6 replies to this topic

[john1021]

i was wondering if anyone has actually noticed links taking around 3-4 months before they were given full credit.

has anyone seen their rankings jump up 3-4 months after they started building links for a keyword?

[Randy]

I don't think I'd put it exactly that way John, but there is an Age or perhaps we should call it a History effect in the link matrix. There are however a lot of moving parts, so it's something that can't really be tested in a meaningful way.

For instance, as the page doing the linking been up and providing links to some other quality sites for a number of years? If so, its probably built up a good amount of trust and authority with the search engines, so even a new link on it is going to carry more weight than a brand new link on a brand new page that's never been indexed before.

But by the same token if that link stays on that same page and gains a few years of age and the linking page continues to develop greater authority, the link itself is probably going to continue to bring more value over time. Lots of moving parts.

That said, I have seen instances where a number of really good links have caused a site to rise up the rankings for a short period (2-3 weeks) then drop back to normal, then come back several months later. However I can't ascribe that solely to link age since every time I've done it the domain itself was also relatively new so everything was getting more age on it.

[john1021]

That said, I have seen instances where a number of really good links have caused a site to rise up the rankings for a short period (2-3 weeks) then drop back to normal, then come back several months later. However I can't ascribe that solely to link age since every time I've done it the domain itself was also relatively new so everything was getting more age on it.

that sounds like a google sandbox for a new site. the links were probably given full credit after a certain amount of months (3-4 months) and it was eventually lifted from an aging filter on the whole site after about 6 months or so which would make the rankings jump.

i'm wondering if anyone has built links for a site that isn't new and has seen a jump after 3-4 months due to a link aging filter

[Scottie]

SEO is more of a cumulative thing. There are very few things that you can pinpoint that cause a dramatic jump in rankings.

Not saying dramatic jumps don't happen, just that it's very difficult to pinpoint what caused it.

Links add up. The value/weight of the page it's on, how long the link has been there, who's linking to THAT site... there are a ton of factors that all help build the value.

If you are watching every little element and trying to correlate it with a specific ranking or keyword, you will probably find it very frustrating! The best thing to do is keep moving ahead and let it all add up.

[Randy]

i'm wondering if anyone has built links for a site that isn't new and has seen a jump after 3-4 months due to a link aging filter

I'm constantly building links for my established sites John, and have never noticed any such lag effect.

That said, since I'm constantly building links --as opposed to adding a bunch at a time, then taking a break for a couple of months, then getting a bunch more-- I probably wouldn't see any such lag if it existed.

[Shamon]

that sounds like a google sandbox for a new site. the links were probably given full credit after a certain amount of months (3-4 months) and it was eventually lifted from an aging filter on the whole site after about 6 months or so which would make the rankings jump.

i'm wondering if anyone has built links for a site that isn't new and has seen a jump after 3-4 months due to a link aging filter

I "obtained" 4 backlinks from different sites which had PR's of 4-5 which were way higher than any of the other links my site had. Within about a week our site shot up in SERP's but our PR remains the same (a dismal 2).

[Randy]

Don't worry too much about the PR you can see Shamon. That is Toolbar PR, and it is only updated 3-4 times per year, so every 3 to 4 months. At best.

Real PR, the kinds we cannot see, is being constantly updated.