Serendipitous Promotion

aka getting listed as a wierd, unusual or bad site

[pcklz]

We all want traffic? Yes? Well, over the last few days a site I manage has started getting traffic with a little "t". This is a nostalgia site for a fairly obscure 1960's band - it averages about 50 folks visiting it a day. Mostly folks who are finding exactly what they're looking for - if they type the band name into almost any directory - they're at this site in a heartbeat.

Yesterday about 300 people visited the site - courtesy of one site that has had us listed as a wierd site for the last week or so. Today, two other sites have picked up the link. Now, if my logic serves me - there's going to be a bit of a malthusian curve here - ie tomorrow it might be six sites listing us. I realize this is only temporary - and I'm somewhat astounded at just how many of the folks who click onto the site are actually looking at more than one page. My way of thinking is there's no harm - and visitors might actually go away having learned something....

The question I want to ask -- is, is this a potential search engine problem? Or, should I just sit back and watch the hits and grin?

[Quinn]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking if the links to your site are going to cause a problem in the engines?

If so, the answer is no, that can only help.

Q

[pcklz]

Quinn -

That's kind of what I'm asking - These are links that are
highly irrelevant to our site content , and even uncomplimentary -- Being classified as an "absurd" or "stupid" page is probably not the way most folks would want their site promo'd....However, publicity is publicity and free publicity is not easy to come by. So for the short-term, it's wonderful to have folks wander around the site.

Just thinking long-term, since there seems to be a bit of a "who you associate with" factor in some of the search engines.. can a listing at a such a site be detrimental long-term? Say if the link is archived.

[pixel_juice]

You really shouldn't be worrying about this. It sounds like good news for your site from both a search engine and visitor point of view. Sites are linked from unusual/irrelevant places all the time, by virtue of the diversity of the web.

[pcklz]

Pixel-juice : ) I love that name *l* ......

Okay, I'll turn off the worry lights... btw... I'm not a newbie at this stuff, it's just the first time I've experienced web-based "negative publicity" and wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing search-engine wise.

(makes a person want to have a teeshirt or a deck of cards to sell )

[Quinn]

Just thinking long-term, since there seems to be a bit of a "who you associate with" factor in some of the search engines

In 99% of cases, if you are wondering if there is a problem with who you associate your site with, there isn't a problem.

Most of those involved in such associations are well aware of the risk that they are taking..
or have someone managing thier site that is well aware of the risks... for better or words

Q