41 replies to this topic

[Nathan Malone]

How did we even get into this pointless discussion, anyway? I think that we are all in agreement, we just misunderstood some posts at the beginning and that was why this thing got started....

[anthonyparsons.com]

Agreed.

[McFox]

WTF?
Ok, I have definitely missed something, somewhere.

Having read this thread, I now know that linking to an external site;
"Has no effect on PR,
Affects PR,
Affects PR of the site, but not of the linking page,
Dilutes PR,
Dilutes PR from the linking page,
Bleeds PR from the site"

Having pondered the same question for a time (does linking to external pages affect PR?), I have been quietly reading. From this, I do know that there are some advocates who recommend writing .js for external links in order not to 'dilute the PR'.

Can anyone clarify this for me, please?

I need caffeine. Brain not function. :dribble:
McF

[fluke]

don't ask me

every time i think i am starting to grasp something - i'm curtly told i'm wrong.
So outbound links have NO effect on PR - of a site or even a page then?

[Randy]

Okay, just my opinion but I'll throw it out there anyway.

• Outbound links have no effect on the PR of the page that is doing the linking.
• The link will affect the PR of the page it links to.
• Even though it has nothing to do with PR, outbound links to other relevant sites can have an effect on the rankings of a site/page because they help reinforce the focus of your site and get it a "Hub" designation.

So... while outbound links on your site don't directly affect your PR, they can assist in your goal to achieve a better ranking in the SERPs.

[Nathan Malone]

Overall, I agree with you but my view is just slightly different in that most internal pages that you link to will have a backlink to the home page so if the internal page has a higher pagerank, then the home page will get more pagerank from the link back to it.

Fluke, don't worry, we all get told that from time to time. Your first post was correct, pagerank IS effected by outbound links but let me clarify something, outbound links do not effect the pagerank of the page that is doing the linking. Outbound links can, however, lower the pagerank of other pages in your site because they receive less of the pagerank because some of the pagerank gets sent to the external page. Does this make sense?

I want to stress something else, pagerank is not everything!!! If a site is a useful site, I would recommend linking to it regardless of the fact that you might lose a little pagerank site-wide. Pagerank is just a part of the algorithm that determines where a site should rank in Google's results. I would not recommend using an external .js file for links. The effect of linking to other sites is not really bad for your se ranking and if you think that the site would be a useful resource for your visitors, I would encourage you to link to it without thinking about pagerank.

[fluke]

Thanks farmernate

i'm going to stop thinking about this because it really spins me out.

i'll just tell myself they do lose PR but (perhaps due to other pages in your site all linking back to each other) perhaps the loss is so so small you could say it wasn't losing PR - that way everyones right (apart from me probably)

[SearchRank]

This whole topic reminds me of theologians arguing over doctrine. They go to great lengths to argue about minute elements of scripture when it really doesn't have much to do with the central theme of the Bible - man runs from God (sin) and God pursues him (grace).

Does your web site leak PR when you link to others? If so how much? I don't want my PR to leak so I won't link! No your PR does not leak from the page but it can from the site! No that's not true either, it doesn't leak at all. And on and on and on.

The main idea of SEO and link building or receiving is to build a great site full of useful content that people will want to naturally link to and link to other sites in a way that most benefits your users.

[BrianR]

... and if you think that the site would be a useful resource for your visitors, I would encourage you to link to it without thinking about pagerank.

Hooray! - At last we get to the REAL point of outbound links. Outbound links are to help your visitors.

And if you're very, very helpful to your visitors, your site might come to be regarded by the SEs as a hub, which can only do your ranking some good.

And that's good enough for me...

BrianR

[mcanerin]

Just to throw a wrench in the works ('cause I'm i a trouble causing kind of mood today )

I'd like to point out that there are two ways to keep lots of PR for yourself.

First, by not linking out at all. This causes a problem because then you have created a dead end and spiders don't like that, usually.

Second, by linking a LOT.

Yes, Lucy, I have some 'splainin' to do....

Lets say you have a Home page with 2 links on it, one going into your site and the other going out. Now, 50% of that pages potential PR is leaving the site.

But lets say you have 100 links on that page, because it's got a site map or nagigation structure on it. You still have that outgoing link. This site map - where is it pointing?

Right. INSIDE your site. Now you are passing on 1% outside your site and 99% inside.

By having a strong navigation structure you can easily link outside your site at will without worrying about losing pagerank to any degree that will affect your rankings.

Ian

[Jill]

Can anyone clarify this for me, please?

Bottom line...

Don't worry about it.

David (SearchRank) is exactly right above. Look at the big picture. All these details make no difference in the grand scheme of things.

Jill

[McFox]

Bottom line...
Don't worry about it.

I don't worry about it. At all.

I am just trying to understand, and the more I read about outbound links to other sites and PR, the less I seem to know about the subject.

I am not PR obsessed by any means. I think if you just write a good website, and follow the basic advice about structure and content, then all you have to worry about is getting the 'word out', however you decide to do it. PR will develop on its own if you have done the basics and are content to work consistently.

I am just rather befuddled about the whole thing. It seems counter-intuitive NOT to include outbound links in your site.

Now, I admit to not having the slightest interest in the math of Google algorithms, so go easy on me here; but does having two links on a page = half a 'point' to each link? Seems kinda dumb to me. I would have thought each link = 1 'point', regardless of how many other links exist on the page (link farms aside).

Need more caffeine ... brain not working ... ugh, ugh! :dribble:

McF