View Full Version : Crosslinking and PageRank
Nabha
03-17-2005, 04:31 PM
We have around 20 small sites and 3 large sites. Around 10 of the small sites and 2 large sites are all on the same server. Every page on most of the sites has a couple of links to one of the large sites in the page footers.
How bad is this? Could it be hurting our PageRank, which is 5 or 6 for the large sites' home pages as well as some of the smaller ones? Our largest site has 312 incoming links and a home page PR of 5, and we thought maybe it should have a higher PR.
Thanks for your input on any of the above. Glad to be a new member here.
AussieWebmaster
03-17-2005, 04:42 PM
We have around 20 small sites and 3 large sites. Around 10 of the small sites and 2 large sites are all on the same server. Every page on most of the sites has a couple of links to one of the large sites in the page footers.
How bad is this? Could it be hurting our PageRank, which is 5 or 6 for the large sites' home pages as well as some of the smaller ones? Our largest site has 312 incoming links and a home page PR of 5, and we thought maybe it should have a higher PR.
Thanks for your input on any of the above. Glad to be a new member here.
I would definitely have the two large sites on separate C Block IP addresses.
There is a strategy right now of passing the links internally to one page heavy in relevant copy for the site or sites that get outbound links from them.
glengara
03-17-2005, 05:15 PM
Sounds to me like you're treading on some thin ice, including any other "links scheme" could get you pinged, IMO...
AussieWebmaster
03-17-2005, 05:27 PM
Sounds to me like you're treading on some thin ice, including any other "links scheme" could get you pinged, IMO...
There is a fine line between a "link sceme" and a methodology that tries to negate spamming and consolidates the worth of a site.
If my site indicates that information about a specific thing can be found on one page in my site and that page then contains a certain amount of information as well as some expert links I don't see that it is doing anything but helping the search engines filter the swamping of inbound links from individual sites.
seomike
03-17-2005, 05:34 PM
Sounds to me like you're treading on some thin ice, including any other "links scheme" could get you pinged, IMO...
We're posting in a huge crosslinking network/miniweb. Works like a charm for Jupiter Media. :D
glengara
03-17-2005, 05:50 PM
*Works like a charm for Jupiter Media.*
How do we know that?
Marcia
03-17-2005, 05:59 PM
So glengara, do you have any suggestions how the linking should be done?
seomike
03-17-2005, 06:02 PM
Maybe because google links to them. Would google link to SEW if it were a bad neighborhood??? Jupiter does heavy crosslinking between all it's domains pick a node searchenginewatch.com, flashkit.com, photos.com, clickz.com, jupiter*pickarandomnameandyou'llprobablygetasite*. com... shall I go on. :D
Marcia
03-17-2005, 06:20 PM
>>How do we know that?
We use a very sophisticated tool called Internet Explorer. :)
AussieWebmaster
03-17-2005, 06:23 PM
>>How do we know that?
We use a very sophisticated tool called Internet Explorer. :)
It's Paddy's Day... I am going to write it down Marcia uses sarcasm!!!
>We use a very sophisticated tool called Internet Explorer.
Works in firefox too.
These SEW "spammers" maybe on to something.
[so let me get this right, all you have to do is register a domain [before most of us knew what a domain was] update it with relevent info, point to other sources that you think are relevent and bingo! Sounds too easy to me.]
Marcia
03-17-2005, 06:36 PM
>>It's Paddy's Day... I am going to write it down Marcia uses sarcasm!!!
I hate to have to inform you AW, but you just did write it down. :)
>>Works in firefox too.
NF, is that on a PC or a Mac?
Nabha
03-17-2005, 07:04 PM
Thanks for your responses, Aussie and glengara. If the sites had separate C Block IP addresses, do you think there would still be a high danger from this kind of crosslinking?
To Marcia:
That's the "SearchStatus" extension that adds PageRank to Firefox:
https://addons.update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?application=mozilla&version=1.8&os=all&category=Search%20Tools&numpg=10&id=321
It's not working for me at the moment (first time I've noticed that), but it has some other nice functions as well.
glengara
03-18-2005, 06:33 AM
Nabha, I probably err on the side of caution compared to others, but I work on the premise that G views crosslinking as a potential links scheme, and which view is taken of it depends largely on the rest of the linkage pattern.
sootledir
03-18-2005, 07:24 AM
I agree with Glengara on this one. Careful where you tread with sitewides. One thing I would take a look at is: see what sites are related to yours. If they're only your sites, you may have a problem.
