Really Smart Guy

Originally Published 2007-03-20 15:31:33

A strict reading of the historic PageRank algorithm papers would suggest that lots of links out from your site dilute your own PR (because your internal, self-referring links are worth less, among many other reasons). I used to think that hoarding my links was a smart thing to do, in fact.

This is dead wrong, as a blog I frequent, Affliate Program Advice, written by a UK consultant who apparently makes a good living what I do "on the side", reported recently:

"One of the most common mistakes I see affiliates making in SEO terms is not linking to other sites enough. SEO is actually a very social discipline. The WWW is supposed to be a conversation. If your site is stood in the metaphorical kitchen of the internet party, it won't be highly regarded. Link out, freely and often. It may feel wrong, but people (and a few dumb machines) will notice."

The rest of the article has a great deal of solid data, too, and is well worth the read. (Jessica, next time I'm in Britain, can we have lunch? I'll buy, provided we can talk a little shop... :-))

Linking also just generally helps the web become a better place -- if you really believe that "content is king", then providing lots of references and related data can only help your mission.

Some PageRank references worth re-reading quarterly:
Sergei and Larry's original paper -- it's changed since then, but not THAT much.
Ian Roger's version -- nice diagrams and lots of examples here

Comments

On 2007-03-21 12:19:13 Jason Neuman said:
Looked for your email but did not see it so decided to ask via comment: I saw your review on John Chow's site today and wanted to know if you would be interested in a review. Please visit my site for for review exchange rules, let me know if you are interested in a review exchange.

On 2007-03-21 12:44:23 Uncle Johnny said:
Sure, J.

I'll add your review to my list of things to do.

Good luck on your efforts!

On 2007-04-09 18:38:01 7 Quick Blog Promotion Tips: Getting your hard work (or silly rants) noticed » Really Smart Guy » GeekSpeak, Real Estate, Landlording, Technology, Business Ideas, Web Marketing » Blog Archive said:
[...] Show your love by linking liberally. Love your fellow bloggers, and they’ll love you back. A link to the latest Wired Magazine article or a recent Apple press release will probably go unnoticed, but reference a fellow blogger, and chances are they’ll at least come visit you to see what you’re all about. Plus this helps the web become a better place and tends to improve your content, not unlike how including a million citations in your last research paper helped you become a better writer. And, as everyone agrees, content is king. [...]

On 2007-05-15 19:32:54 My Retirement Project » Review My Blog Link Back - Batch 2 said:
[...] simplicity as it focuses on content. Some of his recent written articles include topics such as Back-linking, improving site traffic and experimenting with revenue streams. I a highly recommend visiting [...]