Dofollow or Nofollow? Black Hat SEO Marketing
Question:
As I'm sure you're aware, a strong backlink is, in essence, a digital vote of confidence from Google. Backlinks help to get your website a higher ranking on Google, with the more strong total referencing domains your site has, the higher your site ranking. You can either write a new article yourself, or we can link from existing content. Our site also has over 3 million social media followers. The fee $150 (USD). This is a one-time fee, so there are no extra charges and the link is permanent. Can we offer this service to our clients?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The term “dofollow link” is used to describe a link that passes the authority as opposed to one that doesn’t. Dofollow links assist websites to increase their domain ranking in Google search rankings.
The following is an example of a dofollow link in HTML Code:
<a href="http://raventools.com">great seo tools</a>
We also understand these black hat SEO Marketing strategies are generally unethical and not considered to be genuine marketing strategies in order to achieve a higher google ranking. We also understand these paid strategies for dofollow backlinks are illegal as a form of manipulation of the Google algorithm. [1]
With regards to your particular question, you state that you charge a fixed fee to create dofollow backlinks to content.
In principle, the service offered falls under the purview of Ijarah and therefore all the rules and laws of Ijarah will be applicable. Based on our understanding of the issue as referred above, since the service of paid dofollow backlinks is a direct service between you as a service provider and the website domain owner only, then such a service may be permitted. However, since the website domain owner utilizes the indexing services of Google and the issue of buying dofollow backlinks could be illegal for such an index provider, such an agreement will be impermissible for the website domain owner as that will be in clear violation of the clear terms and conditions between the user and the index technology provider. If the service provider also seeks to clearly and specifically violate the Google algorithm, then this could be considered to be a form of economic violation and deception which is clearly prohibited in Shariah despite not being directly engaged contractually with Google as the index provider. Moreover and in general, due to the general deceptive and unethical nature of the proposed service of selling dofollow backlinks, we advise against such a service for both the service provider and the clients thereof.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
(Mufti) Ismail Desai
Chairman of Shariah Board and Fatwa Committee,
Darul Iftaa, Durban, South Africa
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this answer belong only to the author and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of any organizations to which he may be affiliated with. The opinions and educational information proffered in this communication are based on the jurisprudential understanding and available knowledge of the author. Given that contemporary issues and interpretations of contemporary issues are subjective in nature, another scholar may reach different juristic inferences and conclusions to those as expressed by the author. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure total academic integrity and honesty, the author is open to corrective measures based on sound academics and juristic inferences. The Shari’ah ruling given herein is based specifically on the specific scenario in question. The author bears no responsibility towards any party that acts or does not act on this answer and is exempted from any and all forms of loss or damage. This answer may not be used as evidence in any court of law without prior written consent from the author. Any or all links provided in our emails, answers and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.
(Announcement: The Darul Iftaa under the auspices of the Mufti Ebrahim Desai Foundation is managed by Mufti Ismail Desai Saheb, son of Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai Saheb RA. Mufti Ismail Desai will continue his academic career by conducting an intensive one year specialist programme in Islamic Finance, Banking and economics (MA) and Iftaa training programme for Ulema and Shariah graduates. Mufti Ismail Desai Saheb will also be conducting various programmes for the public on Islamic Finance, Ishaahi Majlis and general Islamic Q&A. Alhamdulillah the Darul Iftaa currently has over 50 students from over 32 countries globally. The Darul Iftaa will be conducting programmes on Islamic Finance, Business and Economics in various cities/countries. The programme is conducted free of charge and you can request an event by contacting us directly at www.shariahbusiness.com. You can contact the Mufti Ebrahim Desai Foundation for any details on Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Desai RA at www.muftiebrahimdesai.com. We will keep you updated on our programmes and events via our email data base and other media channels)
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ismail Desai
Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa
1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/04/29/the-rundown-on-black-hat-seo-techniques-and-why-you-should-avoid-them/?sh=6e23859a6611, Last accessed on 11 December 2021.
Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this answer belong only to the author and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of any organizations to which he may be affiliated with. The opinions and educational information proffered in this communication are based on the jurisprudential understanding and available knowledge of the author. Given that contemporary issues and interpretations of contemporary issues are subjective in nature, another scholar may reach different juristic inferences and conclusions to those as expressed by the author. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure total academic integrity and honesty, the author is open to corrective measures based on sound academics and juristic inferences. The Shari’ah ruling given herein is based specifically on the specific scenario in question. The author bears no responsibility towards any party that acts or does not act on this answer and is exempted from any and all forms of loss or damage. This answer may not be used as evidence in any court of law without prior written consent from the author. Any or all links provided in our emails, answers and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.
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