Do links in a database work as backlinks for Google?

[Jon_King]

This has probably been asked many times, but I cannot find the answer. I often see links to a sites held in a database and and the link text is actually a query like:

index.php?action=displaycat&catid=4

Does Google's bot pick this up as a BL? Does it count as a BL to where the result string points?

[mep00]

Googlebot crawls dynamic links up to three trems deep, but not if it is generated by javascript (I think).

If you're asking if it sees it as the same page linked differently, I don't know, but I think it might see it as two seprate pages. I know there are issues with session varriables, so this may be the reason.

[DaveAtIFG]

GoogleGuy recommends avoiding session variables whenever possible. This question (and mep00's re: javascript) has been discussed extensively and frequently in the Google News forum (where your question really belongs ;) )

Many webmasters use mod_rewrite to rewrite URLs with session variables to URLs that are more search engine friendly.

[Jon_King]

Thanks DaveAtIFG,

Let me word my question more succinctly, I have paid for a directory listing and the link on their site back to mine is: index.php?action=displaycat&catid=4

When I view the source for the page in a browser (which I assume is what googlebot sees) the dynamic link to my site is the above, so I assume that this is meaningless as a backlink.

It works fine as far as targeted traffic from the directory in which this link is posted but it is not seen by googlebot therefore cannot be considered a BL, correct?

[DaveAtIFG]

Whether it's seen or followed by Googlebot is a function of robots.txt and whatever spider management techniques the directory uses.

cannot be considered a BL

In my opinion, it depends on how Google perceives the directory. I'm aware of several sites with very similar links from directories that Google seems to like. Those links appear in Google's backlinks for those sites, and seem to pass PR.

[Jon_King]

I guess the best way to find this out is simply check BL's from some of the directory entries.