http://www.linktrader.co.uk/cgi-bin/review_it.cgi?id=22352&ct=Sport-Wrestling is listed as a backlink to JRWrestling.com doing a link: search, looks like they might be following redirects now?
I'm seeing the same. Tons of redirect links showing all of a sudden. I wonder whether they pass any PR or not. Perhaps they just show, that's it. But at least it is a sign G is not just licking corporate balls and actually busy improving their indexing capabilities.
They've been following redirects for quite some time. Some people have realised this and have started to badly spam directories that had previously been left alone because of the redirect=little value theory. The only question is does the anchor text of the original link pass through any weight to the SERP calculations. Sounds like it could be another angle on the McDar anchor text experiment. Mick
What is the down side to membership in linktrader? And yes it might be an idea to use for the McDar experimental page. When I find out a little more I'll suggest it. I wonder if there is any value in getting reviews.
And is the PR passed from the originating page or from the redirector? And what is the redirector is marked as no-spider (via robots.txt and/or noindex meta tag). Didn't know redirects were doing this now ... interesting! ;-)
Well if a redirection script is not spiderable, then Google will not count it as a link because Google doesn't know where it goes.
"They've been following redirects for quite some time." Following and counting as a link are two totally different things. Redirects havent been listed as links back in google before this, atleast from my experience.
But, again, the crux is whether or not the redirector is marked as "off limits" by robots.txt. I'd be surprised to find a redirector that is not so marked--what would be the point else?
I agree with you in an ideal world that the redirector IS marked off-limits, but people don't always do the "right" thing - a good example is referrer log spamming where people not only publish their web log stats, but don't "noindex" them, so spammers take advantage of this. So I don't think there is any doubt that if the redirector is "off-limits" to the Bot, no BL/PR credit is passed ... but what I believe is new is that the originating href/URL is showing up as back links ... so seems to be counting there and maybe also for PR purposes - we'd need to find a "quiet" page with link from a page with big PR (maybe Google's Blog) and then see (after the next update) if that page jumps way up due to that link.
Owlcroft, could you do a quick check on known VIA links whether they are showing. i use it since 2 weeks so doubt they can be traced yet. Maybe you could check a few of yours?
Yep I should have been clearer. They have been listed as links to my site for at least 6 months before the current shifts in what Google displays as backlinks. Mick
I'd have to set up a "clean" test situation. Right now, I am--unusually for me--rather busy. But if the searchbot is honoring the robots.txt protocol--and I don't believe anyone has ever suggested that G, at least, does not--I cannot see how a link through Via, or any like referrer, could ever be "counted" in any way--it is akin to a link to a non-existent page. As time allows, I'll try a test setup, but don't hold your breath while awaiting results.