PR 8 Links from Google.com Only $1,995

Monday, June 11th, 2007 by Scott Woodard

PR 8 Links from Google.com Only $1,995

As the debate over paid links continues in reaction to Google’s recent line in the sand it may shock many that Google is currently offering paid links on Google.com for the very reasonable price of just $1,995 – and as an added bonus you’ll also receive a free Google Mini.

Yesterday while digging through a competitor’s backlinks for a client I noticed a domain that seemed remarkably out of place: google.com. In addition to adding themselves to a large number of low quality directories, the competitor had discovered that if you purchase the Google Mini you have the privilege of contributing to their exceedingly large list of “customer success stories“. While many of these success stories are for established and recognizable businesses who sincerely appreciate the advanced search capabilities the Mini provides, others are undoubtedly as pleased with their new link as their new Google Mini.

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112 comments on “PR 8 Links from Google.com Only $1,995”

Brian Chappell Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 2:27 pm

HA. Nice find Scott. Why wouldn’t G Nofollow those. Hypocrites!
Simon Heseltine Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 2:32 pm

What’s the under / over on when they’re no-followed? 10 minutes after Matt reads this?

BTW Scott, I only see that as a PR7, I checked different datacenters, and they’re all showing the same…
Scott Woodard Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 2:36 pm

Simon, I’d go with the over on 10 minutes and the under for an hour.
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:10 pm

Beautiful! Great find Scott! I see a PR7 as well but the point remains they are breaking more than a few of their own guidelines.
Postoholic Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:32 pm

Scott, I’ve tried a link: search for a few of the companies listed on the customers stories page and don’t see a link from Google (Google directory not counting).

Nevertheless, an interesting story.
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:37 pm

Postoholic, where are you doing the search? If it’s on Google you should know that that’s about the worst information you could get.

Check out the second result on .
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:40 pm

woops… looks like my link to the Yahoo search didn’t work. Here’s the url to copy and paste: http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/advsearch?p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bili a.se%2F&bwm=i&bwmo=d&bwmf=s
Postoholic Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:43 pm

SEO Refugee, I’m certainly not an SEO expert

But is it incorrect to assume that if Google link: search does not show a link, then that means that Google does not count it as a backlink, no matter what Yahoo thinks on the subject?
dnn Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

That’s good, but i don’t see pr8 link yet.
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Yeah, that’s incorrect. Google purposefully only displays a small sampling of the links they count. For example, a Google link: search for my site shows about 244 links. However, if I log in to Webmaster Central, they show me over 11 thousand links.
Reuben Yau Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 4:55 pm

I hate posts like this.

You make it sound like these companies are specifically paying for the link, which is not really true now is it. I know of one company that’s missing, so this isn’t even a complete client list.

Matt’s posts talks about links specifically: “paid links that flow PageRank and attempt to game Googleâ€™s rankings”.

Since there are 100+ links on that page and the link text is the company name, it’s not trying to game the system, it’s just a list of happy customers. Take a look at Matt’s example of the paid links that they’re looking for:

http://www.mattcutts.com/images/example-paid-links.png

So while the list is huge and horrible from a UI point of view, it’s not like Google is specifically selling links.
Scott Woodard Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 5:03 pm

Reuben, I had no intention of making it sound like Google was selling links – they clearly aren’t. This was more of a light-hearted piece of irony that made me smile when I saw it.
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 5:04 pm

Reuben, this reminds me of a tactic ticket scalpers use. They sell a cheap coffee mug for 300 bucks and include 2 free tickets to some sold out game. Now granted, a Google Mini isn’t a cheap coffee mug but you certainly can’t tell me that those Google links are affecting the rankings. The only reason Google gave those people links is because they’ve purchased a product from them so really, yes, it is exactly like Google is selling links.

If you say that wasn’t the intent then would selling links without mentioning PageRank or SERPs then be OK?
Brian Chappell Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 5:12 pm

Your obv. missing the whole point Reuben. The fact of the matter is. X company bought something from Google, and is then given a link.

