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nofollow as a Google metric?

by danparks
3 replies
  • SEO
    • |
If you're setting up websites as part of a private network, do you think there should be any outbound links with nofollow?

Let's say you have a home page with 10 outbound links to various money sites, and all of those links of course don't include nofollow. Do you think Google looks at the total number of outbound links on a page, and if none of them are nofollow, then that appears as "unnatural" and counts as some "strike" against the links? Or is taken as a clue that the site might exist as just a part of a blog network?

Would it make sense to add one or two nofollows in, say, a couple of "fake" ads on the site (a text or small banner that links to any other site)? Or is that pointless/over-thinking things? No opinion myself, just wondering.
#google #metric #nofollow
  • Profile picture of the author RizeAcademy
    Yes, I normally link out to other authoritative brands and sites (do-follow). This shows that my network only links out to good sites (including my own). The loss in link juice is worth it to me.
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    • Profile picture of the author danparks
      Originally Posted by RizeAcademy View Post

      Yes, I normally link out to other authoritative brands and sites (do-follow). This shows that my network only links out to good sites (including my own). The loss in link juice is worth it to me.
      Interesting that it took so long for someone to reply - I thought it was a legitimate question for people who have networks.

      I do the same myself - I often throw in a link to an on-topic authority site on one of my network sites. I don't overload those sites with outbound links, so I don't think it's a great loss of link juice to do that. And I think (*think*, don't *know*), that it might be beneficial to do that.

      However, that doesn't answer my question as to whether or not it makes sense to intentionally add any links that are nofollow for the sake of appearing more "legitimate." I currently don't ever do that - all the links are to money sites, so of course they're follow. Any thoughts on if it's worth it to add some nofollow links to "please" Google? Or is that pointless/dumb?
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  • Profile picture of the author YorkieBoy
    a very valid question which I also wonder about. I assume you're talking about link selling and asking if it would be beneficial to offer up a sacrificial lamb or 2. Although I am a novice I would be very surprised if the link diversity they all talk about doesn't work the other way
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