Strange question about link juice.
-
I have been trying to get to the bottom of a Google algorithm error and have been showing examples of the issue at hand in another forum. This is not the same link that I have mentioned in other forums, so this is just an example. If repeated several times in a thread or series of threads, would this shortened link carry any juice for the featured result on the page? I was told it would, I do not believe it does anything other than illustrate my question in the thread.
-
Hi Clifford and Linda,
Unfortunately, this Q&A conversation has taken a turn for the worse. Both of you are clearly working hard for your businesses and for your families, and we all can empathize when frustrations with our work is escalated and our livelihood is at stake to make it work.
However, personal attacks and personal grudges are unacceptable here as it goes directly against our TAGFEE code and our community guidelines. This isn't to say we can't have disagreements, lively debates, or hard conversations. But we always need to remember the human we're dealing with on the other end of the conversation.
Right now, a couple things will happen:
-
I will shutting down this post so it cannot get anymore comments.
-
I will be editing some of the comments to remove personal attack language.
-
Both of you will be getting emails so we can clear up anything there.
Thank you.
-
-
ah, yes. I seem to have walked into the middle of a shortener row which made things unclear
So to your original question. I guess the answer is 'possibly' yes, if the link induced guys to click on the listing it might give it weight.
-
Mick. I get that you don't see the problem but you may not familiar with the history of this POI and the widely reported Google algorithm Pigeon One Box Map fiasco. It has many names and has been around for several years as near as I can tell. This POI was part of a group of 4 false Place Pages, and all used keywords as the company name, but they all had the same exact address and phone number. They were built entirely from Google guideline violations. I had reported them and ultimately, the one related to vehicle wraps was changed to the real world name but still carries the one-box algo error. It is a mess and there are people in my position going ballistic on line, Blumenthal has referenced several of those.
Here are some examples of the Google Algorithm Spam Search Result Error. All are not exactly like mine but they are based on the same issue. Some are built intentionally by spammers because they know about the error, some are built by business owners who know just enough about SEO to be dangerous.
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-maps-spam-17624.html
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2013/09/28/hummingbird-local-knowledge-graph-shitty-search-results/
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2014/01/08/mining-for-google-hummingbird-guano-in-so-cal/
-
I can not count the number of times I have called them. i can not enumerate how many times I and my associates have "reported a problem" on the bad algorithm and the spammy feature itself. The specific POI can no longer be found in MM or Google Maps, but Google that term and whoop there is! Clicking on it takes me nowhere and the directions tab reruns an error.
As for the link issue I didn't provide any sort of link that others hadn't provided for thier examples. You can't promote a feature that is locked in that algorithm because the POI doesn't exist.
-
Looking at the Google result I cannot see the problem. The shortener leads directly to the result I would expect to see. If this is not the case then why are you using it? I have to agree that if you have some problem with that link then posting on places like here will just 'promote' it.
If there is some listing mix up have you contacted Google direct - http://blumenthals.com/blog/2013/01/08/google-local-now-providing-phone-support-for-verification-issues/
-
I'm really sorry if something I said, or removing one of your posts on the topic because it was off-topic upset you.
But there was nothing said that could remotely be considered [Portion of this comment removed for TAGFEE reasons - editor]. I merely explained why that post was not allowed and was trying to caution you that all the posts you've been making may not be helping your cause.
And again I'm sorry you are having to go through this frustrating experience.
-
Not really. That POI—as nearly as I can tell—is in the process of being deleted. I can almost watch as it goes away. First the address disappeared and it was only the street and city and state, then it was only the city. Then, just the state, now it is only identified as "United States".
Having said that—you are fully aware of how important this is to me and how it has the potential to hurt my business, I have a wife and two children, one of whom is special needs, this business is my livelihood and that of my employees and their loved ones. I care deeply about this awful Google algorithm mess. Sorry if I bother you when I try to understand what the hell causes it or how to end it.
