Is link building dead?
The question was top-of-mind at the recent Search Marketing Expo West (SMX) in San Jose, Calif. Links were a hot topic at the conference, thanks in no small part to the numerous changes Google made to its search engine algorithm during the past three years — changes that raised the questions of what still works in SEO practices and what can get you into trouble. “Link building is where we see people getting hurt the most” from Google penalties, said Rhea Drysdale, CEO of online reputation branding firm Outspoken Media.