Backlinks audit: accommodations rental site

This an excerpt from a competitor backlinks review.

This content is featured for illustration purposes only. Some parts of the report are missing. A structure of a actual report may differ.

ANALYSIS OF A CLIENT'S BACKLINKS STRATEGY

A client - a large South Africa's accomodation booking website - has come the way of its own: from low quality paid links to relatively high quality editorial links.

Here go insights

Unnatural (paid) links

bondexchange.co.za

homenet.co.za

Private Blog networks (PBN)

Below are only several examples of, arguably, a large PBN that a client uses.

• http://www.slis.co.za/

• http://www.isimangaliso.co.za/

• http://www.gps-shop.co.za/

• http://www.niche-articles.co.za/

• http://www.maxum.co.za/

• http://www.tweaker.co.za/

• http://www.lifelab.co.za/

• http://www.sira-sa.co.za/

• http://www.wavesailing.co.za/

They have been using these unnatural links really massively. So, I predict that a client's site can be hit by a spam update [soon].

1. Arguably-paid Wikipedia links

2. Guest-posts for money

3. Reseller / Affiliate programs links

In Partnering with EU /USA operators may not only bring you new clients through re-seller arrangement but also give another bit of backlinks. For example, see below.

Several other examples of sites using the affiliate program:

• http://www.cape-town-accomodation.co.za/

• http://www.drakensberg-tourism.com

• http://www.african-experiences.com/gardenroute.html

• http://lifechanging-holidays.com/

Example of a referral link: http://www.safarinow.com/go/MistyCliffsCliffhouse/?source=5035

Footer links

Safirinow.com offers a Free eCommerce website for property owners. See how it looks below. The site’s footer has a link to the Safirinow.com.

ttbb.co.za

There are currently a lot of users of this service. For detail see https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22Powered+by+SafariNow.com%22&start=30 . So, basically, footer links of the kind described above is the main source of Safirinow.com backlinks.

Importantly enough, as https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22Powered+by+SafariNow.com%22&start=30 above shows a Free e-Commerce website option is most commonly uses by self-catering accommodations (cottages, guest-houses, etc). Hotels seldom use that option as they opt to build a site on they own.

Now, as was said earlier, footer links are largely not considered as a quality ones by Google. One reason is that a site owner often does really not choose to put them – they are in-built into the platform. So, these are not voluntarily or editorially made. Here is how links anchor texts look like.

glenhavencottages.co.za/facilities

So, I don’t recommend going for that in your case. Any kind of footer links are at best supportive to your backlink building, not a main tool thereof. However, in my opinion gadget links are more valuable in the eyes of Google as sites’ owners have more freedom to choose gadgets and preview they look. So, their process of making the linking decision is closer to the editorial one.

Links / Useful Resources page links

Too often, backlinks to Safirinow.com come from a Useful links page of the property owners’ sites, for example, hilltonia.com.au. These are links that have only a very limited effect on PageRank as compared to editorial links.

Quality / editorial backlinks are most rare with Safirinow.com. However, now that the site has particularly strong positions with Google SERP as compared to other sites, bloggers and journalist come to quote it and post backlinks thereto on their own. For example see Top Ten Safaris or Safari Deals in Africa.

Here go insights again