TrackBack Spam: Blacklist Blogs Using Trackback Spammers Blogging Backlink Spamming Plugins

Click image to read Difference Between Pingbacks & Trackbacks

Bloggers need to understand the difference between REAL pingbacks and trackbacks and trackback spam because approving links to poor quality or MFA blogs (Made for AdSense  – i.e. only created to generate ad revenue) can negatively affect YOUR blog.

You never want to be trading quality dofollow links for nofollowed links or links hidden in mouseover text or phantom links that don’t even exist!

You can see what these phony trackbacks look like here >> ccpio.org/blog/2012/08/02/third-report-released-on-new-medias-impact-on-the-judiciary/ ~ You will have to copy and paste that into a browser – I don’t want to link to it because that page is chock full of phony trackbacks that either got auto-approved or the blogger does not know what they are.

First head over to Ana Hoffman’s Traffic Generation Cafe and read about the difference between pingbacks, trackbacks, and trackback spam and then continue reading below on what WordPress plugins to avoid if YOU do not want to be a spammy blogger who gets blacklisted and ruins your reputation.

WORDPRESS PLUGINS / BACKLINK TOOLS TO AVOID:

1. Digi Auto Links ~ http://www.digiautolinks.com/
2. AutoBackLinkCreator ~ http://automaticbacklinkcreator.com/
3. Backlynx ~ http://backlynx.net/ ~ syndicates your posts to blogs – mostly poor quality blogs 0n auto-pilot
4. Autobacklinkbomb.com
5. Freebacklinktool.com
6. Backlinker-professional.com
7. Autobacklinkbomb.com
8. Socialmonkee.com
9. SEO Link Monster
10. SiteDuct Smart Link

Anyone who can make a case for any of the above NOT being spam tools or
who have others to be added to the list are invited to comment in this post.

Bloggers are now spamming other bloggers with phony trackbacks.

I suspect some don’t realize that is what something they installed does.

Others are just selfish and do not care that doing this will ruin our ability to meet bloggers with related blogs and quickly spread awareness of urgent issues.

Phony trackbacks appear in your dashboard
claiming to link to you - often from a related blog or using
relevant anchor text – but when you visit the site there may or
may not be a visible link to you.

If you view source on their page you will find your URL
along with many others in some code for some kind of script.

The reason generating phony trackbacks will kill trackbacks is that bloggers have already started either blocking ALL trackbacks or are so tired of checking them and finding they aren’t real that they just start deleting trackbacks from any blog they don’t already know.

There is another reason even worse than just not being able to meet other bloggers in our niches:

Trackbacks are the fastest way to notify
other bloggers of a serious issue – Kill trackbacks and you
take away that ability to reach out to many bloggers at once.

Here are a couple of examples of how I use trackbacks to do that:

1. Funding for libraries is being cut across the country. Libraries are important resources – especially for those who can not afford to buy reference materials and books. When I wrote about that issue and linked to all the library blogs I could locate, those that allow trackbacks were made aware of that new list of library blogs and some tips on how to promote their own library.
2. The oldest seed company in the United States -which is also one of the few companies selling heirloom, non-GMO seeds we have left – is being threatened with closure. When I wrote about saving Landreth Seed Co. I linked to all the gardening blogs I could locate to make them aware of the challenges facing Landreth and hopefully get them to encourage their readers to take action by buying catalogs or seeds. If you care about preserving seeds that can reproduce and be saved to plant the next year, please read that post: Gardening Bloggers Wanted to Help Save Historic Landreth Heirloom Non-GMO Seed Company for what you can do.

Trackbacks let us know when another blogger
links to any of our content.
WHY that is important and what I do:

I visit blogs when I receive trackbacks and if they have written useful content I comment in it and review it on StumbleUpon and share it on Facebook, FriendFeed and Twitter.

I can often send a small or new blog more traffic than they normally get in a day with one tweet. Because I consider it highly important to encourage other bloggers I still check every trackback even though I am being flooded with so many phony trackbacks that less than 10% are real.

Sometimes the blogger has written such a compelling post or has such a useful blog that I will write a post and link to them or review multiple posts or schedule many tweets for them over one day or many.

A few selfish people who want to build backlinks
by stealing them instead of earning them have
put the entire usefulness of trackbacks at risk.

This is highly unethical and will result in every blog generating phony trackbacks being blacklisted.

I have identified these sources of phony trackbacks:

• Digi Auto Links at http://www.digiautolinks.com/
• AutoBackLinkCreator at http://automaticbacklinkcreator.com

WHO is Andy Fletcher and HOW can we contact him?
(Creator of Digi Auto Links – most of his contact links are phony, too.)
If you know, please share that information in the comments
or contact me privately.

If you are on the list below, you are advocating blog trackback spam. IF you are ethical, you need to stop doing this, edit your recommendation post and publish a new post retracting your recommendation.

BLOGS RECOMMENDING TRACKBACK SPAM:

There are page after page of these so this list will grow as time allows.

