- Development
Why you should acquire nofollow links
Many people ask me about the concept of Follow and Nofollow links. I have to admit, it is a really confusing thing to get one's head around. However when it boils down to it, Google needs links, and it needs direction on links and the nofollow system provides this.
In recent years though, the distinction between the two has raised questions over their relevancy since the most recent algorithmic updates. Battles are constantly fought in the forums, with the most popular topic being "nofollow links do count" vs "don't bother with them".
So many people get disheartened when they get a link from a site they've been trying so hard to get a backlink from and it turns out to be nofollow. It's ok though because:
I'm here to tell you nofollow links do count. Here's why.
Let's jump into the shoes of a surly old SEO campaign manager who is firm in his belief that nofollow links are a waste of time.
He identifies his link targets, goes after them and acquires an absolute mountain of these things - ranging from low- to high-quality page rank and authority - just to give it an organic feel. He's rapt with this effort and trots himself down to the pub to reward himself for his white hat successes.
Days, months & weeks tick by and he starts to wonder, 'Why aren't these keywords shifting quicker? Why aren't we seeing some shift at all? How come they've flattened out in rank?'
It's because you've got no links that make you REALLY look organic to google - like, for instance, a nofollow!
Think about it, which SEO Manager in their right mind these days is seriously going to actively go out and procure nofollow links? No one - which is why so many sites that have been hit by Penguin and Panda are left scratching their heads.
There is a great post in a Moz QA forum which sums it up perfectly: if you want to seem like your links are being acquired naturally, make it look that way, and add a helping of nofollow links on high authority sites.
Now lets be clear of course; follow links carry significantly more power and actually do parse rank. However, nofollow links add to the authenticity of your site, so don't feel hard done by if you get a good one.
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