Google has explained to webmasters to NOFOLLOW any link that isnt an actual VOTE for that site. These sites wouldn’t get a vote if they had not BOUGHT something from Google. Google is being a hypocrite, end of story.
Reuben Yau Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 6:03 pm

Scott – thanks for the clarification – I guess my reaction was inclusive of some of the comments.

SEORBlog
Please don’t liken this to an illegal workaround like scalping…

If they are affecting rankings, what term do you think they’re affecting? I’d guess the company name since that’s the link text. You think an organization that’s large enough to want to buy a Google mini isn’t going to be found for its company name if they don’t get a link from Google?

Brian
I’m not missing the point, I understand people think Google is hypocritical in the link selling, but the original intention of the vendor is to buy an appliance, not to get a link. The link is just a bonus and as I said, not every customer gets a link.

A company site linking to its customers is not a bad thing, it’s a totally valid link. The links aren’t meant to be ads and they’re not intended to manipulate the PR algo so there’s no need to nofollow them. These links are in a totally different category to links that are primarily bought as ads.

Do a search for “our clients” – are all those 254M results manipulating the PR algo and need to be nofollowed?
Ed Kohler Says:

June 11th, 2007 at 6:33 pm

The link is certainly something of added value beyond the product being purchased.
Google Selling PR8 Links (With Free Gift) - Webmaster Forum Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 1:41 am

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SEOish Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 1:48 am

Great Catch. Nice article.
WebGeek Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 2:20 am

Wow, $1995 for a lifetime PR7 link, without nofollow? Not bad. Over 2 years, that would beat a rented link that costs $85/mo. Better than most paid PR7 link prices, wouldn’t you say?
Ranking Konzept - SEO News » Blog Archive » Google produziert Duplicate Content und verkauft Link Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 4:12 am

[...] Den Linkkauf über den Umweg des Erwerbs von Google Mini und das daraus resultierende Erscheinen auf der Erfolgsgeschichten Liste hat Scott aufgedeckt. [...]
Dario Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 8:27 am

“What if a site wants to buy links purely for visitor click traffic, to build buzz, or to support another site? In that situation, I would use the rel=â€nofollowâ€ attribute.” -Matt Cutts 9/1/05

We could always report it as a paid link
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/
WebGeek Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 8:43 am

LOL. Awesome! Let’s report it.
Andy Beal Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

I was think about getting a Google Mini for Marketing Pilgrim.

Nice scoop Scott!
SEO Refugee Blog Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 4:13 pm

Reuben, not to beat a dead horse but you say “If they are affecting rankings, what term do you think theyâ€™re affecting? Iâ€™d guess the company name since thatâ€™s the link text. You think an organization thatâ€™s large enough to want to buy a Google mini isnâ€™t going to be found for its company name if they donâ€™t get a link from Google?”

Do you really think a link of this nature would only affect your SERPs for the anchor text? Also, what if I were California Mortgage Loans LLC? That would be some decent anchor text. Sort of like ABC Fine Wine and Spirits…
Brian Chappell Says:

June 12th, 2007 at 5:32 pm

Indeed. Having a trusted, authority link can have an impact on the authority of the ENTIRE site. Its not merely a matter of helping you rank higher for your site name. It helps your entire site out as well as variations around your site name.

Prime example. SEO Refugee posts here and obtains a PR7 homepage link to increase his ranking for “SEO BLOG” since his site name is SEO Refugee, he works in the anchor text, SEO Refugee Blog
» SEO Secret: Get a PR8 backlink from Google.com AntOnaf.com Blog | Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Internet Marketing | Technology » Blog Archive Says:

June 13th, 2007 at 1:40 am

[...] This was aÂ nice findÂ by Scott Woodard at Marketing Pilgrim.Â With all the hype surrounding paid links, Google themselves are part of the paid link world.Â Over the past few weeks Google has seemed vehement to put an end to paid links, well at least that’s how Google’s underboss, Matt Cutts makes it seem.Â [...]
Maki Says:

June 13th, 2007 at 8:14 am

It would be nice to get a link from the Big Daddy, even though its amongst 565 links.

