Backlink analysis is still part of the SEO routine. Thanks to this activity, you really can discover amazing websites, and amazing (sort of) techniques other websites are using to get good rankings.

Since I work for one of the so-called “boring niche” website, I’m still amazed on how much spam there is around, and how Google is rewarding it over “good quality backlinks”.

I’m not gonna mention the website that I analyzed but it’s one of the main competitor of the website I work for, and it’s ranking for A LOT of really good KWs with high search volume / high commercial intent, in a competitive country like United Kingdom.

Here is what I discover:

They built actively 87 (eighty seven) follow links in a porn website.

All 87 follow links are having exact anchor texts, for high SV and high commercial KWs.

These 87 follow links are created in a hidden board of the porn website.

These 87 follow links are created by 87 different profiles posting in the board.

Now, your question might be: “well, ok, we all created these links, what is the news? “

It’s not a news per se. But this is still showing how in 2017 Google is still not doing much for these spammy links. This isn’t also a new thing, but it’s making my job harder and harder when I need to explain I don’t want to replicate these links for the reason they are spammy and placed in a hidden board of a porn website, with spammy anchor text. There is simply no reason why I should create this, but seeing the results, I might think of doing it. #noiwont

The real news though here is that I discover a new porn website full of movies made by vegan and vegetarian people, and I’m vegan. So I was emotionally connected to the whole story.

So, no matter how boring linkbuilding can be, it’s always worth it.