in xxxxx.

Please email xxxxxxxx.com with the subject line "i am a whingy whiner and dont know how to delete an email so please delete my xxxxxxx account because getting one email every few months from xxxxx is just too much for me to cope with".


When you feel the need violate Google’s Webmasters Guidelines and hide IMO there’s a problem. I will not say much more, rather not have this overshadow the valuable contributions made thus far. But will add most are capable of doing dirty deeds but choose not too.


Serpscraper is perfect for grabbing fresh targets for Autopligg and is perfect for any link harvesting from the search engines you may need to do.

Check out the Serpscraper page at http://xxxxxxxx.com/
Any questions you can just ask them in xxxxx.

Peace out from xxxxxx

And as always you can unsubscribe from these pesky darned emails by asking me to delete your account in xxxxx.

Please email xxxxxxxx.com with the subject line "i am a whingy whiner and dont know how to delete an email so please delete my xxxxxxx account because getting one email every few months from syndk8 is just too much for me to cope with".

When you feel the need violate Google’s Webmasters Guidelines and hide IMO there’s a problem. I will not say much more, rather not have this overshadow the valuable contributions made thus far. But will add most are capable of doing dirty deeds but choose not too.

greek39

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Been away at a few conferences so I'm playing catchup on some alternative testing I've been doing...this little test being one of them.

If you do the same search now; poker on Google.nl, you'll see the rankings continue to maintain, and even gained a spot or two to #6.

For safe measure I ran a site analyser looking at backlinks and on page optimisation and the Webmaster has made any changes or added any backlinks so this still represent the effect of the SBM's I did about what, 4 to 5 weeks ago?

I'm still watching it because when we tested this some time ago the rankings only held for 30-45 days, but with Google releasing the new API for social networks I'm wondering if these will stick longer.

I'll keep you updated.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Ps. greek39

If bookmarking your own website or using social networks to drive traffic is against Google's TOS, like billions of people have done with Twitter, myspace, linkedin, facebook - I'd like to see it - because essentially that is all that this test has done - One bookmark on one page, across many SBM websites.

Continually using Digg or Simpy on your site could be construed as grey hat, but this is not the case in this test.

So I hope anyone that was scared off by your comments spend the time to re-read through the post and understands what was actually done.

I would find it surprising if anyone out there hasn't Dugg or Twittered their own website.

Its not grey or black hat, its viral marketing.

If you abuse it then yes, it is a questionable TOS violation - but that is not what I suggested or tested.

[casinojack]

Hmmm


This thread is back...

I still do not see a good difference between some black and whit hat tactics, more like personal preference.

I think anyone who ever adds a signature in a forum then, would technically break google tos, but that's acceptable by many of you here that are saying social bookmarking is bad.

I think you need to do more research and testing on your own before claiming these things.

So many of you also are "worried" about the google penalties. If it was so easy , to add a few bookmarks and mess up your rankings, why dont people do this to their competition? Think about that, is not that easy. Prstorm, bookmarkingdemin, onlyewore, all these tools that "hurt you if used wrong", is 100% bad information. If you can show me a real time exmaple iI am wrong, then fine..but I use them all regulary and they have never cost me anything. Please Please, I beg you, before saying things can hurt you, please test and show proof.

[Nandakishore]

Is putting an OnlyWire button at the end of every article going to tempt fate?!

I don't think an OnlyWire button at the end of every article should create any problem because otherwise bringing a digg or facebook link would also be risky. However, if all these pages of one site are bookmarked from the same IP address, that may cause trouble.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

That's they key element - They aren't bookmarked from one IP they are implemented via onlywire's network - which are random.

:+) dang - now the guts of the technique are out there - and now you understand in part why it works well.

[casinojack]

That's they key element - They aren't bookmarked from one IP they are implemented via onlywire's network - which are random.

:+) dang - now the guts of the technique are out there - and now you understand in part why it works well.

Yes gary, in the wordpress post i put here,i included a plugin for Wp that does this randomly, and you select the % per only wire account....im with you..I need ot grab a beer with you one day!

[brean78]

I have been social bookmarking using onlywire and socialmarker for a year or two now and have had nothing but positives from these techniques.

You can remain skeptical, but those that do use it are the only ones that benefit. I have rarely heard of anyone losing rankings from excessive bookmarking.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Yes and since Google released the API for social network site - mark my words; this technique will only improve over time.

[Jokerman99]

Interesting thread. I havnt tried much social bookmarking and will probably shy away from it due to the uncertainty regarding penalties.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Yeah I felt the same way about scuba at first until I watched someone else do it and have the time of their life, told me their experience, and looked back and said 'I should have done this years ago when someone told me about it'.

I guess that's the spice of life - run with the wolves and be first to the kill, or stand back and see what happens, then feed on the carcass.

Its safe, but nothing in life worth while rarely is.

I say these things because if I hadn't thoroughly tested this and delivered 100% of my results, including penalties or the like, I would never have given the advice.

Some of of good things in life actually ARE for free.

One more tidbit...if you look at the original test and the existing results you'll see that it has not only sustained, but increased another position.

And in the landscape for a top 10 ranking for the term 'poker' in the Netherlands, one position is worth 10's of thousands each month.

