8 replies to this topic

[Peter]

Hi everybody,

I assume you all know what a web ring is.

I´m wondering if joining a web ring does any good to your web site. Generally non-comercial sites join web rings and for these people high search engine rankings have less importance. However, sometimes I get a request to optimize a non-comercial sites (that´s part of doing it for free I guess,.. )

Would anybody know if a web ring has any positive influence on the rankings. Or maybe it has a negative influence. Or maybe it has no influence at all.

I´m a bit worried about it, since there seems to be an automated linking process going on and you don't have full control over who links to you and more importantly, who you link to. Generally the web rings allow related sites only, but still...

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Best regards,

Peter

[Jill]

Hi Peter, unless they've changed the way they program the links in Web Rings, they don't generally help you as far as link popularity goes. Usually the types of links are not programmed in a way a search engine can follow them.

However, if a Web Ring is highly targeted and will bring you visitors in it's own right, then it's not a problem to belong to it. Just don't do it for the search engines.

Jill

[Debra]

Ecommerce sites might have a hard time making sales since web rings are topic and product specific.

Consider linking with sites that compliment yours, you'll have a better chance of generating sales and a larger target audience.

[Alan Perkins]

I´m a bit worried about it, since there seems to be an automated linking process going on and you don't have full control over who links to you and more importantly, who you link to.

That would be my concern, too.

Personally I don't like them. The idea of sending my hard-won visitors off to a random location is not one that appeals to me. I'd rather link to some appropriate ODP categories.

[Vertster]

I think that webrings generally have an unprofessional connotation. I am not sure if its the amateur hour graphics, or the fact that most web rings are made up of sites which are poorly designed frontpage jobs...

[Marc]

Web Rings....

For a general site (not corporate) I wouldn't be to worried about belonging to a ring. I would do some research on the one your thinking of joining. I've clicked on webrings on sites and have been pleasantly surprised to find more information that was initially looking for!

Take Care!

[Peter]

Thanks everybody,

so I don't have to worry about it. As long as it doesn't hurt a web site it is fine by me. That was my main concern.

Thanks,

Peter

[Jill]

Webrings are fine for informational/hobby type sites. Definitely not something to use for a professional business site.

J

[awall19]

I think webrings look to much like banners on a web page. Instinctively users ignore them and are annoyed by them. A small, tight knit, focused group might be ok, but general traffic sharing between unrelated sites is only good if your site is generally worse off than your piers. If it is a small, tight knit group then it would be easy just to use links anyway.

If you feel your site is worse than your piers, making it better is a better idea than just trying to add more traffic.