does it work?

[2_much]

Hi! I recently read a post about lost links...in the html code of an index page, there were some links but the designer did not specify what to link to...

I've come across this in the past and was never able to figure it out...

Why do you think this was done?

Thanks!

[Air]

Do you mean that the link text was missing but a target URL was present?

If so, often this is done so that a search engine spider will follow the links and spider the target URL pages as well, or it is done to add relevancy to the page subject matter by directing the spider to relevant sites. All the while, there is no trace of the links on the page that regular visitors see.

[2_much]

Thanks for your reply Air. That's exactly the case. This is what it looked like:

<A HREF="http://www.(domain).com"></A>

Is this a good SE optimizing technique? Is this considered spam? Do you know what the dangers and benefits are?

Thanks so much...

[Air]

It's an old technique, and sometimes the URL's don't even exist. At one time the engine algo's gave considerable weight to keywords in the URL of links. A precursor to link popularity really, so many SEO folks used this as a means to bolster relevance. Many more prefer to use a 1 pixel gif to link to for the same reason.

It is considered a spamming technique by most engines but it is very gray, and not usually penalized unless you overdo it and someone complains. With most engines now counting inbound links and the content from those links as a means of determining relevance this technique has diminishing value.

It is still widely used and will help on some engines if done correctly. But with themes and link popularity becoming more prevalent it is probably best to cultivate real links inbound and outbound, with the inbound links from relevant sites being the more important.

[DaveAtIFG]

It still works on Go/Infoseek, doesn't seem to be of much value elsewhere. Also, you can "stuff" keywords in plain old anchor tags on Go and get a similar boost.

[Brett_Tabke]

To take Air's thought further, I think se's are counting off if the domain link doesn't resolve. I am fairly (80-90%) sure that Alta is now resolving those domain names. Google certainly is - so the domain name should exist in the link.

If you want to do something like that for link text purposes, just link it to your index page or other big page on your site.