Review: 30 Minute Backlink Solutions Is A Scam
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In recent weeks, I saw an increase in what I call "fake software" on my software directory. The ideal is to distribute some "fake software" to software directories to get a backlink to your site/blog.
Today, I was reading Vic's blog, I noticed this thread on the forum. A person was asking about the 30 Minute Backlink Solutions. I was curious and found out that it was the source of this recent plague on software directories. When I saw the promotional video, I remembered that I deleted the software in the video when it first started. The 30 Minute Backlink Solutions will scam cost you $97.
Why the 30 Minute Backlink Solutions is a scam?
According to AndiC, it would cost you $200-300 more to get you started with the some software. You can use free "premade" software.
The ideal would had been good if it was going to be a real software. Then again, it's not backlinks but downloads you want when it's a real software. Now, the method is being too much overused that it will very soon not work anymore.
When I see a "fake software", it's deleted and most software directories are doing the same now according to AndiC. So, you will pay $97+ for a method that will no longer work as advertised. In time, the method will die.
Of course, you will still find software directories that don't even check at new submissions. But then again the webmaster will eventually close it thus removing your backlinks in a few months.
Serious webmaster may give you the backlink now but delete it a few hours/days later. If it get too much work to handle for them, the site will just close. So, the method is for short term gain if any.
One argument is that it give new content to our software directories. Yes, it's true but if I start to have 1000 times the same thing over and over, then it's content that I don't want.
The author had a good ideal but by making it public turned into a spam method thus no longer under the radar. That's for this reason I call the method a scam, and not the author a scammer.
Do you have alternative to get backlinks?
I do understand that you want backlinks and finding a fast way has some appeal to you and to me too.
I see Bookmarking Demon, for example, as the better investment for you to get backlinks. At least with BMD, you don't need to buy other things to use it. 
I use it but I don't overuse it.
Another way to get backlinks is to leave comments on dofollow blogs using Fast Blog Finder. It's free and it can be upgraded for much less than 30 Minute Backlink Solutions to find more results. Again, leave a real comment and don't spam or your comment will be deleted anyway. The cool thing is that you can find post with some high PageRank.
Conclusion
I must also state that I did not buy 30 Minute Backlink Solutions. I was able to review it because I understand the principal(I'm real software author) and I'm at the other end of that method(I have a software directory).
Btw, I do have pointers(like many directory owners) to spot "fake software" because most users that are using the 30 Minute Backlink Solutions are too damn lazy so it's easier for me. And no, I won't tell you how I do it. 
But when in doubt, I just delete the software.
P.S. To make sure we are talking about the same software, click here. I saw a few similar sites but they did not show the price on the front page.
Edit 2008/10/16: I finally decided to indirectly link to the 30 Minute Backlink Solutions using my own short URL(my service). I gave you my opinion but in the end, it's up to you make the choice for a quick "possible" buck or use other and better alternative methods for the longer term. I also noticed a decrease of fake software since I posted this. Maybe users are less lazy.
Edit 2008/12/08: I posted about the submission part using a fake software I created.
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39 Comments on this post
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Thom said:
Google must have caught up with 30 minute backlinks. I can’t find her site under cool tattoos. I see the software listings ranked thought.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:04 am -
Steve McGrath said:
I can say that since I wrote that, I saw a dramatic decrease in the number of “fake” software on my site. In the last week, I only saw a few. Either people have read this post or they skip my site.
Btw, bmd version 4 is available in beta starting today. If you don’t have it, you better get it since the price($97) has not changed. It will increase to $147 when it’s launch. I got the beta email today so your comment was in good timing.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:45 am -
30 minute backlinks review said:
30 minutes backlinks is a complete joke. Yet people still give it positive reviews in hopes of making money. The knowledge contained in this product is the equivalent of a quick forum post on a forum like DigitalPoint.
The “SEO Tips” in this product are no more fantastic than what you would find in a “10 SEO tips” article after a quick google search.
Paying $97 for this product is like paying $97 for a value meal from Burger King.
The method is valid. The price is not. Marketing it as some “great secret” is not.
For anything thinking about buying it, read my review. If youve alreayd bought it, get a refund.
~~~
For one submission, you might expect to get 20-100 backlinks, depending on the category you submit to. The quality of links you will get are akin to the hundreds of free directories floating around on the internet. So while you can get hundreds of backlinks, they are worth next to nothing. Betting than nothing, sure. But not by much.
October 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
The information is there but if people don’t know how and what to search, it will take more times.
The reason for the high price is because of the affiliate program that comes with.
I released AuctionSiteWriter this passed summer and I have 148 backlinks from software directories. It’s a real software.
