Podcast Summary: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode 142 – Trying To Build Backlinks? Avoid Linkfarms
Date: March 6, 2026
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Grumpy SEO Guy breaks down the dangers of link farms when building backlinks for SEO. Drawing on his 14 years of agency experience, he details why link farms are harmful, how to spot them, and clarifies common misconceptions around outbound links. The tone is practical, direct, and opinionated—true to the show’s promise of cutting through SEO industry confusion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What is a Link Farm? [04:10]

• Definition:
  • "A link farm is basically a website that has too many outbound links on it."
  • "It was just link after link after link, and there was no content, there were no articles, there was no context. It was just links." [05:13]
• Typical Structure:
  • Pages filled entirely with hundreds or thousands of outbound links, often with little or no other content.
  • No articles, blog posts, or genuine value—just endless links.
• Intent:
  • The sole purpose of such sites is to provide backlinks, not to benefit real users.

Why Link Farms Are a Problem

1. Limited SEO Authority Transfer [08:04]

• "Even if they have any authority, there's a very good chance that you're not getting any of it."
• The more outbound links on a page, the less authority is passed to each.
• "Every website and every webpage has a specific amount of authority it can provide. So the more outbound links, you have the less authority each link will provide."

2. Spam Signals [09:12]

• Link farms often exist in clusters, sometimes sharing the same IP address, multiplying their spamminess.
• "You've got a website that's already spammy... Then you put all of these websites on the same ip... that is a big red flag for spam."

3. Devaluation or De-Indexing [10:25]

• Search engines can recognize such sites as worthless.
• "There's a very good chance that if it has any authority, it would be devalued and it might even be de-indexed."

What’s NOT a Link Farm? [13:27]

• Normal Outbound Links are Good:
  • "You should have outbound links on your website, because that is organic. In fact, that's how the Internet works."
  • Having a 'Links' page with a curated list of relevant resources is normal and even helpful for users.
• Context Matters:
  • The issue is when the whole site is nothing but outbound links, not when one page has links as a resource.
  • "A link farm is when that's the only... Only thing on the website."

Should You Panic About Link Farm Backlinks? [16:05]

• If you have a few link farms linking to you, it’s usually not a major problem, as long as you have a diverse set of quality links.
• "Everybody usually has a couple backlinks [from questionable sites]."
• The main risk is actively adding your site to link farms or buying link farm backlinks—which you should never do.

Recognizing and Avoiding Link Farms [17:45]

• Sites that let you freely submit your URL for inclusion are red flags.
• Never seek or buy backlinks from these sources: "Even if it's free. Link farms are a bad idea. It will not help you. It will not help you, okay?"
• Link farm backlinks provide no benefit and may increase penalty risk: "It might even increase the likelihood of you getting a penalty if it's spammy enough and it looks like you're trying to game the system."

Memorable Quotes

• On link farm looks:

  • "It's a website where every page has dozens or hundreds or thousands of outbound links, okay? Just link after link after link with no... No blog, no content, literally nothing." [19:28]

• On SEO advice:

  • "A lot of people accidentally buy them because... they don't know the difference between helpful backlinks and hurtful backlinks." [20:25]

• On necessity of organic outbound links:

  • "If nobody linked to anybody, like, how good would the Internet be? It would be terrible, okay?" [14:25]

Key Timestamps

• [04:10] — What is a link farm?
• [08:04] — Why link farms don’t pass authority
• [09:12] — Link farms and spam signals (same IP issue)
• [10:25] — Search engine devaluing and risks
• [13:27] — Clarifying “normal” use of outbound links
• [16:05] — Should you worry if you have some link farm backlinks?
• [17:45] — How to recognize and avoid link farms

Final Takeaways

• Don’t try to get backlinks from link farms; they can’t help your SEO and may do harm.
• A few random spammy links won’t doom your site, but don’t buy or add yourself to these sites.
• Healthy websites have genuine content and reasonable, relevant outbound links—not pages (or whole sites) of nothing but links.
• Learn to recognize the difference and always aim for quality over quantity.

To suggest topics or ask questions, contact Grumpy SEO Guy on Reddit or via email.