8 replies to this topic

[Robmuller]

I run a directory. When new companies register in my directory I ask them to place a link to my site. I do this by sending them some HTML code that will automatically load the banner picture from the server and links it to my homepage. Since the picture is being loaded from the same domain the banner links to, I'm wondering if this is a red flag for search engines that I actually requested the site to link to me and if this will result in a lower valuation of the link.

<a href="http://www.EXAMPLE.c...i/default.aspx" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.EXAMPLE.c...0x80_white.gif" </a>

Looking forward to your thoughts on this.

[Jill]

I don't know if it's a red flag or not, but if you're going to use this technique, you'll want to add an image alt attribute with a description about your site, into the code.

[Robmuller]

Hi Jill

Thank you for your reply. Indeed the Alt attribute is missing in the code I showed in my posting.

Regarding my question: just to be sure I think I will create a banner without a picture. It must be to obvious for search engines a banner picture coming from the same domain.

Best wishes

Rob

[Jill]

I don't understand. Isn't a banner a picture by default?

[Robmuller]

I don't understand. Isn't a banner a picture by default?

not necessarily: by using colors in a table, you can create a banner (at least looks like a banner) without using a picture. The only issue is it cannot be animated.

[Jill]

not necessarily: by using colors in a table, you can create a banner (at least looks like a banner) without using a picture. The only issue is it cannot be animated.

Of course you can do that.

But in your original post, you showed that it was an image:

col_banner120x80_white.gif

So I guess I'm still confused.

[Robmuller]

Of course you can do that.

But in your original post, you showed that it was an image:

col_banner120x80_white.gif

So I guess I'm still confused.

Hi Jill

Thank you for your reply.

You are right: in the original post is an image link. But if a banner without using a picture is still a banner is not the essence of my question: in stead of hotlinking the banner, I could also ask an affiliate to save the image locally and then link it to my site. I'm just wondering if SE grant less value to an inbound link if the banner is loaded from the save domain as it is linking to.


Best wishes

Rob

[Randy]

Nobody outside the handful of engineers who build and maintain the backlink portion of each of the search engine algorithms can possibly know the answer to your question Rob. I mean really, think about it for a second. How could anyone who doesn't have intimate knowledge of the linking algo have any chance of giving you a definitive answer to the question of which individual link carries more or less weight. Let alone which carries more or less or the same weight because of one relatively tiny circumstance.

I haven't seen any search engine engineers with that kind of resume running around any public forums. Ever. That's even out of Matt C's league! He'd have to ask someone and trust they'd answer his question correctly, and trust that the answer didn't change two weeks after he asked the question.

But seriously, why worry about it?

If you let yourself get to the level where you're that concerned about one type of link from one page or one site, your approaching link building from the wrong perspective. Essentially you end up wasting a lot of time and brain power on something that's totally out of your control and too fluid to be controlled anyway.

I've said it about a thousand times before and I'll say it again...

If you approach link building from an Advertising/Promotion/Marketing perspective, not an SEO one, you'll be a lot better off. In other words, concentrate on getting links that stand a chance of getting seen and clicked on by real people who might be interested in what you have to offer (aka Qualified Traffic) instead of links that may or may not pass some mystical SEO value.

Once you get yourself into this visitor centric mindset with your link building it all suddenly becomes a lot easier and the answers to dozens of questions you may have become a lot more clear.

[Jill]

You can also just provide the image to those who will be adding it to their site. But like Randy said, you're definitely overthinking the whole thing.

Do whatever is easiest for everyone.