Sitewides

[nlgordaz]

I'm new to SEO and I’ve been having some problems understanding what sitewide linking is exactly and what types of sitewide linking is acceptable by the search engines. Can anyone give me examples of sites that engage in acceptable sitewide linking and ones that do unacceptable sitewide linking? I realize sitewide links are usually devalued and not penalized, however at what point might a site be penalized for using sitewides? Is there any guide to sitewides that explains what is acceptable and what is not? Also, don't search engines and other major websites engage in sitewide linking when they post banner and other advertisments on their pages?

[bhartzer]

Sitewide linking that's unacceptable is when you have the same exact link and the same link text--and it appears on every page on a site (or nearly every page).
Is there any guide to sitewides that explains what is acceptable and what is not?
Yes, the "guide" is this: don't do it.

Personally, I don't think any sitewide links are acceptable anymore--I just don't do any sitewide linking or don't request them. One link on one page is enough.
don't search engines and other major websites engage in sitewide linking when they post banner and other advertisments on their pages?
These types of links are usually banner ads or other types of links that are served up by sophisticated scripts and banner rotators. Those links are not generally followed by the search engine spiders. And if they are, they usually aren't static enough to count.

[nlgordaz]

Yes, the "guide" is this: don't do it.
Thanks for your reponse. I realize it shouldn't be done, however my boss doesn't accept me just saying that. He wants evidence.

[mcanerin]

The problem with your boss wanting evidence is that it's such a vague area with so many variables that he's looking for a True/False answer to a Multiple Choice (or Essay!) exam question...

There are lots of cases where a sitewide has not been shown to be harmful, including things like "Site designed by..." footers, etc. They don't count for much, link weight-wise, but I'm not aware of anyone getting banned over it.

On the flip side, there have been cases where side-wides on certain sites not only did not help, they actively hurt the site in question. Invisible site-wides can get you banned, for example.

Variables include what the anchor text is, where the site-wide is, the visibility of it, the site providing the link in question, how many other site-wides are also in effect, the relationship between the content of the site and the anchor text, and how many different sites are giving you the site-wides, and what their relationship is to each other.

Plus probably more that I can't think of at the moment.

It's not a clear Yes/No issue - it's more like asking if having unprotected sex is a bad idea. The usual answer is that it is a bad idea, but there are so many variables (your long time spouse, a random stranger, or an HIV positive crack addict all have different risk levels) that no one can say that it's "safe" or not. Sometimes it's completely safe. Sometimes even taking precautions won't help you.

And the fact that you can point to whole bunch of stories where it IS safe does not mean that you can't also point to a whole bunch of horror stories, as well.

So, I have 2 answers for your boss:

"We won't know until we try it - I hope you understand that since I warned you against it, if we get banned you agree to take all the blame - you can have the credit if it works, though"

-or-

"It's an advanced technique and anyone who has to ask if it's safe is by definition not advanced enough to use it"

If you do decide to go with site-wides, do yourself a favor and be REALLY picky. Don't look at PR - look at the quality of the site and the content - if the sitewide has a true and clear potential to send qualified human traffic directly to your site (ie it's not just for PR) then you are probably more safe than other options.

I know that's not the definitive yes or no answer your boss is looking for, but they will simply have to get used to the fact that the world is a messy place and the reason professional SEO's exist is because it's not always easy and clearcut (even for them!).

Cheers,

Ian

[I, Brian]

I'm new to SEO and I’ve been having some problems understanding what sitewide linking is exactly and what types of sitewide linking is acceptable by the search engines. Can anyone give me examples of sites that engage in acceptable sitewide linking and ones that do unacceptable sitewide linking? I realize sitewide links are usually devalued and not penalized, however at what point might a site be penalized for using sitewides? Is there any guide to sitewides that explains what is acceptable and what is not? Also, don't search engines and other major websites engage in sitewide linking when they post banner and other advertisments on their pages?
You may find this thread more helpful:
http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=5889

However, the phrase "what types of sitewide linking is acceptable by the search engines" is really the wrong sort of question to ask - perhaps more a case of what is useful now. I don;t think most SEO is acceptable to search engines. :)