This post was originally planned to be a list of suggestions to keep publishers from losing traffic or PageRank from selling advertising. I thought some of these recommendations would tend toward the paranoid side, but with the idea that search engines will only get smarter about discounting paid links.

Well, now it looks like the big G has already decided to crack down on Webmasters selling paid links.

And the suggestions I had planned to avoid penalty have already been nicely summarized.

Our personal take on the whole links debate is this: Do what you want with your website. If you want to sell advertising, go ahead. Google doesn’t control the Internet - though they happen to control the most influential website on the Internet. Google has made it clear that they do not look favorably on websites that apparently sell advertising — particularly the type that hypes an SEO benefit.

Regardless, text link advertising will continue to have significant value for both advertisers and publishers.

You can count on the fact that search engines will be able to better tell paid advertising (and likely devalue the links) in the future. This is where a lot of ad networks are getting into trouble.

Rather than a network, Web Ad Classifieds brings a bit of ‘old school’ back to link building and advertising. Publishers list their advertising opportunities, and advertisers can contact them directly and discreetly on the QT - without having to post on an ad network that could end up hurting either parties.

If you are an online publisher, and someone want to place an ad on your website, why would you refuse the opportunity? There are many reasons why you would (and should) turn down certain advertisers.

They Do Not Fit Your Website: Do you run a gambling website? If not, would links or banners to gambling websites really fit? Would your visitors appreciate them? Gambling and pharmacy sites try to get links from anywhere they can. If they do not fit the classification of your website or are from a distinctly different neighborhood, you should consider refusing the ad. Linking to shady domains could actually cause search engines to penalize your site.

They Offer Bad Terms: Sometimes someone will want to pay you to link to them FOREVER for a set price. These are bad terms, and you should not bite at them, even if the money is good. Getting a one-time fee for a permanent link could prevent you from selling that space when your site is more successful and you can command better advertising rates. In short - if you think the terms are too good for the advertiser, they probably are.

The Ad Goes Against Your Ethics: While it helps to be flexible and work with advertisers whenever possible, sometimes you just can’t accept that once-per-day-700X400-pixel popup ad request. If an ad is too intrusive, you may tick off the most important party of all - your visitors. In the end, its a balancing act between what you want, your advertiser wants, your visitors will accept, and the money exchanged.

The Advertiser Is Likely A Spammer: This is similar to the first point above. If you think (or know) that the potential advertiser engages in naughty Internet practices, do not link to them.

Always check out your potential advertisers, particularly if you are directly linking to them from your website. Visit the website, check out their backlinks, how long the domain has been around, and read what others are saying about them.

To avoid attracting unwanted advertisers, clearly post your ad requirements on your Marketing page and/or your Terms of Use page. State exactly what opportunities are available for what time periods and, if possible, provide ad spec examples. It’s a lot easier to refer to your existing policies than to arbitrarily ‘make up’ a reason why you are refusing an ad. Being up front is always the best policy.

And if you have to turn down the occasional advertiser, just remember that you are simply leaving room for other advertisers who will better fit and ultimately provide better value to your visitors.

When building backlinks, there are good links, there are better links, and there are authority links. In some cases you can control where and how other websites link back to you. Properly implemented, you can build a stronger link network that will help your search engine rankings and provide more quality traffic.

Below are the basics in creating effective, authoritative backlinks:

Use Proper Anchor Text: The proper anchor text in a link is essential. Rather than linking using your site name as the text, use the desired keyword as the term. This helps build link relevancy between your term and the web page that it links to. And whatever you do, don’t do THIS:

“For more information, visit our website here.”

That gives your website credit for the word “here”. Ugh.

Target Correct Pages: In addition to the proper anchor text, make sure your backlink targets the correct page on your website. If your website sells “Widgets”, use widgets for any link that goes to your website homepage. If you are targeting “Red Widgets”, make sure your link points to the page on your site that focuses on Red Widgets. Generally speaking, make sure each page of your website is ‘thematic’. If you sell both Red and Blue Widgets, make sure you have a separate page for both, and that any links you can control point to those pages properly.

Link From Topical Neighborhoods: Similarly themed pages share backlinks. While you should certainly avoid bad neighborhoods, try to link to and get links from websites and pages that are topically similar. This helps build further link relevancy.

WebAdClassifieds.com categorizes publishers so advertisers can find online advertising opportunities* from thematically relevant sites. Using the tips above, you can make the most of your advertising investment.

* See? That’s an authoritative link! Proper anchor text to the correct page, from a properly topical website.