These guys are the 'deep cave divers'.

[Jokerman99]

So are you bookmarking other content unrelated to your domains as well? Also with regards IP logging, are you using proxies to do this?

Thanks.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Hi Rakebackftw,

That was simply a random test to prove a point regarding the impact of that technique; which was to eliminate the 'indented' secondary listing of a competitor.

So if you were #11, or on the 2nd page, this technique of sbm'ing a non competitor ranking above you, could eliminate the 'indented' secondary listing and get you on the 1st page of results - or triple your traffic and conversions.

I use it for many things.

Regarding your 2nd Q - I have many rented C-Class servers everywhere, a very good in house Php guy, and a lot of curiosity to push Google to its limited. 40% of my clients are top 10 gaming companies.

[lots0]

xxxxx

[entez]

Did you check that the results came from same datacenter? It's hard to believe that this technique can work so fast.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Since lots0 deleted his comment I'll let everyone know following this thrread that he was wrong - dont know why - dont care, but he seems to look for loopholes in my advice on a regular basis, as he does everyone - It ain't there dude so give it up!

He said the site was penalised or whatever - it wasn't

In fact its still there and depending on the datacenter even higher than i've seen it.

I'm testing a few more things using this in combination with other quick + easy tasks right now and I'll be releasing the result in Niagra Falls at the CBG Affiliate Weekend conference.

I'm bringing some really good stuf here guys that I won't relaease for at least a month following, so if you can afford to go I would.

I'll also be doing free 1-on-1 site analysis the entire time I am there (well actually it will cost you a beer) during the conference.

Can't wait to meet you all!

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

Did you check that the results came from same datacenter? It's hard to believe that this technique can work so fast.

It did and it does - I took screenshots to prove it and you can search googl.nl and see it this very second.

We give good stuff away here shovi, tested thoroughly as well.

Thanks for the fb!

[entez]

We give good stuff away here shovi, tested thoroughly as well.

I'm sure you do, but as there is 100's of other variables that affect SERP's, anything isn't bullet proof method.

This might work for Pokerlistings as they have huge amount of good backlinks already, but I believe if your backlink profile is unbalanced, this method can hurt your rankings.

I really appreciate your work Gary, but SEO is not about techniques, it's about understanding how search engines work. Methods and ideas like this are only useful when you see the big picture.

[GaryTheScubaGuy]

I'm sure you do, but as there is 100's of other variables that affect SERP's, anything isn't bullet proof method.

This might work for Pokerlistings as they have huge amount of good backlinks already, but I believe if your backlink profile is unbalanced, this method can hurt your rankings.

I really appreciate your work Gary, but SEO is not about techniques, it's about understanding how search engines work. Methods and ideas like this are only useful when you see the big picture.

This was a 20 hour test - not a well-balanced approach - and I also took a snapshot of their bl's when I was proving this point - which have actually declined since the initial test was implemented.

I'm not disagreeing with you but rather punching holes in your hole punching.

Nothing is for sure - but the accusations and continual questioning of this solitary technique has worn my patience thinner every time I have to respond to a post such as yours.

Your right - nothing is bulletproof and things may change tomorrow - Goggle watches just like we do - but it works now. Why would you scare people off a proven technique?

I think I read somewhere back in this thread that someone had been doing this for 2 years with no backlash and on their own website.

Mine were picked at random - simply a top 10 listing for a Hollywood term in an effort to eliminate a secondary indented listing.

MY bigger issue here is that I have to spend so much time defending a piece of free advice - that has never proven to draw penalties when used exactly as I have stated - over and over.

Forums, especially this one that targets gaming are a place for you and all members to learn, share, and yes - question. I do as well. But quit beating a dead horse unless you have done sufficient testing to prove it wrong.

Better yet come up with a contribution yourself, or better start a thread about how much time we can spend thwarting proven advice so that the Affiliates looking for something benefitial to their goals can sort out whether they want to listen to critics or learn new techniques that work.

I guess I wouldn't be so hostile shovi if you had anything to bring to the table - but you have lit the fire.

Quit spending time looking for holes and just do it for christs sake. And back off the criticism unless you have something to back it up. IF you prove anything I say wrong I assure you I'll eat my hat and apologise to everyone - you won'tbe the first and surely not the last.

[AmCan]

I don't bookmark my own sites or really participate in any of these social sites, except twitter.

What we did recently (about 10 days ago) was add social bookmarking buttons to our largest site (dictionary site that gets 10-20k visits a day). We were already getting traffic from stumbleupon, but none of the other sites. Well in just 11 days the number of visits is up about 17% per day, even though US schools have mostly ended for the summer. There still aren't more than a few visits a day from any of the sites, except stumble upon which is up from earlier in the month, but is only responsible for about 40 visits a day.

I'm not sure of what is going on, i'm assuming that just having the buttons on the site may have pushed us higher for some keywords, but at time when traffic normally drops off, we're up significantly, since we put the buttons up on june 10th. could be totally coincidental, but don't know. we added buttons to another site on friday, i'll post back if that site starts growing rapidly too.

just thought i'd share my only relevant thoughs on the topic.