Links play important roles in search rankings. However, there are some recent newfound understandings and this has led many brands to launch digital PR strategies with a focus towards earning high-authority links. But, the rush has unfortunately again led to shady link building practices. Brands are rapidly falling prey to such vendors who are offering some false promises. Experts have encountered hundreds of such dubious pitches which are promising high-authority links at a very low cost.

It is important to protect your brand from link network spam and recognize warning signs of toxic pitches. The most common red flags include overly generic introductions that lack specific details about the sender. The intro may have phrases like “I hope this message finds you well.” Such pitches frequently contain random capitalization and grammar issues.

It is also to note that the promise of high-quality backlinks on high Domain Authority (DA) sites and at a very low price is an unrealistic offer. Moreover, sometimes claims of urgency and no upfront costs often indicate that you can become a victim of a scam.

Understanding the patterns can help in filtering out the harmful pitches. Shady link building agencies commonly use strategies that seem appealing at first glance. Guest post clients offer placing posts on high-traffic sites for a certain fee and this often leads to site being deindexed by search engines.

It is suggested to always check the traffic and backlink profile of the site before finalizing a deal. Link exchanges might appear harmless, but it is important to note that it can result in a toxic backlink portfolio. It may lead to penalties from Google and other search engines too. Accepting guest posts that don’t align with your niche can damage your content quality and reputation as well.