What will happen to PR ..

.. if Google can't index the page that redirects the user?

[eaden]

The situation would be that you have a link directory.

But instead of linking directly to the sites, you link to
/out/3124 where 3124 is the id of the site in the database, you get the url from the database, and use a header call to redirect the visitor. ( Location: http : // somesite.com )

Now this is all ligit, and needed to track clicks...

But what would happen to PR if your robots.txt dissalowed /out/?

I would like to make a directory that has good rankings, and being a directory it is mosly outgoing links. So keeping PR up is needed.

[ecomagic]

Here is an idea i had for such a situation.

Make the link for each listing to a dedicated page for that listing. The page could be dynamically generate now worries so you wouldn't have to have millions of static pages.

Then create a "site review" page for the site you are linking to where you include your standard site navigation (links back to your main pages etc) and a message board or wiki formmat for users to write reviews of the site you are linking to.

Oh and then you gotta also link to the site on that page.

If you don't want to "annoy" visitors with having to visit the review pages you could have a user preference cookie that says "skip the site review page". If you hit the site review page with that cookie set then drop in a javascript or meta refresh redirect in the header set to 0 (zero) seconds. the visitor then get's taken straight to the site.

And best of all you save the page rank on all outgoing links by funneling it back to your home page.

Please sticky mail me for details where you can send the $1000 for site design royalties if you use my kewl wee system.

This system would be a better idea I think because sites in your directory would get a ligit link to them. if you provide real links to sites webmasters might be more inclined to use register with your directory (of course they must link to your homepage before the listing is added to the directory)

Rob

[madweb]

I have also wondered about this; one reputable & high traffic directory in my sector uses links like this to redirect to my site:

http://www...com/cgi-bin/sites/jump.cgi?ID=...

Does this count as a 'vote' for my site and increase my PR?

[eaden]

madweb : it may or may not, but if google can't index cgi-bin/sites/jump.cgi then how will it ever know?

[killroy]

I've always wondered if google follows and vote counts 302 "Location: " redirects.

I used to handle all my outgoing links like that for tracking, but changed them to full links for now. I'd love to track again though. Does google count a Location reddirect as a
InternalPageA -> InternalPageB(redirect) -> ExternalPage
or as a
InternalPageA -> InternalPageB(redirect)
or as a
InternalPageA -> ExternalPage
link?

thanks, I'd love to finally shed light on this.

SN