How are links in ads perceived ?
-
Hi,
Please can someone remind me how links in display ads are perceived by G ?
A client of mine has purchased a display campaign with an industry related on-line publication that has lead to a massive spike in reported back links in Google Search Console (the new GWT). Does Google automatically identify these as ads (due to tracker codes etc) rather than paid backlinks or should they, like links in press releases, be no-followed or other advice ?
Cheers
Dan
-
Brilliant ! thanks so much for all that great info i really appreciate it !!
However the Mozbar highlighting doesn't have an effect on links in graphics like banners etc, only on text type links etc as far as i can see. Am i missing something here ?
All Best
Dan
-
Moz toolbar. See top left.
Screenshot before toolbar is set to highlight no follows
http://i.imgur.com/05p5h0T.png
Screenshot after after toolbar is set to highlight no follows
http://i.imgur.com/YSGw1gK.png
Example of toolbar highlighting no follows
http://i.imgur.com/Xy4iL9i.png
Other resources to learn more about Moz bar
https://moz.com/help/guides/research-tools/mozbar
https://moz.com/blog/announcing-mozbar-v3
http://www.poweredbysearch.com/mozbar-seo-extension-chrome-firefox/
or you can Google "Moz bar guide"
https://www.google.com/search?q=mozbar+guide
Search console is link agnostic.
https://sites.google.com/site/webmasterhelpforum/en/faq--webmaster-tools
Q: I know I have [one / several / dozens of ] links that Search Console isn't showing. What gives?
A: Although the link reports in Search Console are more comprehensive than doing a [link:example.com] query in Google search, they may not include 100% of all links that you know about. This is normal and should not be cause for alarm. Search Console does not always show 100% of the links that Google knows about, so just because a particular link doesn't appear in Search Console doesn't mean that Google doesn't know about that link, or that your site isn't "getting credit" for that link.Note that the link report in Search Console only shows whether a site is linking to yours; it doesn't show which links are most significant, and it can include links that are nofollowed, disavowed, or that don't pass PageRank.
-
Hi Clever PHD dont spose you can advise in regard to my last question (or anyone else in MOz team) ....That Moz bar can look at elements beyond the page level so i can determine if banner ads on a page have been 'no followed' ?
Also if these links are showing up in GWT/Search console does that mean that they are 'followed' or does search console show all links it finds ?
Cheers
dan
-
Which bit of it will ? thought MOzbar just looks at the page (rather than specific elements of it, like a banner ad) ?
cheers
dan
-
Moz toolbar will do it.
-
any tips for quickly checking if an ad has a 'no follow' on its link i.e. a browser based tool etc ?
much appreciated !
all best
dan
-
Ok thanks for the info
!
Have a great weekend !
All Best
Dan
-
That would be best practice and the conservative approach to tell clients to no follow any banner ads pointing to the site. If you call yourself a white hat seo that follows Google guidelines, then that is your route. Not all SEOs are of this ilk, so what others do is up to them.
I would not expect that a publisher know to add a no follow. They are not focused on SEO, they are just focused on selling banners. As you are paying them for the banner, they should be able to accommodate this.
If they were not, you can have them direct the banner to a page on your site that is blocked via robots.txt and then (if needed) 301 redirect the page to the page that you want the user to see.
-
cool thanks for confirming cleverphd !
so as far as you know (and practice) most seo's will tell their clients to 'no follow' any banner ad campaigns they are carrying out etc ?
also is it now standard best practice to expect publishers when selling banner ad campaigns to 'no follow' their ads as standard ?
all best
dan
-
All paid links should be no-followed. Google is very clear about this
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en
The following are examples of link schemes which can negatively impact a site's ranking in search results:
- Buying or selling links that pass PageRank. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links; exchanging goods or services for links; or sending someone a “free” product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link
Can Google always tell if links are paid or not, no. Do the eventually figure out things, yes. If they figure it out in this case (and they might for the reasons you mention) that site could get penalized. Even if Google did not penalize, when the ad campaign ends, those links go away and the value goes away.
I would stay on the conservative side and ask that those links get no-followed. Try and find away to reap the benefits of the click through traffic from those ads.
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
-
Inbound Links not showing. Links are not no follow
Over the past several months I have definitely received inbound links to my website ( none of which are no follow). I have HubSpot as well s Moz and none of the links are showing. My competitors with the same link sources are showing though. I am completely dumbfounded. Why are my inbound links not showing and how much time does it take for them to show if they show at all? Thank you!
Link Building | | NPatt0 -
Should I ask sites that link to me to update links that redirect?
I have found some links to my site that go through a single 301 redirect to get to my site. Should I contact these websites to ask them to update the link, or is that not worth the time?
Link Building | | RCF0 -
Why am I getting links in my link report from sites that no longer exist?
So, I have a link report from Link Detox. And I'm going through all of them and considering what sites need to be removed. and trying to find emails and contact webmasters. There is just one odd thing i'm starting to see more of. A lot of links are on websites or webpages that no longer exist. The link no longer exists. Some of the domains are even available for purchase. Why are these links showing on the backlink report and are they really harming my website? Also, do I need to add these links into the disavow document that I will submit to Google?
Link Building | | lightwurx0 -
Is a no-follow link/sponsored link a good editorial link?
Ok maybe this is a dumb question. I really need some better, more quality backlinks pointing to my site. There is a site that has domain authority of 72, page rank 5 that is offering me a sponsored blog post. Do sponsored posts count as a good editorial link? Also what if they are no-follow (and how would I find out ahead of time), does that still give me link juice?
Link Building | | tutugirl0 -
Blog traffic / link ratio? (Esimated of how much traffic will result in a link)
Hi, Was wondering if people could please tell me some estimates of how much traffic is likely to gain links to a blog post? For example 1,000 hits = 1 link, Hence 10,000 hits = 10 links to a blog post? I understand there is no magic ratio I just want to know what people have achieved. I’m after averages not just a one off really successful blog post too. Please specify the topic you achieve this in e.g. SEO, photography, business, heath... etc.
Link Building | | charles10 -
Linking Value of a Page
Is it worth the effort trying to secure a link if the site has high domain authority but the page I want to link to me has page authority of 1?
Link Building | | waynekolenchuk0 -
About Paid Ads/links - Question
My name is Benny, i am writing here from account of my uncle, because he is a pro member, and i am a student dont have money to pay premium package. Now, I have placed some ads/links on a strong domains, for about 8 months, i paid always, but about 6 weeks i was sick, on hospital, and i have forget to renew the links, and now are removed, and ranking down too. My question is, can i restore the links with same anchors on the same places again on the same sites, or what to do? it's this danger if a link was for a 6 weeks down, and now again to re-place, some of them are 3-4 weeks,and some 6 weeks, it's this danger to replace again or not? What do you suggest me?
Link Building | | leadsprofi0 -
Link Building
I've been hearing about going after niche directories, and my question is most of them have a ton of links on any given page. Is it even worth taking the time to approach these sites knowing they won't pass a lot of link juice?
Link Building | | azguy0