I know from talking to others, this just takes time Google will fix it. I fully expect that algorithm error to go away in a few days or weeks. That's what everyone is telling me, except you. You never attempted to allay my concerns and fears.
-
Hi Clifford,
I'm the one that said that over in my forum. Sorry I could not explain more. Was running out door to hospital as my daughter was having a baby. What I meant is this...
I was not implying you talking about and linking to that site so many times at different places using the Google URL shortener carries link juice in the traditional sense of the word.
However Google learns about and quantifies the popularity of a site based on links and hits. (And many other factors.) And most small local sites don't get many hits or have many backlinks, so any uptick in links and hits could indicate prominence, authority or popularity.
When you use Google's own link shortener - given many of Google's tools are designed to get her gain info about user patterns and how people search the web... given that you are creating that link right on Google and telling her what site to go to - don't you think she's following that link to the destination? And we KNOW she's recording action on that link, because you can see how many hits right in the Google link shortener dashboard, correct?
So my point was if you keep saying over and over at different places "vehicle wraps charlotte nc" check this out LINK (Google short link" going to competitors site) you are giving that site, not link juice in the traditional sense, but lots of added attention that Google could interpret wrong. Especially since you keep mentioning the keywords and link over and over so many times.
Someone at Google is not reading everything you write to try to understand the sentiment. It's a bot that's programmed to look for certain things. If for local it may well be looking mainly at location and service KWs and links. So when you keep saying city + KW and linking to them with a Google link over and over, it could be perceived by the algo as "this business must be pretty popular or important".
None of what I just said above is known science, just some educated assumptions about how Google works at a more subtle level. And I've seen some cases lately where using a Google URL shortener in a very specific way seems to possibly help ranking. So I was merely cautioning that when you keep giving that Google URL clicks and attention, it could possibly have the opposite effect that you want it to.
Also we know for a fact that clicks from search to site impact ranking, so when you tell possibly hundreds of people reading all the forums you've been posting at to search Google for "vehicle wraps charlotte nc" and check out the one box - if lots of them are, and some are clicking the site to check out why it's ranking - that's def giving that site more clout too.
Does that make a little bit of esoteric sense?
-
To further explain, the POI that is showing in the Google OnBox began as a keyword stuffed fake POI called "Charlotte Vehicle Wraps" showing in the #1 position. I went to MapMaker and suggested the "real-world" name for that feature/NAP. It was corrected but the corrected POI is still showing for that search term.
-
Thanks Mick. I am having a horrorshow of a Google algorithm error here in Charlotte NC for one of my search terms: "vehicle wraps charlotte nc". I won't use the link here, but Google that and you will see the POI locked in the Google oneBox.
It's a long story, and you may not know why that feature is even there but I can explain. I was trying to get answers when last night I received a very threatening and hatful private message from one highly prominent forum individual that I was giving link juice to the feature or POI that is caught up in the one box error.
-
I'm not sure I understand the question? It seems you are asking if there is any link value in Google search results. If that is the case then the answer is no. Links to a Google results page could only possibly benefit Google.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
No external links showing?
Hello, I have recently included my client's site in a number of trusted local directories; however, when I do a link analysis, it says there are no external links? How can this be? Thanks so much in advance for your help!
Local Listings | | lfrazer0 -
New site links?
Hi all, Don't know whether this is new, or whether I'm very unobservant and just noticed, but certain results in the SERPs have started listing site links, more akin to Ads. So, if you google 'Department Stores London', you'll see the top listing 'Visit London' has four sitelinks underneath for Selfridges, Debenhams, Harrods and Fenwick. Is this markup? My website has sitelinks if you search for us, but if we appear in a generic list (like this search), then they disappear. Any ideas? Cheers, Rhys
Local Listings | | SwanseaMedicine0 -
Would you pursue this link?