1. WARRIOR FORUM – shame on you! You should know better. http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-forum-classified-ads/453755-sale-digi-auto-links-discount-bonuses-special-discount-bonuses-warriors.html
2. Adam Tezer http://digiarticleblasterreview.net/
3. Anwesh Rath http://anweshrath.com/
4. Baaltazar Shanton http://www.digiautolinksreview.com/
5. http://www.clickbankwarehouse.com/recommends/digiautolinks
6. http://www.kevintir.com/digi-auto-link/comment-page-1#comment-4350
7. http://in-review.net/internet-marketing/backlinks/digi-auto-links-plugin/comment-page-1/#comment-1289
8. http://jvbonusandreview.com/digi-auto-links-wp-plugin-is-here/comment-page-1/#comment-307
10. http://www.coastalvalleyaviation.com/archives/3339
14. http://nichesuccesspro.com promoting automaticbacklinkcreator.com

If the link has #comment at the end I left them a comment notifying them that Digi Auto Links generates phony trackback spam.

TRACKBACK SPAMMERS:

There are dozens to hundreds of these already. After I publish this post I will continually add to this list so that bloggers can add these sites to their blacklists.

TRACKBACK SPAMMERS NO URL

These blogs send trackbacks but the url of your blog is not visible on their site and can not be found by viewing the source code for their page. One easy way to recognize there is that all of the links in their content are usually on their own domain like this:

Example of trackback coming from http://johnfwagner.com/blog/2591/is-it-spam-or-marketing-on-twitter/ – Click image to see full size

I just identified another plugin that generates Trackback spam: Automatic Backlink Creator – and this one with no links at all on the originating site. All blogs using that plugin or generating phony trackbacks that have no links will be blacklisted and published here:

1. johnfwagner.com
2. ebook-review.org/2011/10/09/automatic-backlink-creator-review/ Review of that other plugin
3. secureyoursfree.com
4. thebestworkfromhomejobs.org
5. ebook-review.org
6. powercashonline.com – puts the title of posts on the page but no URL in source code or on the page

TRACKBACK SPAMMERS HIDDEN URL

These blogs hide your no-followed URL in the source code. (View source and search for your domain and you will see it there, but it will not be visible on the actual page on their site.)

1. localsearchresults.com.au/
2. lowcostdomainnameregistration.org
3. hostingwebhostingservices.com
4. thealexangroup-viralspiral.com
5. allanwilsonuk.com
6. jamesmillermarketing.info
7. walkingdeadseason2.a1-blogs.com
8. nichesuccesspro.com
9. kids-gardening.net
10. wedipit.com
11. 1stfinanceguide.com
12. profit-now-at-this.com
13. eftvideos.org
14. ws-blogs.com
15. secureyoursfree.com
16. michaelharringtonblog.com

Because this is unethical, your site will be blacklisted and any comments you leave here will be blocked or deleted.

If you stop generating phony trackbacks and
remove the unethical plugin you can request
to be removed from the blacklists.

My blacklist will be shared with any other blogger on request so that they, too, can block your phony trackback spam and comments.

ETHICAL BLOGGERS WHO REMOVE THESE PLUGINS:

New and even experienced bloggers may not realize what these plugins are doing. When they find out and contact any of us I add them to this list of ethical bloggers and ask that others welcome them warmly and assist them in any way we can.

There is no shame in following bad advice before you know it is bad advice – only in staying on an unethical path once you know what that is IS unethical. There are tons of very slick sales pitches that sound so good that anyone can fall for them – ANYONE!

Bloggers must decide whether they want to create a site
that tries to make money by auto-generating content
that provides almost no value in an attempt to
generate money from AdSense or get rich quick
plugins, ebooks, and memberships sites

OR

They want to have a high quality, ethical blog
with unique content that creates relationships with other
bloggers, readers and potential clients, customers or buyers.

UNSUSPECTING BLOGGERS REMOVED from BLACKLIST:

Bloggers who have been added here get links and suggestions. They often have fallen for the snake oil sales pitches that claim anyone can get rich quick online by auto-generating spammy posts or by scraping content from other blogs.

• freedrinx.com – Phoenix online marketing ~ Frank Schwarz @freedrinx

I hope they will read this section because none of those things work any more.

There IS NO ETHICAL WAY to
GET RICH QUICK online or offline –

And even the UNETHICAL ways rarely work!

They USED TO work but the search engine algorithms have been tightened up so that those types of sites sometimes generate AdSense or affiliate income but they quickly get eliminated from organic listings and get blacklisted for comment spam.

Because those methods no longer generate the income they used to generate, unethical affiliate marketers and spammers are focusing even more attention on selling worthless ebooks, unethical plugins, and memberships in sites that teach black hat methods that can get you banned for life.

You CAN make money IF you do it wisely. Start by adding local content to your blog and creating quality content that will provide a reason for local small businesses to hire you to do their Local Directory Listings, Blog Outreach and advertise with you.

Create a hire me page with information similar to what I have on my hire GrowMap tab for Small Business Marketing – read Why Your Blog Should Have a Hire Me Page and Setting Up Your For Hire Page Dos and Don’ts.

Or create an offering like my Small Business Internet Marketing Starter Package. I provide free mentoring, assistance and training in anything on those pages.

Tagged as: blogging tips, plugins, trackback spam, WordPress / Plugins / Akismet