How does Google rank backlinks

is there theming going on

[Powdork]

I was just wondering when you use the link: command, how does Google decide the order of your backlinks. There are no search phrases and the results don't appear to be ranked by pr. Does google use some measure (theming) to decide what sites are most closely related or relevant?
Does any one here point to their clients backlinks and say "Look, my directory is listed #1 among your backlinks which is a measure of my link's importance to your site"?

[rfgdxm1]

Looks random to me. I have seen know evidence at all that Google uses theming between sites for this purpose.

[Powdork]

I should clarify two things. First, I agree with rfgdxm 1; I haven't seen any reason to think anything is responsible for the order, theming seemed like it might be a logical choice if it exists. But I can't really see any order. Internal links come in clumps that at least on my sites seem to have no relation. One site I manage had in December two pr 7 links, out of 60 links shown. One on the first page, one on the fifth

Second, a disclaimer.
I don't, and am in know way suggesting that you should, point at or to your clients at any point in any negotiations. :)

[4serendipity]

I've found myself wondering about his too

[glengara]

On theming, I thought this was about to happen a while ago, I'd noticed for some sites/pages G was showing a very low ratio of links, like 94 out of 604.
Most of the links to these pages were off-theme, and I assumed I'd be seeing a drop in PR/rankings, but nothing happened.
I've rechecked a couple just now, and they're still showing very low ratios, but apparently nobody thinks that G showing a low ratio of links is significant.

To me there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how G shows links, which is somewhat odd as links are supposedly high up in the Google pantheon, on the other hand, maybe that's why.

[Brian]

On my links page, I have a link to the homepage of an Indianapolis country-rock band (because the singer has the same name as me and is cute). I also have a link to the Enrique Iglesias homepage (because I like "Hero", and he's cute). Weird, or what?

Anyhow, when I looked at the related pages index for the Indianapolis country-rock band I saw listed Enrique Igliasias.

I have not yet heard from the band's attorney.

[egomaniac]

Its always seemed a random ordering of links to me as well.

I don't think there is any theming going on here.

[MHes]

Hi

I agree, no logical order, probably random, though spidering date may be an influence? Though I cannot see any proof yet.

Theming seems not to be evident yet...... but may still exist to some small effect. I suspect this will grow, but evidence suggests we still have a way to go.

[Powdork]

I can't see an order, but I can't believe it is random either. Would they come up the same way every time if it were random? The domains wouldn't be clumped together if it were random either. There's got to be something driving these results. Perhaps its the secret of all that is Google.

[Brett_Tabke]

Try the backlink command on Alexa. It ranks them differently. Very educational.

[aek]

Doesn't Alexa just show the backlinks that ia archiver has found and not googles.

[Clark]

Actually it's a different list altogether...

[doc_z]

As far as I understand, backlinks are ordered by importance (weight). This means that pages are shown in the order how they contritute to the PR. Therefore, pages with high PR and few links are shown first. This will also explain why links of the same site "come in clumps". The topic of the pages doesn't play any role.

Doc_Z

[bsand715]

Hope this question does not sound dumb.
Are backlinks the sites you link back to off your site?

[Powdork]

As far as I understand, backlinks are ordered by importance (weight). This means that pages are shown in the order how they contritute to the PR. Therefore, pages with high PR and few links are shown first. This will also explain why links of the same site "come in clumps". The topic of the pages doesn't play any role.

Hmmm.. very interesting. Definitely worth some further research. Knowing the actual amount contributed (or a ranking of that stat) would be a very valuable stat. It would seem that the answer to the last question in the first post could be yes if this is true.

[Still Waters]

¦¦ Hope this question does not sound dumb.
¦¦ Are backlinks the sites you link back to off your site?

Not dumb at all. ;)
Backlinks are inbound links --- links from another site, to your site.

[bsand715]

Thanks still_water.

I am having a little problem with the PR thing. Alexa shows 800+ links to mysite,some which appear to be from link farms Google shows 0. I have maybe 25-30 sites I link to,all by direct contact or request.Most are PR4 with a few PR5-7.My site is a PR3 and has been for several months with no PR change even after adding most of the links.Some internal pages have only a PR1 none of the pages I try to rank are 2 clicks from home.

Should you link from each page or have a common links page?

Can you get a penalty if link farms link to you, if your not linking back?

Could one of the sites I link to belong to a link farm which could be causing a perceived PR problem?

[hobbnet]

bsand715

Linking to other sites will not improve your PR. Sites linking to you is what improves your PR. Get a few PR 5 or higher sites linking to you and you will surely get a raise to PR 4 for your site.

[bsand715]

Thanks hobbnet
The 25-30 sites do link to my site.
That is why I was wondering about a possible penalty from all the others.

[Still Waters]

Can you get a penalty if link farms link to you, if your not linking back?

Just from my reading, here at webmaster world, you are not penalized for sites that link to you from "bad neighborhoods". Otherwise, unethical competitors could sabotage your site by creating bad links to you, which is something out of your control. This is the extent of my knowledge on the subject. You could try the "site search" button for more info. :)