Google’s John Mueller said on Twitter that links placed without any input by you is not a bad thing, often he said it is a good thing. John wrote “just because links are placed without your input doesn’t make them bad (it usually makes them good, even).”

The more interesting thing is this response was about links from maybe not such good web sites. Web sites that steal content from others and publish it on their own sites. John responded that usually those links do no harm and usually do good.

Here are those tweets:

Yea, links placed on sites that steal content from other sites may end up helping you. It isn’t a strategy one should take with their link building efforts but it isn’t something that someone should worry about in terms of Google downgrading their site’s ranking because of those links.

Of course, John can just be saying here that links, without asking for them in any way, are the best types of links you can get. But of course, context is important.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

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