Title: pingback question Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # pingback question * [zep101](https://wordpress.org/support/users/zep101/) * (@zep101) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/) * I write some articles on ezinearticles.com and get some backlinks from it. When ever someones posts the article on their own website I get a pingback from my links in the article. * Am I correct that these should not be approved because it would result in a reciprocal backlink which is not so good for my SEO? Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total) * [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * (@apljdi) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046743) * Here is my take, for what its worth. * There is nothing wrong with reciprocal links. The problem is with _**paid**_ links, mostly, and with excessive cross-linking. More genereally, the problem is with trying to manipulate the Google rankings. Never post a paid-for link without the ‘rel=”nofollow”‘ attribute (Google has posted other approved methods for flagging paid links). And avoid situations where you and another site cross- link large numbers of posts, especially if those posts aren’t clearly related to each other. It starts to look like you and the other site are colluding to manipulate rankings. * You do want to check the originating site to make sure it isn’t a scrapper or a spam site and you don’t want to link to those, but otherwise you should be fine approving them. I think that is a polite thing to do anyway. Pingbacks and trackbacks are pretty ugly so you may want to make an ‘editorial note’ out of them, if you have the time. * [Gabe Young](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gabeyoung/) * (@gabeyoung) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046786) * I agree with most of s_ha_dum’s response that reciprocal links are pretty much harmless. However, I tend to take a more organic approach. * For one of my sites, I built it up to a PR5 before accepting any paid links. Years later, that site is still PR5 and I have many guest articles with dofollow links and pingbacks. I have done nothing to manipulate (or “unmanipulate”) SEO. Although I can’t say there has been no effect at all but from a PR standpoint, there has been no change. * [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * (@apljdi) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046789) * > I built it up to a PR5 before accepting any paid links. Years later, that site > is still PR5 and I have many guest articles with dofollow links and pingbacks. * I am not sure that a ‘guest article’ is quite the same as a ‘paid link’. Even if someone pays you to post on your site (and not the other way around), if they are posting full articles it would certainly look different to a crawler than paid text links and advertising. * [Gabe Young](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gabeyoung/) * (@gabeyoung) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046791) * Sorry, let me be clearer. I have sponsored articles, links, ads … you name it. Based on that site and others that I own, I have not seen a attributable difference in SERP or PR. * There are many variables that I pay attention to that I’m discounting just to give a somewhat concise answer (such as ensuring I have same-niche topics) but overall, I believe if one tries to do the right thing without intent to work around “the system”, then it pays off in the long run. * [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * (@apljdi) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046793) * I think that the sponsored _articles_ are something of a gray area, but the links and ads are definitely a manipulation of “the system” from Google’s point of view. Google’s engine is based on the idea that if site-B links to site-A, then site-A has ‘value’. The assumption is that if site-B links then the owner of site-B thinks that site-A has something to offer. The more links there are to site-A the more value it has. Paid links and ads that pass ‘value’ corrupt that system, because it is no longer about what site-B’s owner thinks about site-A’s value. It is what site-A thinks about site-A value and about how much money site- A is willing to spend. * [Gabe Young](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gabeyoung/) * (@gabeyoung) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046795) * Trying to stay on-topic here so I’ll try to relate this to the OP’s question. I believe links can have relevance, even if it was sponsored. In many cases, there’s no way almighty Google can tell how much anyone got paid for links. * For example, if my site is about tablets and I have a sponsored link about lawn mowers, it doesn’t matter whether I got paid or not, I lose content credibility. * My point is that you can’t answer a reciprocal link question with one broad stroke; links to unrelated content could hurt regardless. IMHO, the key is to worry more about relevant links than how much one got paid for it. * [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * (@apljdi) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046797) * > Trying to stay on-topic here so I’ll try to relate this to the OP’s question. > I believe links can have relevance, even if it was sponsored. In many cases, > there’s no way almighty Google can tell how much anyone got paid for links. * [@gabe](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gabe/) Young, I am on topic. The OP asked about backlinks and SEO and what you are advising him can potentially harm his ranking whether you think so or not, or whether you think you can sneak the cheating past Google or not. A lot of SEO is guessing based on statistically based algorithm reversal but what you are suggesting is contrary to _published_ guidelines. You do what you want with your site, but the OP needs, and anyone else concerned about the topic, needs to know that. * [Gabe Young](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gabeyoung/) * (@gabeyoung) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046798) * A. Didn’t say you were off-topic B. Accepting sponsors is not cheating (and not calling them out as sponsors isn’t cheating either) C. What I suggested was for folks to pay attention to relevancy of links, not sure how that’s contrary to anything Google has published * Anyway, I’m just sharing my experiences. I chose to spend more of my time producing content and managing relationships and less on optimizing for ranking. As a result, I have obtained my results organically and I’m simply providing feedback based on those facts in particular. Others may have differing experiences and priorities. * [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * (@apljdi) * [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046802) * I never said the sponsored articles were cheating. I said it was a gray area. And, in fact, I never said that accepting sponsors is cheating, but passing PageRank for sponsored links and ads is. I am not 100% sure that you are doing that but statements you made above make it seem like you are claiming that that is not problematic. * > Paid links: A site’s ranking in Google search results is partly based on analysis > of those sites that link to it. In order to prevent paid links from influencing > search results and negatively impacting users, we urge webmasters use nofollow > on such links. Search engine guidelines require machine-readable disclosure > of paid links in the same way that consumers online and offline appreciate > disclosure of paid relationships (for example, a full-page newspaper ad may > be headed by the word “Advertisement”). More information on Google’s stance > on paid links. > [http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=96569](http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=96569) * > However, some SEOs and webmasters engage in the practice of buying and selling > links that pass PageRank, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, > and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. **Buying or selling links > that pass PageRank is in violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines** and can > negatively impact a site’s ranking in search results. > [http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66736](http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66736) Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total) The topic ‘pingback question’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [links](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/links/) * [pingback](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/pingback/) * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/) * 9 replies * 3 participants * Last reply from: [s_ha_dum](https://wordpress.org/support/users/apljdi/) * Last activity: [13 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pingback-question-4/#post-3046802) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics