Are Old Backlinks Hurting Or Helping?
-
I have a ton of old backlinks for products that I no longer carry but I have redirected them to other pages within the site. I was told by an SEO expert that these links are hurting me rather than helping because people click on the links and then leave.
These backlinks are from reputable blogs, news sources etc and my spam score is only 1%.
Are these links really hurting me?
-
i would hire an seo agency that specialises in building white hat links. they need to work through every link, to say whether its good quality or not. i would recommend getting an excel spreadsheet of the links, and marking next to it, whether its quality or not. a link building company can then advise you on the quality of the links.
-
There are quite a few factors to consider. Let's start with why redirecting obsolete products can possibly hurt ranking. Most likely the scenario to which the SEO Expert was referring is that search engines may see a large volume of returns to the search results page, followed by clicking other results, as an indication of a result which does not meet users' needs.
In the case described above, it is possible for such redirects to "hurt", but only in the context of a specific query. For example, let's say you used to stock footballs. And now you no longer carry any of those. And you've redirected your old football product pages to a sporting goods category page, but where no footballs can be found. Then, yes, this might cause search visitors to return to the SERP and so it could potentially hurt. But if so, then it would be hurting for a search for "footballs". Because if the visitors were searching for something you DO have in stock, then after being redirected they wouldn't immediately return to the SERP. And so, if you no longer stock footballs, why would you worry about losing rank for the search query "footballs".
Now, with that same example, let's say that some of your football pages also ranked very highly for "gifts for athletes". And you redirect to a relevant category. Those visitors are more likely to convert. Same landing page, different search query.
For this reason, in general, it's usually a good idea to redirect the old products to relevant category pages, if you have any. There are exceptions, of course. So, the trick is to look at what kinds of terms those specific pages previously ranked for, and whether there is still value in ranking for any of those specific terms. Remember, you don't own an overall "rank" on Google. You rank for specific queries, independently.
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
-
Backlink Transparency with SEO Agency
Hello everyone. I recently started working with an SEO agency and today they gave me an updated keyword report which showed some increase in rankings. I was not aware that any backlinks had been created yet so I asked for a report of the links. Their response is below and I am just wondering if this is normal practice being I have not worked with any type of SEO agency yet. "
Link Building | | wonderd24
Hey Daniel, We release a small report on them which the guest blog team will do soon. We don't reveal all backlink sources unfortunately because people have tried to bother the webmasters we have and basically steal our techniques. But rest assured you will be ranking at the top of the pack with our methods 😃
"1 -
How to analyze a backlink
My site has around 6k backlinks, which majority seem to be spammy. I understand the whole process to contact the webmaster, try to get them removed, and disavow them if you cannot get them deleted. 1. What are some main signs of spotting domains that generate negative SEO? 2. Time frame to clean up 6k links assuming 50% are bad? Currently we are looking are a service to take care of this for us, but from reading everything online it seems the only reliable way to do it would be manually. Any recommendations on this would be appreciated.
Link Building | | TITOJAX0 -
Do citations count as backlinks?
Hello, So I may have a simple question- do citations such as yp and manta for an example count as backlinks? So if they do, would this be a natural link so good for seo? or a citation where it may be a backlink, but not very helpful for seo backlink profile? Thank you to all
Link Building | | Berner0 -
When backlinks are too many?
I just started to create backlinks to my target site but many SEO expert say to me "don't go too far!". So, where is the limit after that i could be penalized?
Link Building | | SergioGandrus0 -
Backlinks: What are they really and how can I create them.
I am relatively new to the SEO world, and I want to build backlinks linking to our main site. My preferred way to create backlinks is by adding them in my blog comments or forum responses. I am an active participant in a large number of blogs/forums related to our field and I would like to add relevant backlinks in the comments/answers I post. I originally thought that a backlink was just a link, but none of the links that I have added to blogs like that have been recognized as backlinks. https://www.dynaread.com/ Why is this so? I know now that good backlink would be something like: Dynaread is a science based dyslexia remediation program for older struggling readers. However I have no idea how to add this types of links to blog comments or forum pages where there is no link tool. Do I have to do something with HTML? Please explain briefly what a backlink really is and most importantly how I can create them. Thank you in advance for your help! Joy P.S if you have suggestions about some resources where I can learn more about the subject please let me know. I love to learn more.
Link Building | | Dynaread0 -
Concerned about quality of backlinks - should I take action?
I regularly work on websites to which previous SEOs have built questionable backlinks. This morning I've just been analysing some backlinks - found 40 odd were coming from 20 odd websites which all had the same gentleman as personal registrant, who happens to be the boss of an SEO company. The SEO company name is mentioned in registrant details too, and often on the websites in question (including weblinks from some of these 20 odd websites to the SEO company). I did note the IP addresses / hosting for these websites did vary though, as did the postal address of the individual in question, perhaps throwing Google off the scent a bit. I should add that these websites are virtually all tourism related/themed, with up to a few dozen backlinks per page - usually articles. It's very clear they are backlinking to keyphrases. Now, this kinda thing<a></a> sets the alarm bells ringing. Firstly, this looks like an infringement of Google Webmaster Guidelines. Secondly, it doesn't sound like a White Hat technique for building links! Am I correct? I guess it might be denied they are partner pages due to the quality of content, perhaps, which isn't as spammy as it might've been. However, I suggest these are at least paid links because there is no other clear way of getting content on these pages, as far as I can see.<a></a><a></a> Should I demand these backlinks are taken down? What level of risk is posed do you think? I don't want this website to suffer a Google penalty at some point, particularly not after I've started work on it. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Link Building | | McTaggart0 -
Widgets Designed for Getting Backlink
Where can we find widget samples that are designed for widgetbait and getting backlinks?
Link Building | | merkal20051 -
Backlinks from embeded Wistia video?
If I use Wistia for my videos, and somebody embeds my video on their site, can I get a backlink from this?
Link Building | | gregalam0