Thanks for the tip, Scott.
Marc Says:

June 13th, 2007 at 10:06 am

I believe this does count as selling links!

Google should be worrying about all the adsense powered spam sites in its index.

And I know many people who would pay 2k just for a link of PR8 from google, so it looks like a scalpers trick to me.

I bet they mention that link when they are trying to make a sale for google mini!
Backlink pagerank (PR) 6 da Google.it al prezzo di â‚¬ 1.995 « Blog Seo Carpediem Says:

June 13th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

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Google Wants You to Snitch on Your Competition in 3 Easy Steps - WordPress SEO and Blog Marketing Says:

June 14th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

[...] By the way, if you want a free and clear link on a PR7 page from the Google.com domain, it’ll only cost you $1,995. Well, I guess for that price, of course Google won’t nofollow those links or redirect them through an “intermediate page”. Using that system, maybe you should start a contributors page for those people who purchase “your cool product”, then you can justify not having the nofollow attribute or page redirect. [...]
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June 15th, 2007 at 12:50 pm

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Kausik Dutta Says:

June 19th, 2007 at 8:21 am

It’s indeed a great find. But do you know if some body signup for their service are they going to show that site surely ? I think they are not showing all sites straight forward. Only the industry leading sites might be on that list. But I must say finding that url is a big credit for you.
GotChance - A Geek’s Blog » Blog Archive » PR7 Backlink from Google.com Says:

June 20th, 2007 at 11:47 am

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June 23rd, 2007 at 4:26 pm

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Jimmy Says:

June 27th, 2007 at 3:36 pm

it is really cool! Google is Selling links, Any one can suggest me from where we can contact for the links. i need some High Pr links Pr7 Pr 8 Do contact me for this certvista (@) gmail.com
john33 Says:

June 28th, 2007 at 2:26 pm

i’m shocked too hehehe…
William Says:

July 27th, 2007 at 4:36 pm

How can google sell links!? That is weird! Did they only make this PageRank system to make money?
- William
had Says:

August 1st, 2007 at 7:47 am

“Only $1,995″

yes, it’s only
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August 15th, 2007 at 4:13 am

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Christian Says:

August 23rd, 2007 at 9:09 am

That’s okay, I’ll just put it on my credit card.
paper shredder Says:

August 23rd, 2007 at 9:33 am

This is really amazing, if google is selling links PR8 ones, Well i guess this all to gain the ranking in search engines thats all.
Daniel Says:

September 26th, 2007 at 2:44 pm

Nothing surprises me anymore.
us-experts Says:

November 12th, 2007 at 12:51 am

i read this article
its very expert
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November 29th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

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November 29th, 2007 at 8:03 pm

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November 30th, 2007 at 4:43 am

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November 30th, 2007 at 6:01 am

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Matt Ellsworth Says:

December 1st, 2007 at 4:31 pm

I think this just shows that you can sell links on your page – so long as you charge $1995 for a product and give them a link on the site as well.
korku Says:

January 12th, 2008 at 4:03 pm

thanks.Superrr
Divx Says:

January 12th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

Yeah, that’s incorrect. Google purposefully only displays a small sampling of the links they count. For example, a Google link: search for my site shows about 244 links. However, if I log in to Webmaster Central, they show me over 11 thousand links. great idea…
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January 15th, 2008 at 7:00 pm

eyw
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January 15th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

o kadar para verilmez googla link için…
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January 15th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

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Klip Says:

January 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

Thanks …
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January 18th, 2008 at 6:18 am

I’d like to buy a link there
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February 16th, 2008 at 6:47 pm

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February 16th, 2008 at 6:48 pm

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February 17th, 2008 at 6:21 am

forum, forum sitesi, paylaşım, paylaş, eğlen
sports singles Says:

February 24th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

I don’t understand why it’s ok for google to sell links but everyone else cannot do it?
tavla indir Says:

February 28th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

thank youu
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March 1st, 2008 at 3:57 am

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Geoff Says:

March 7th, 2008 at 6:48 am

All Google has to do is `nofollow` those links. They don`t, so what does that tell you?
SEO London Says:

March 12th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

An eye opener, just stumbled upon this post and digging further.

