Google’s anti-spam head Matt Cutts tweeted yesterday saying that the search engine has penalised a French link network Buzzea. The link network promptly announced its closure acknowledging the end of a “4-year adventure”. Since the second half of last year, Google has publicly busted several link networks. What’s more, Cutts has said that Google will be targeting German link networks next!

This latest penalty to the link network closely follows recent video responses and blog posts by Matt Cutts where he comes down heavily on “guest blogging” and “submission to article directories” as link building tactics.

As Google cracks down on link acquisition tactics that were considered fairly effective (and perhaps by implication, legitimate) until recently, the implications for SEO companies in India, especially those specialising in link building services are serious. Many of these SEO providers are extensions of offshore web design and development services– rather than online marketing specialists; consequently, creation of internal link networks, “link wheels” and execution of mechanical activities such as blog posting/commenting, article directory postings etc. have reportedly been a major component of the link building services [with many of these processes simply being transferred from the US & Europe].

Question is whether these companies will be able to evolve to become better online marketers or be permanently destroyed by the rising tide of Google’s anti-spam measures.

-NetMarketer Editorial Team