Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
tropicalleather
If you want to increase your ranking you have to get good quality INBOUND links.
PR is Google's measure of the importance of your site (or, more specifically, of each page of your site). You can get some indication of PR by looking at the green bar on the Google toolbar. Linking out to your competitor won't help your PR.
Whether linking out to your competitor will help your position in the SERPs is more controversial. I've seen some evidence that adding external links helps, but not enough to be sure.
One thing is sure for sure though; whether or not it helps you, it'll certainly help your competitor.
personally hunt down there recpirocal linkers and go the extra mile hunting other on topic links.
If you are concerned about sending traffic away, try linking to an informational source with with the proper anchor text.
In other words, start a new site that's purely informational about your topic--that even your competitors would link to!
In wich way outbound links ,(since I assume that we are talking about OUTBOUND links...)and to the competitors (!) would help your web site?
If they have more authroity than your site - then yes it will help, dependant on many factors.
What's matter authority?
From my point of view,outbound links only spread your overall PR to others.
INBOUND links bring you more ranking and I don't believe that your competitors are disposed to offer it to you!
The other way is if Google tries to reward sites that link to authorities on their keywords. Whether or not this is happening now, there seems to be an expectation that it will become important in future.
Remember, this has nothing to do with PR; it's all about the SERPs.
In other words, start a new site that's purely informational about your topic--that even your competitors would link to!
That's cloaking(?)
That's cloaking(?)
No. Cloaking is where you serve one page to one user agent, and a completely different page to another user-agent.
What's being suggested, which in my opinion is extremely good advice, is to create a new informational resource which will natuarally and organically attract links, possibly even from your competitors.
Once you have a site like that established, they can be great traffic generators.
What you do with that traffic is up to you...
TJ
is to create a new informational resource which will natuarally and organically attract links, possibly even from your competitors.
What does it mean? what's an informational resource?
what's an informational resource?
A website that purely has information about widgets, as opposed to a site selling widgets online.
Widget reviews, a widget forum, instructions on how to use your widget, where to get it repaired etc.
The kind of thing that a user of a widget would want to read about.
Online widget reviews are a fantastic targetted traffic provider. I have several like that with a "buy one online now" link at the end pointing to the commercial resource.
TJ
But there are two problems:
- To promote also this "informational" site.
- It can be used also by the competitors that shares so the whole traffic...
So does it really worth the efforts?
So does it really worth the efforts?
Depends if you're in it for the long haul or not. You can monetize the informational site with things like adsense or selling text link advertisments. You can also use it to point to another widget website you run. Think low maintenance when you build it. Add a half a dozen or so articles a month or a news blog, to keep it looking fresh.
To promote also this "informational" site.
It's a lot easier to promote an informational site than it is to promote a commercial site. If you have a good resource, everyone will link to it.
It can be used also by the competitors
Why would you let them do that? It's your site. They're certainly not allowed anywhere near mine ;-)
So does it really worth the efforts?
In my case, absolutely. In fact, it's my SEM model. SEO'd informational site drives traffic to the commercial resources. The commercial resources do not require any SEO - their SE positioning is irrelevant to me. I can concentrate 100% on design and useability without a care in the world for H1 tags, anchor text or anything else. Build it in Flash if you like.
It works extremely well for me.
TJ
One way outbound links could help is if Google gives extra weight to outbound anchor text in determining what a page is about (just as Google gives extra weight to H1 text). If that's all there is to it, though, then you'll get the same benefit no matter who you link to.The other way is if Google tries to reward sites that link to authorities on their keywords. Whether or not this is happening now, there seems to be an expectation that it will become important in future.
There was a post by GoogleGuy, where he confirmed that this is likely to be included in algo. Why? Because valuable sites should provide user with on-topic links.
I have noticed some results which may prove that such factor is in use.
One way outbound links could help is if Google gives extra weight to outbound anchor text in determining what a page is about (just as Google gives extra weight to H1 text). If that's all there is to it, though, then you'll get the same benefit no matter who you link to.The other way is if Google tries to reward sites that link to authorities on their keywords. Whether or not this is happening now, there seems to be an expectation that it will become important in future.
Is it really that easy? Inbound links must count a whole lot more though. I could easily find high quality sites in DMOZ, and link to them, but I don't see how that will improve my rankings, as spammers can easily do this and it would be legit. Google wants to stop spam I thought?
[edited by: chopin2256 at 8:17 pm (utc) on April 10, 2005]
<In other words, start a new site that's purely informational about your topic--that even your competitors would link to!
That's cloaking(?)>
Not at all, IMHO. We are talking about a genuine content site covering a specific topic. Its neither gaming nor tricking the search engines.
Link hunting usually produces low quality recipricol links that are probably not worth the effort. I get 50+ link requests per day which I bin. I just get the feeling that if not now, then in the future a predominence of link exchanges will haunt you, as you will be labelled as having tried to manipulate Google.
Is it really that easy? Inbound links must count a whole lot more though.
Yes, absolutely: inbound links are more important. This discussion is just about whether one of the many factors in the Google algo is outbound links. Even if it is, it isn't the most important factor.
Moreover, I have noticed that Google traffic arrives to my site in "RANDOM BATCHES". For example; heavy traffic from 2-4 pm. Very light traffic 5-8 pm. Heavy traffic again 9-12 pm etc...
Have any of you folks noticed the same?
Thanks.
