My mistake. I’ve confused trackbacks and pingbacks. Bloggers can issue a trackback without actually linking to the target post at all.
Unless I am misunderstanding something, ReadWriteWeb.com seems to be engaged in what Google calls “link buying”, a violation of Google’s webmaster guidelines.
I just noticed today the following text at the bottom of a ReadWriteWeb post:
Leave a comment or trackback on ReadWriteWeb and be in to win a daily $30 Amazon gift voucher
Note the word trackback, which is a type of linkback from another blog/site.
I can’t find Matt Cutt’s exact definition of a “paid link”, but I recall that it goes something like this: “a link that would not otherwise be created absent some consideration”. In this case, the consideration is the chance to win a $30 Amazon gift voucher. Seems like link buying to me?
More about Google’s policy towards link buying and selling here.
I suppose ReadWriteWeb did not specifically ask for a link that passes PageRank. However, how many typical bloggers are alert or knowledgeable enough to insert the nofollow attribute?
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