You’ve probably heard that building backlinks is a crucial part of SEO. And while that’s true, not all backlinks are created equal. In fact, some link-building tactics that appear helpful on the surface can actually hurt your rankings (or even get you penalized by Google).
The problem is, these strategies don’t always come with red flags. They may seem like shortcuts to better rankings, but they carry risks you can’t afford to ignore.
If you’ve been outsourcing your link building or experimenting with new strategies, it’s time to take a closer look at your approach. Some tactics that used to work have fallen out of favor, and others were never safe to begin with.
Let’s break down a few of these sneaky black hat tactics so you can avoid costly SEO mistakes.
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Paying for Links Disguised as “Sponsored Posts”
It’s not uncommon to come across offers where websites promise a do-follow link in exchange for payment. The owners of these sites typically wrap these up as “sponsored posts,” but they’re really just selling links without proper disclosure. Google’s guidelines are crystal clear: site owners must clearly disclose any sponsored links.
While a few quick placements may temporarily boost your rankings, you risk losing your entire domain if Google detects blackhat activity on your site. Working with vendors who buy links in bulk makes this even riskier since they often place the same links across hundreds of sites, making it easier for Google to identify and penalize the entire network.
Excessive Guest Posting for Links Alone
Guest posting is a strategy of collaborating with similar websites and writing a post for their site (and linking back to your own).
Guest posting can still be a white hat tactic if you focus on creating genuine value for the host site’s audience. When you write content that offers real insights and helps readers solve problems, you’re building legitimate relationships and earning quality backlinks naturally.
But if you churn out as many guest posts as possible just to insert backlinks to your site, you’re sliding into gray and potentially black hat territory. Google can easily spot thin content that’s overly promotional or clearly written just to secure a link.
Comment Spam
Some blogs allow anyone on the internet to comment on them, and those comments are published on their blog. Technically, if you, as an anonymous commenter, leave a comment with your own link on another blog, that would count as a backlink. But is leaving dozens of comments with your website link a legitimate way to build backlinks? Not quite.
If you’re mass-commenting on blogs or forums with the sole intent of dropping your link, you’re entering black hat territory. These links are almost always low-quality, unmoderated, and irrelevant.
You may be thinking, “But I’m only doing a few here and there.” Even small-scale comment spam can look suspicious if it’s part of a larger pattern. Google’s algorithms are trained to spot unnatural link profiles, and dozens of random comments across unrelated blogs don’t exactly scream authority.
Using Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
You have poured your heart and soul into your website. You’ve figured out how to build a website, and you have everything just how you want it. Now that you need backlinks, learning the process of getting backlinks seems like too much. At this point, it might be tempting to cut some corners.
You learned how to make websites, and you need other sites linking back to yours. Wouldn’t it just make sense to throw a couple of quick sites together with the main purpose of creating backlinks to your original website? You’re not the first to have this thought cross your mind, but Google isn’t a fan.
A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a group of websites you own or control that exist only to create backlinks to your main site. Although Google has repeatedly cracked down on this practice, the tactic still lures in site owners looking for a quick ranking boost.
PBNs work by creating the illusion of authority through multiple websites linking back to your main site. But the content on these sites is usually low-quality, recycled, or barely relevant to your actual business, which makes the whole setup look unnatural.
If your site has links from a PBN network, remove or disavow them as soon as you can. You can either handle this yourself through Google’s disavow tool or work with a technical SEO service provider who can identify toxic links and clean up your backlink profile professionally. Either way, the sooner you address it, the better your chances of avoiding a penalty.
Abusing Press Releases for Links
A news agency would count as a reputable source linking back to your website. So, what about sending in a bunch of press releases to PR websites with your own site’s link? That seems like an easy hack to build up reputable links, right? Would search engines agree?
Press releases can be useful when you actually have real news to share, like launching a new product or reaching a big milestone. But when you’re creating fake announcements just to get links, that’s crossing the line. Google has made it clear that they don’t want press release links to boost your search rankings.
So when you do send out press releases, make sure to use them for actual newsworthy events, and links will come naturally.
Sitewide Footer or Sidebar Links
You might have seen this with web designers who leave “Website by XYZ Agency” links in the footer of every client’s site. Although it seems like a clever branding tactic, doing it at scale or including keyword-heavy anchor text can create problems with Google.
Google considers sitewide links manipulative if they’re clearly not editorial and appear across hundreds of pages. Make sure any credit links you include use simple company names and appear on just one page of your site.
Using Automated Tools to Build Links
In the early days of SEO, tools that automated link submissions to directories, blogs, or bookmarking sites were common.
Today, these tools clearly violate Google’s policies.
Think about it from Google’s perspective. They want to reward sites that are knowledgeable and well-connected, not ones that cut corners or try to beat the system. If your strategy involves submitting your website to dozens of low-quality directories in minutes, you’ll likely face a penalty in the form of deranking or complete removal from search results.
So, What Should You Do Instead?
Avoiding black hat tactics doesn’t mean you can’t build links. It just means you need to focus on sustainable, ethical methods.
Aim for genuine relationships, create high-quality content that naturally earns links, and engage in meaningful partnerships within your industry.
If you’re struggling to develop a white hat link-building strategy on your own, you can get in touch with an SEO agency that offers both on-page and off-page SEO services. They can help you build legitimate links that strengthen your search rankings without putting your site at risk of penalties.
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Backlinks are vital for SEO, but not all links help your site. Some tactics that seem effective can trigger Google penalties and damage your credibility. This infographic exposes eight hidden black hat link-building strategies to avoid.
