Non-relevant linking sites

[Jon12345]

How does google factor in sites that link into yours that are not closely related to yours?

Do they give them a lower weighting or what?

Jon

[elklabone]

I believe that "theming" by Google is a myth.

PageRank is "page" rank... not SiteRank or ThemeRank.

Anyone who doesn't believe this needs to do a search for "Exit" on Google. You'll see a lot of family-friendly sites at the top like "Yahoo" "Google" and "Disney". Why? Because many adult sites have an Enter/Exit page with the "Exit" link pointing to Disney. Adult sites don't have anything in common with Disney, but the PR still transfers for the anchor text, in this case "Exit".

However, having said that... themeing is a good strategy, and a good idea. Remember, one of your goals with links is to get traffic from your link partners. If they're off theme, that's not going to happen.

[Jon12345]

But what if I search for link partners who have "reciprocal links" text on their site? They would be willing and off topic! And perhaps easier to find.

[elklabone]

Here's a strategy I've found very useful...

Search for "Google Alert". It's free.

This is a service that allows you to enter search terms and then you will get an email update with the results change.

For example, add a list of related topics to your site.

Antique Widgets
Refurbished Widgets
Collectible Widgets

Or whatever.

Then you'll get a daily update with new sites that have moved into the SERP's for that topic (top 50 I think). You then have a list of sites on the move for your related terms. There's a good chance that these sites have current link campaigns ongoing... or they wouldn't be on the move.

Google Directory is a good place to look also, because they're organized by PR.

You can also search for "Widget Links" and find the sites you're looking for.