I have 208 still pending. I would not discount the value of those links because you can compensate with more links against someone with fewer links. You need more.
Since I added the link to the site, only 20 persons clicked on it. The next time, I will compare with today.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:23 pm -
proson said:
thanks for the reviews, hopefully I’ve read it..
i wonder why some affiliate sites got this product in their directories?Proson
November 4th, 2008 at 4:49 am -
Loretta said:
I have been using the 30 minute backlinks method for quite some time now and have been more than happy with my results. There was also a recent update to the product, which has beem additionally helpful.
I did try the method for awhile before I bought any of the additional software, and it worked just fine building links that way. The method is designed and taught to be done using FREE resources. That’s one of the major points in the entire teaching, to make the best use of things that are available completely free. The additional purchases aren’t necessary, but they do make things faster and easier!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 am -
Steve McGrath said:
Update: 38 click on my link so 18 new person yet no sale.
Loterra: I see less and less of the fake software I have seen since I noticed this method being used. I guest the latest update is working.
I’m still against the method since it’s spamming. Having said that, you get more result if you use BMD(one time) or SK(monthly fee). The best part of SK is that the link has more juice since it’s a contextual anchor link.
http://mcgrath.ca/2008/11/27/syndicate-kahuna-part-2/
I also noticed that directories(with juice) don’t link very good: They are using “here”, “home” to link to you or using an internal tracker thus not using an anchor link.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 am -
ErCaN said:
thanks for the reviews, hopefully I’ve read it.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:10 am -
ken said:
You can use the 30 Minutes Backlinks method with actual software, but you have to be creative enough to think of that I guess. Second, yes some of the “software” suggested might not be what you want in your directory but still it might be of value to other people.
From your post it sounds like you are not quite sure what you think of the software
December 20th, 2008 at 4:36 am -
Steve McGrath said:
You don’t need the 30 minutes but you need a software like Robosoft to submit your software to directories. For being creative, yes, you need a real software that you programmed yourself.
My problem is that the software suggested are not original work done by the person. If they want to offer it on their site, I don’t mind. directories even remove affiliate software. Imagine having 10000 times the same software. That would not help no one and real software will be missed.
“From your post it sounds like you are not quite sure what you think of the software”
It’s my SEO side that understand why people want to use it. But my software directory owner/real software developer sides don’t approve of it.Btw, I doing a test at this moment:
http://mcgrath.ca/2008/12/08/get-backlinks-with-fake-software/People should read about this $1 SEO report:
http://mcgrath.ca/2008/12/04/a-good-1-seo-report/December 20th, 2008 at 8:55 am -
Jayson said:
i was going to try out backlinks.com for one of my sites, urbanprospect.com … slightly worried about SEO.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:09 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
backlinks.com is similar to TLA(Google hate paid links). Since we just had a PR update, the visible PR will be in 2-3 months. Are you ready to pay all those months? BMD 4 cost more now but your get more diverse links.
Use FBF. It’s free but I bought it to get more results. Plus, it’s only $49 vs $97 vs $147.
January 9th, 2009 at 8:38 pm -
Alan Green said:
I purchased 30 minute back links- it was a complete waste of money. The content of the package is just a tutorial of how to make a browser tool bar that is available free at conduit.com. You name the toolbar as your preferred keyword, and then submit this to various free ware sites. However conduit has now made an alteration to the way you can make and save the tool bar, so the system will not work.
e-mailing 30 minute back links support will not help. After about a week you get an automated e-mail reply which says that ‘no human has read your message.I have wasted my money- don’t waste yours!
January 17th, 2009 at 6:18 am -
Steve McGrath said:
Thanks Alan for the feedback. It’s nice that they changed the way they do thing now. I guest spamming using their software was bad advertisements from them.
Like I mentioned before, other more legit ways can done to get backlinks.
January 17th, 2009 at 9:28 am -
del said:
nice posts!.. it tricky to navigate these waters, and everyone pretends to be your friend just to sell their info.. i just got saved from buying that one..>> thanks guys << i mean it, blessings
March 5th, 2009 at 9:01 am -
Andy Lax said:
It is very disconcerting when Internet “marketing experts” highlight “secrets” that are tantamount to “black hat” seo. It is getting increasingly more difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, and posts like yours truly help in this endeavor.
Best Regards,
Andy LaxMarch 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am -
Steve McGrath said:
del: glad you save the money
Andy:
According to Google, every linking other that directories is “black hat”. lolYou have some “grey hat” and using FBF fall in that since you write a real comment not spam comments.