On the surface of it the same story getting repeated.

“And the story is I’m on the top and I wouldn’t let you go above me.”

So in the end it is going be a duet, Google Vs. Microsoft.

I’m watching how world is being shaped….
Oyunsaoyun Says:

March 14th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

en yeni oyunları oynayabileceğiniz tek site.
Dmitri Says:

March 17th, 2008 at 8:03 pm

Geoff, nowadays links from references with ` nofollow ` has not to sense for google
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April 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm

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John Illnes Says:

April 11th, 2008 at 3:28 am

this seems interesting..

I think the most interesting part, google makes this job unknown so we dont know exactly what is happening.. if google is counting or not.. is nofollow links work for something or not.. so there is always a hope
canerkus Says:

April 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am

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April 28th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

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May 5th, 2008 at 9:36 am

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May 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am

Thank you.
Sağlıksal Says:

May 13th, 2008 at 11:59 am

Best regards. Thanks
StacyJai Says:

May 13th, 2008 at 1:44 pm

this is very dis-heartening to hear. if they are policing the industry how can they themselves sell links?

i have been hearing soo many great things about google, between all the free software they give away and their “green” datacenters….

they better clarify these matters soon, because it can not be good press!

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çiçekçiler Says:

May 16th, 2008 at 11:53 am

çiçwk göndermek için bu çiçekçiler sitesini ziyaret etmek gerekiyor veya online çiçekçiler den bu işi öğrenmek gerekiyor sizde çiçekçiler magazasi açmak için bize bir danışın
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May 19th, 2008 at 2:05 am

I’d like to buy a link there
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June 8th, 2008 at 4:05 pm

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June 12th, 2008 at 6:49 am

paylaşmak hayata huzur ve mutluluk katar mutlulkların en yücesi sizlerin olsun
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June 12th, 2008 at 6:55 am

Teşekkürler paylaşım için.

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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm

Already working or just fixed?
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:39 am

böyle bi yardımlaşma olduğu için sizlere minnettarız
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August 14th, 2008 at 10:20 am

How can google sell links!? That is weird! Did they only make this PageRank system to make money?
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September 14th, 2008 at 4:00 am

It looks like google contradicts it’s own statements and gives itself top priority when it comes to ranking high. It’s a monopoly that’s not fair.
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September 16th, 2008 at 2:14 am

teşekkürler
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September 20th, 2008 at 8:02 am

tşk
cicek Says:

September 20th, 2008 at 1:10 pm

Thank you
ameliyat oyunları Says:

September 30th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

What’s the under / over on when they’re no-followed? 10 minutes after Matt reads this?

BTW Scott, I only see that as a PR7, I checked different datacenters, and they’re all showing the same…
Christoph Says:

October 1st, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Thank you for this page!! A lot of informations!!

Greetings
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October 16th, 2008 at 2:44 am

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December 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm

I never noticed that change to the terms and conditions. It’s a good job you’re on the ball as it’s easy to get caught out by stuff like that. Thanks so much – Richard
meteo Says:

January 30th, 2009 at 5:43 am

I think not possible to find, or with “nofollow”…
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February 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 am

Thanks
csfrag Says:

February 16th, 2009 at 9:51 am

Hmm Only $1,995 ?
Thanks
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February 19th, 2009 at 4:36 am

Do you think that it’s realy good thing to be placed in the list ?
Probably for the 10 first postitions, but after…

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May 27th, 2009 at 5:16 am

nice
Christopher Says:

May 27th, 2009 at 8:17 am

Oh my gosh! Thats a lot of money! If only I could aford that!

Nice post!

Marketing Pilgrim