A client of mine is a local window tinting business in Coral Springs, FL. I came across this business directory (http://coralspringstalk.com/business-directory) and am on the fence as to whether or not to pursue it for my client from an SEO perspective. It is a paid directory, but only $50/yr. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
Local Listings | | RickyShockley0 -
Do Citations help will all local rankings/Pages on my website or just the page it's linked to
Hi All, My ecommerce site has different category/landing pages for each of my branches . I'm currently getting some more citations done as wondered the following Is it a general rule to say, that the more citations you have the better as long as they are consistent and free? Given that I have different categories /landing pages showing the NAP of my individual branches along with unique content, should all these extra citations help with local rankings across my whole site or is it usually just helping the specific localized webpage it's pointing to ? I can get a company to help me do my citations but to do all the branches, it is going to be quite expensive. Is citations quite a big individual SEO factor in local search as opposed to on page seo factors etc etc. Any advice greatly appreciated. thanks Peter
Local Listings | | PeteC120 -
Local link building
Hi, I am looking to ask for peoples experience on getting local links and the best and most successful approaches made. Let's say we have a local sports physiotherapist and wants to engage with local sports clubs, running clubs, etc.. What are the best methods for an agency to deploy to try and build relationships and links. Our client may have treated some of the local sports club members but as an agency we may not have the specifics. What success have Marketing agencies got with emails, telephone, site visits etc in order to assist with building good quality relevant links. What success do you have with offering discounts to build links or promoting competitions and offering guest blogging at a local level. Are there other tactics, such as linkedIn or engaing on other social channels. It would be nice to find out others experiences what ever the business sector for building local links. Many thanks in advance to all those who contribute.
Local Listings | | smartcow0 -
Should my website link to my google business listing given that I already link from google business to my website ?
I have a website with individual Location Landing Pages for each of my Depots. I also have individual Google Local Business Listings for each of my depots. Should I have a link from my Website Location Landing Pages to the associated Google local Business listings or not ?... Given that I already have a link on my Google Business listing to the relevant Location Page on my website. I wasn't sure whether linking both ways would be more beneficial thus enforcing things better or whether it's not needed to link both ways . thanks Pete
Local Listings | | PeteC120 -
Questions about On-site Location Content for Service Area Businesses
Hello all, I've got a couple tough questions about how to go about creating locations pages for my business, and I'm wondering if you can give me some much needed direction. I'm about to launch a professional house cleaning business which will serve Philadelphia and a couple surrounding counties. I plan on aggressively expanding to other large cities, and while I plan on building a Philly locations page, I'm unsure of how to rank organically for all the individual towns/municipalities in the surrounding counties in the middle without having a physical business location there. Should I even hope to rank for these smaller towns? Would a page where the county is in the h1 tag, and say the top 10 largest towns in that county listed underneath in h2 tags help me reach searchers in those top 10 largest towns? How about paying ~$100 for a physical street address in each county and submitting that NAP to local directories of the larger towns, as well as getting a Google My Business page and using the service radius option? Is there some other strategy that I'm missing? I'm just at a loss for how to compete without AdWords for the people searching in the smaller towns when my competition is businesses with NAP/citations and their main page dedicated solely to that smaller town. Google seems to have made it even harder with Pigeon coming out recently. I serve those areas just as readily as my competition, yet the customer will predominantly see them SOLELY due to the fact that most of my competition are incapable of serving or choose not to serve wide areas. I understand that these businesses are dedicating a lot of resources to those small towns, but it does seem a sad fact that it doesn't mean they're any higher quality of a company than mine, yet they get a leg up. ANY advice or direction would be greatly appreciated, and would come with a huge internet bear hug.
Local Listings | | PTHerrington0 -
A friend has a question about buying and using a domain
My friend is starting a yoga site and needed advice about how to use the domains. BikramYogaSantaClarita.com and BikramSCV.com are the 2 domains. The DBA is Bikram Yoga Santa Clarita. This was her message to me: The person I spoke with at GoDaddy suggested using the DBA name as the website and on advertising and the shorter one for email addresses, as it’s easier to say and write down, and also have the shorter one point to the longer DBA one. What do you think? What are your thoughts?
Local Listings | | webgurucreative0