Some are still doing that method but I noticed less and less every month.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:26 am -
Mrguyhp said:
Well, I just bought the package and I actually found value in it. I had no idea that those types of tools or methods existed and if I had to search for that stuff on my own, It would of cost me many hours and since I charge 50 bucks an hour for my services, 97 bucks is worth it.
Not to mention it’s a write off.
It gave me several ideas to put together some nice software addons to some of my sites.
I can’t comment on the links since I just started using it but since I’ve been doing this since 99, I can comment on Google is always changing and if you want to keep up, you need to try new things if you want to stay on top.
I don’t see anything black hat about this at all. Yes, I bought some of the software recommended which will allow you to produce better quality stuff, but again it’s a write off.
I suspect that if you buy that program and expect it to part the red sea, then you will be disapointed. It however you buy it because you want to learn something new and can wite it off through your business, then it’s money well spent.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:12 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
Mrguyhp,
I know it’s a write off. At least, you use that
For my own curiosity, I updated my test and now have 90 directories that list it in 5 months. But, most of them don’t use the keyword or linking directly to my test thus eliminating it’s overall usage.
It’s more black hat than grey hat since you create fake software. Today, I did a BMD run and had 500 backlinks that will be eventually counted. And those were using my anchored key. I’m also using SK to create contextual backlinks.
You would get more bang for the buck using alternatives I mentioned above.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:49 pm -
Mrguyhp said:
What’s fake about the software?
I actually put some thought into the tool bars and screen savers. They look pretty cool because not only do I want the links, but I actually do want people to download the software.
I’m web programmer and had no idea how to create a toolbar or screen saver before that program. Now, I can create some nifty marketing tools to help drive people to my sites.
Nothing black hat about that all.
I’m not sure those who talk about black hat really even know what black is in the first place.
March 28th, 2009 at 8:24 pm -
Mrguyhp said:
PS,
I’ve got BMD and it’s no different than the 30 minute deal. To be honest, the 30 minute deal takes a lot more than 30 minutes if your going to really create some good.
BMD is closer to black hat than creating software is.
Besides, rumor is afoot that the social links are going to get hammered big time since they are being so widely abused. For this reason, BMD collects dust in my files.
March 28th, 2009 at 8:27 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
If you make a tool that is useful and unique, I don’t have a problem with that.
It’s when the software has no real value and it’s just to get backlinks, then I have a problem and do delete them. For example, most submited toolbars on my software directories don’t have any value what so ever because they are use for backlinks only.
An ex black hat friend of mine told me that it was BMD was more grey hat than black hat.
If social sites get hammered, a new script will come out soon after.
Again, most links on software directories don’t use the anchor keyword for the link.
March 28th, 2009 at 8:59 pm -
Mrguyhp said:
Yes, any program or method can be abused.
If the software directories don’t use the anchor or even no follow it, so be it. As much as I would like the Juice, there are many other ways to get links.
I just spent two hours creating a toolbar for a sport site I run and follow. I put the things on it that I would look to see on my own browser and it turned out pretty good. I’m not embarrased to say I liked it so I installed it on my browser.
I can code a database driven shopping cart from scratch but had no idea how to do a toolbar or screen saver which I have been wanting to do for a while.
It’s like a new toy to play with. Not to mention the software I bought to make awesome screensavers with
I guess the difference with me is I’m not an Internet Marketer. I’ve been building websites for over 10 years now and have just always done what’s right to get the sites listed. I’ve never done what I think is black hat and I’m pretty careful.
I was very weary of BMD when I bought it and still don’t feel comfortable using it because lets face it, it’s sole purpose is to create backlinks and we all know how the G feels about that.
You got to love Google and Hate them all at the same time.
Don’t even get me started about their crazy adword QS, that’s a whole new can of worms.
March 28th, 2009 at 9:35 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
I don’t have a problem with you creating a toolbar(not unique) for your site and offer it to your visitors. It’s a great idea.
It’s when you spam directories with it that I have a problem. Let’s say that every webmaster start to create “cookie cuter” toolbars. Then software directories would become worthless or would be force to charge to be included. Real freeware will then suffer because of this.
Yes, BMD does create backlinks but it’s on sites that demand backlinks unlike fake software.
Yes, Google is beast(deindex your sites) and also an angel(send targeted traffic).
March 29th, 2009 at 10:07 am -
Mrguyhp said:
I guess you and I will just have agree to disagree then.
I personally think BMD is a spam tool since all it does is generate backlinks with the sole purpose of increasing your search standings. When you do a BMD run, your spamming the social media sites. That is the only reason the piece of software exists and why I don’t use it.
Spam is in the eye of the beholder and I would be willing to bet if you asked the owner of a social media site, they would not condone the use of BMD any more than you approve of creating software and submitting to directories.
