Is there a penalty for linking to sites that are all hosted on the same IP address?

[hornsbylaw]

Hi...

We're doing some reciprocal link building and a gentleman has been kind enough to offer me sever additional links for the exchange. All of them (5) are on the same IP address as one of his links to which we have already linked. They are in a related field of endeavor, legal websites. If I make the swap with him, is Google going to disregard, penalize or otherwise marginalize my efforts?

Thanks!

[hornsbylaw]

Thanks for hte clarification, Theo...

Now , about this "first make sure these extra links will actually help rather than hurt you"... I'm not the sharpest tack just yet... how would you ensure that links like this would have a beneficial or detrimental effect? Is there a tool or method about which I am unaware?

Thanks!

[hornsbylaw]

I don't think they are incestuously linked (as in cross-linked...) They have good metrics. The webmaster does actively solicit links, but he pulls from a variety of themes and topics, so the legal sites in question may be on the same IP as sites about art, etc. Some of the links they have on their sites may link out to relevant blogs they have created.

When Matt Cutts directly addresses this (same IP addresses) he says "no problem":

videoplay?docid=3583760678227172395#

[Theo-NL]

That devaluation would be based on the fact that you've already received links coming from that IP (and therefor the added links will matter less than if they were links from different IPs).

Do note the reply by EGOL. Before agreeing to this 'bonus deal', first make sure these extra links will actually help rather than hurt you!

[hornsbylaw]

Thanks Theo.

When you say "because they attach greater values to links coming from different IPs than from the same IP" is that "value" as perceived by Google? The sites in question all have very good metrics in the MozBar, but are you saying that they may look good on their own but as links they will somehow be "devalued" by the search engines?

[EGOL]

I would be careful.  Are these sites trading links with other websites that are heavily involved in manipulative linking?  Are these sites incestuously linked to one another?

The best way to get in trouble is to link to trashy websites that are manipulating.

[Theo-NL]

Disregard: no

Penalize: no

Otherwise marginalize: yes (because they attach greater values to links coming from different IPs than from the same IP)