Hi...I have several legitimatly related sites that are hosted on a dedicated server. Assuming the vitals are correct (good original content, clean code, yada yada yada), how does Google view links that come to a site FROM the same server as the site itself? Might it be considered link spamming? I'll still seek links from other sites, of course. I just want to make sure I'm not going to be penalized if I link my own sites to each other. Thanks...gpmck
There is evidence in the white papers released by Google and related sources that 'Host Affiliation' (domains related by whois ownership / IP etc.) affects linking. Negatively. It used to be (not sure about today) to the extent that if you had two sites on the same IP range about the same topic, only one would rank. At least that's what I consistently experiences until I moved one away. It probably won't harm you, but just don't rely on your own links doing the job.
Its all about percentages. If you have 4 sites and links between them all and have thousands of other links then you will be fine. If you have 500 interlinked sites and very few real links then you won't be fine.