JupiterMedia has cross-linked for years (this may give them some sort of a pass). Plus they have a large number of external links into their network of sites.
AussieWebmaster
03-18-2005, 11:10 AM
Nabha, I probably err on the side of caution compared to others, but I work on the premise that G views crosslinking as a potential links scheme, and which view is taken of it depends largely on the rest of the linkage pattern.
But if you use the "Random Surfer" approach... there are going to be a certain amount of crosslinks... the trick is to offset them with other links... recips, one ways from a bunch of places etc.
glengara
03-18-2005, 04:46 PM
IMO it's always down to perceived intent, any one potential links scheme can get the benefit of the doubt, using more than one dispels the doubt.
Nabha
03-18-2005, 05:39 PM
In our case the links have a good chance of being useful to our site's users -- but crosslinking penalties are usually done automatically, right? It sounds like we'll have to take a close look about how we are and how else we might do things.
Marcia
03-19-2005, 04:09 AM
It's common practice among some SEOs to spread sites out to different c-classes, but once sites have already been up, even if moved, I believe it's possible for the history to be looked up if there's a hand check - which percentage wise, considering the vast number of sites out there, I don't believe happens very often.
I've seen some slight evidence, though it's very far from conclusive, that there may be a difference toward scoring when sites that link are on the same or different IPs. It's also something that's mentioned in a number of academic papers on the subject of link analysis for scoring. My susupicion is iffy at best, but something we do need to look at to at least some degree.
Totally cross-linking a whole network of sites isn't a great idea - most of us don't have the kind of immunity that I personally believe some huge, very prominent sites out there have.
The safest route is to err on the side of caution, and keep things as natural looking as possible.
bobmutch
03-25-2005, 11:34 AM
Nabha: Inbound links from other sites will not hurt the PR of the site they are linked to. It may bleed a bit of PR from the sites the inbound links come from. Inbound links vote PR to your site.
But if the inbound links from a group of sites are perceived as a link farm they can bring you a penalty or ban. What I would suggest is to make the anchor text of the links the domain name (MyDomain.com) so your links will not be keyword rich and appear to be trying to obtain ranking weight by interlinking your differnet sites.
glengara
03-25-2005, 05:47 PM
*I would suggest is to make the anchor text of the links the domain name*
Interesting idea Bob, and might just work ;-)
Connie
03-25-2005, 11:25 PM
We have around 20 small sites and 3 large sites. Around 10 of the small sites and 2 large sites are all on the same server. Every page on most of the sites has a couple of links to one of the large sites in the page footers.
How bad is this? Could it be hurting our PageRank, which is 5 or 6 for the large sites' home pages as well as some of the smaller ones? Our largest site has 312 incoming links and a home page PR of 5, and we thought maybe it should have a higher PR.
Thanks for your input on any of the above. Glad to be a new member here.
Just MHO. I would say the answer to your question depends on the content on all the other sites. Are they unique in regard to content but related by topic? Will the interlinking be of value to visitors? Do you have all these different sites to fool the SEs? Your question raises a lot of questions in my mind. That does not mean you are doing anything wrong but you could be without realizing it.
What is working today may bite you in the but tomorrow with Google.
Just courisous. Are you experincing some problems with some of the sites? IME that is when questions like yours get asked.
AussieWebmaster
03-25-2005, 11:47 PM
Nabha: Inbound links from other sites will not hurt the PR of the site they are linked to. It may bleed a bit of PR from the sites the inbound links come from. Inbound links vote PR to your site.
But if the inbound links from a group of sites are perceived as a link farm they can bring you a penalty or ban. What I would suggest is to make the anchor text of the links the domain name (MyDomain.com) so your links will not be keyword rich and appear to be trying to obtain ranking weight by interlinking your differnet sites.
I would not recommend using the domain name as the anchor text... just ask SEOBook - he lost his top ranking when they recently changed the algorithm and had to change them up.