To each his own………
March 29th, 2009 at 12:35 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
Sorry for late reply.
Yes, I agree to disagree.
At least, make your fake software standout but it does not mean I will approve it.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:32 am -
Richard said:
I disagree with your review. Earning links through software directories is the future of SEO and web traffic. There is noting like getting 100s of high powered links easily. It takes me about 20 minutes to make the software and I did not have much experience beforehand. Making the software is also very very cheap and you can do it for free.
You can check out my review here:
http://linkersblog.com/30-minute-backlinks-review-software-links/
April 1st, 2009 at 10:28 am -
Steve McGrath said:
Richard,
To show you how pointless it is, I just check what’s the position in Google of my test software. Like I mentioned above, it’s only listed on 90 directories out of 715 directories submitted 5 months ago. That’s far from the 100s you mentioned.
If I search “my anchor text” in quotes, it’s now at position 70. If I don’t use the quotes, it’s not even in the first 300 positions because I stopped looking.
How many people use the quotes to find something in Google? It’s only Internet Marketers and those who know how to search. That’s not a lot.
Btw, it’s the software directories that are in front of it. So, the SEO value is crappier than I expected. If you are not in page 1, it’s not very good. You know what, software directories is NOT the future of SEO. Plus, it may even killed them if it’s start to be abused leaving download.com, tucows.com.. the big ones. And you won’t even get in those.
The only benefit could be indirect traffic but you would need to update the software often to be seen in the front page of directories.
Thanks for giving me a reason to check the SEO crappy results.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:39 am -
Mrguyhp said:
I’m back.
What if I actually create a free Flash based game (which I just happen to be working on) that I make from scratch taking quite a bit of time scripting out the action script, tweens, graphics, etc. and of course theme the game towards what ever site I happen to be promoting.
Would you consider that fake software even though it actually is a game, took many hours of development and is enjoyable to play?
April 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pm -
Steve McGrath said:
I knew you could not keep away
As for question, I would not mind that since it’s from scratch but the link should be the name of the game and not using an anchor. Plus, it must be related to the site.
For example, you can’t create a fish type game for a credit card related site. That’s link bait. lol
Time taken to create the software is relative too. To give you an idea, I took 3 months creating MyStarterBlog and I still add features to it. If you submit a “cookie cutter” fake software, it’s an insult to me and other programmers that submit real software to directories.
Since I’m an Internet Marketer/programmer/directory owner, I can easily spot those type of links. Then again, like I mentioned often, the SEO is no longer worth it on most directories for some time now.
April 5th, 2009 at 8:35 am -
Anthony said:
Seems pretty obvious to me that anyone who buys this package is really wasting money, as the technique is rather simple. Also, it’s spam – who wants to run a software directory that has thousands of slightly different conduit toolbars generated just for the sake of SEO rankings (& not for software, which is the real function of the directory)
When will people realise that rubbishing up the web will never get people anywhere. Just write up some great content and distribute that, you’ll be much better off in the long run and google will love you.
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:46 am -
Buy Backlink said:
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June 13th, 2009 at 6:26 am -
Shen said:
Thank you for providing your review on 30 minute backlinks. The comments have been really interesting. I guess it’s fair enough to say that it works because after almost a year, Michelle’s tattoo site (mytattoodesignslive.com) is still in Google’s first page for “cool tattoos” (depends on datacenter).
I’m really in a buying mood for this product. hahaha! I’ll see if you can change my mind.
Thanks!
July 11th, 2009 at 3:48 pm -
Jens P. Berget said:
I have actually been thinking about buying this product for a while, but after reading your review I’m not sure if I should do it.
But I just have to ask you, is your review of the 30 Minute Backlinks product by Michelle MacPhearson?
http://www.30minutebacklinks.com/
Just in case
- Jens
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:06 pm -
Ivor Bigun said:
Yes, that is the one. I was just about to buy it and was the order page when I thought I’d do a quick google check. So in I pop “30 minute backlinks”, Michelle’s site was no1 and this blog post was no2. I expected it to be a fake scam post from an affiliate but instead I got a real review that explains when the program does.
Just saved myself $97, Sweet.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:28 am -
Free Domain Check said:
The best information I have read about this is right here. Keep going Thank you
October 16th, 2009 at 8:47 am -
SEO Report said:
Hi, this is a great site, and very well thought out and well written.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:53 pm -
Avnish said:
Thanks for the warning.
I was thinking about buying 30 minutes but now after reading this Im gona save me money and my time & write new content for me site.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:03 am
[...] myself thus not a big deal to me. 2. Major: One tactic to get backlinks is by using a method I reviewed [...]