20 Jul Bad Link Building in 2025
What Are SEO Cowboys?
In the world of digital marketing, “SEO cowboys” are fast-talking, low-delivery operators who use aggressive tactics, sell false promises, and execute harmful link strategies under the guise of improving your search rankings.
They often pitch irresistible deals: “1,000 backlinks for £99,” “DA 90+ guaranteed,” or “Top rankings in a week.”
The truth? These strategies haven’t worked for years.
At best, they do nothing. At worst, they get your website penalised.
Many of these agencies or freelancers operate from high-turnover digital mills with no real accountability.
If you’ve received a cold email promising “high-authority links,” you’ve likely been targeted by one of these link-building cowboys.
How to Spot a Bad Link Building Service
No Transparency: They won’t tell you which websites they plan to get links from.
Low-Quality Domains: Links from unrelated industries, spammy blogs, or low-traffic sites.
AI-Spun Guest Posts: Content generated with no editorial oversight or topical relevance.
Private Blog Networks (PBNs): Closed-loop link schemes designed to trick Google — now easily detected.
Blanket Link Drops: Rapid fire link placements across hundreds of directories or sites with no context.
If the service can’t clearly explain how each backlink benefits your business or offers no reporting, it’s not SEO — it’s snake oil.
Penguin Penalties Still Bite
Google’s Penguin algorithm, first introduced in 2012, penalised sites using manipulative link tactics.
But Penguin didn’t retire — it evolved. It’s now part of Google’s core algorithm, and it silently devalues or penalises unnatural links.
Read Google’s October 2023 spam update to see what tactics are still getting flagged in 2025.
Our Link Building Strategy for 2025 breaks down how to earn links the right way.
The Risks of Grey Hat Link Tactics
Grey hat SEO falls somewhere between ethical and manipulative — but Google sees it all the same.
Common grey hat tactics include article spinning, mass guest posting, or using third-party link vendors to plant links on low-quality domains.
These tactics once gave quick wins, but today they put your domain at risk of:
Ranking suppression
Manual actions or de-indexing
Wasted budget on links that get ignored or deleted
Reputation damage if links appear on sketchy sites
If your agency uses these methods, it’s time to get an audit before Google does it for you.
What Ethical Link Building Looks Like
At SEO Rugby, we don’t buy links — we earn them.
Ethical, white-hat link strategies include:
Digital PR & Outreach: Building relationships with industry publishers and bloggers.
Locally Relevant Citations: Listing your business on trusted, local directories.
Guest Posting with Value: Contributing to authoritative sites with original, useful content.
Content Marketing: Creating resources that naturally attract backlinks over time.
Internal Linking: Supporting your site’s structure and distributing authority logically.
Explore our full SEO services to see how link building fits into a holistic strategy.
Think You’ve Been Burned?
If you’ve used a questionable SEO agency in the past and aren’t sure what damage was done, we can help:
Speak with our SEO specialists about a recovery plan
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Want help setting up your Link Building Strategy for local SEO?
Get in touch with SEO Rugby — we’ll make sure your entire digital footprint is working together to grow your visibility.
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