Comments on: Generate Backlinks with Custom WordPress Themes & Templates

By: Brennan Carey

Brennan Carey — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:06:52 +0000

I agree if you are creating a good template for free, why not have link backs, I dont see how that can be a problem

By: shs

shs — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:58:34 +0000

Matt Cutts has explicitly recommended against this (for what that’s worth)!

Who cares Matt Cutts is he paying me? lol
And how should google know that im a blackhat when 4000 sites linking to me on different footers? Is google a usability monster? Google makes us paranoid and they wanna scare you. It seems that it takes effect when i read such comment from guys who have no clue about offpage optimization.

By: Sujan Patel

Sujan Patel — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:13:01 +0000

This is about creating quality themes not so much spammy themes to get a quick link. I understand that it has been spammed but a lot of good link building ideas have been spammed. Social Media Marketing can get you lots of links and is being spammed does that mean everyone should stop doing that?

Michael,

Why is having a link on a theme leave a bad impression?

If someone were to like the amazing theme I either designed, paid for, or sponsored I should not get credit for it by placing a simple link in the footer?

Keep in mind that the article is not suggesting everyone goes out and creates hundreds of themes instead it is opening readers minds to the fact that creating a quality theme can also get you some links.

By: Michael Martinez

Michael Martinez — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:05:05 +0000

This is an older, outdated technique that has been spammed to death.

If the only reason to sponsor a template or distribute a template is to build up a backlink profile, it’s not a good enough reason for anyone seriously interested in promoting their Web site to do so.

The first impression you make on people as they learn about your Web site should be a good one. Although I’ve criticized the SEO community for espousing “relevant link” mythology, there is a great deal to be said for placing links in content that is related to your own — it helps to prequalify people who click on those links.

Random link placements is not marketing, it’s manipulation. To become marketing, the random link placements need to create their own context.

For $400, I would want far more than a link in a footer.

By: Aviva

Aviva — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:23:28 +0000

@Loren – just to make clear: I have no problem with this link building technique. I’m also aware that many high profile sites use this technique.

I just thought it important that it was pointed out that the technique is not without some risks, and in fact has been explicitly criticized by Google (which means it probably works well).

Also, what high profile sites can get away with differs somewhat from what ordinary sites can get away with.

By: sylv3rblade

sylv3rblade — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:12:18 +0000

Great tip. Makes me even more motivated to finish my first WP template

By: Loren Baker

Loren Baker — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:56:41 +0000

Although mass spamming of WordPress themes may be considered somewhat blackhat, let’s keep in mind that template spam is not the issue or what this post is about.

Producing a quality template for distribution or for a friend or company to use, and placing a ‘designed by’ link is totally legit and whitehat. Web designers and firms have been practicing this for years, outside of blogging.

As for high PR sites eliminating links, look at the bottom of this blog and you’ll see full credit given to Chris Pearson for the design and Pronet for SEO and marketing. These are legit links, attrbuting those companies which have helped with this blog.

Copyblogger also practices this, and Techcrunch links to Neil too for its marketing. Would you consider these blackhat practicing blogs?

By: rxbbx

rxbbx — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:09:46 +0000

This is perhaps offtopic.. but check the WP themes provided by so called theme designers.. every theme has errors.. do not validate.. look awful when tested in several screensizes and browsers.. so as for:

“Some Good Ideas to Include in Your Theme..”

Please clean and correct code.. or just dont design and submit themes for whatever Open Source you re writing.

By: Aviva

Aviva — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:52:30 +0000

Just a few caveats about this:

1. Matt Cutts has explicitly recommended against this (for what that’s worth):
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/by-the-way-2/

2. Rand Fishkin has classified this as blackhat and believe that doing this is one reason why many directories got penalized (his point #5):
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-a-good-web-directory-and-why-google-penalized-dozens-of-bad-ones

3. You’ll have trouble distributing the theme as many of the theme directories no longer accept sponsored templates.

By: Online college degree program

Online college degree program — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:47:58 +0000

For example the WP theme “Networker 1.0” has received 4,174 downloads at the time of this writing. If you were the designer of that theme you would have your link in the footer, which means that as of right now you would have 4,000 backlinks give or take, depending on how many have left the footer intact after downloading. OK this can work but admins of high PR blogs modify footer and remove this, or change to nofollow. Regards