I think that if someone says "Google has said XXXXX", please provide a link. Otherwise we can be discussing just myths. According to what i know, Google ha said this: If you're a blogger (or a blog reader), you're painfully familiar with people who try to raise their own websites' search engine rankings by submitting linked blog comments like "Visit my discount pharmaceuticals site." This is called comment spam, we don't like it either, and we've been testing a new tag that blocks it. From now on, when Google sees the attribute (rel="nofollow") on hyperlinks, those links won't get any credit when we rank websites in our search results. This isn't a negative vote for the site where the comment was posted; it's just a way to make sure that spammers get no benefit from abusing public areas like blog comments, trackbacks, and referrer lists. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/01/preventing-comment-spam.html BUT... as everything they touch they messed... in the 2009 they had changed in some way. In the real world, people start using nofollow, not only to block spam, but with SEO intentions. MANY sites (maybe most) uses nofollow even to LEGIT links that they add (not comments added by the user), etc. So, again, everything gets confused now and Google get in panic (as usual) and start ONCE AGAIN trying to move things behind... (I know, im not talking about things that can be proved, i am speculating, as everyone else...). The problem is that Google broke a simple rule that everyone is expected to learn in high school (basic science): "If the observer impact in some way in what he is observing, the result has not value at all". Im REALLY surprised that Google ignores this BASIC rule. Nobody can say now that the nofollow is being really used as Google says in their 2005 blog. They IMPACT, messed, and the result has no value. What Google has to do is improve their algo to know which kind of links are valuable, and which not. But don't ask the people to add exotic tags or people will start trying to cheat and messing everything. At the day its IMPOSSIBLE to believe that the valuable links are dofollow and spanmmy links are nofollow. Nobody believes that today... because its NOT true. So, unless Google are retarded, they can't continue avoiding nofollow links. Its easier to believe in Santa Claus that in the theory that dofollow links contain legit links and nofollow not. Don't joke me please!! I think that, in silence, Google is giving a fadeout to this nofollow exotic idea. They must evaluate those thing by their own, don't tell the people how, and don't try to use any ifno given by the user to evaluate it. The BIG problem is that, after Google experimented non_working theories several years, internet is a mess about links. They will have a hard time trying to resolve this INMENSE mess they create.
I am still not sure whether they counts nofollow links as backlinks. I wish they should. @yeneriche I can understand your frustration on nofollow approach by google. let's hope for the best.
I have no frustation at all. THEY feel frustrated. Personally i have no reason to feel that way, in fact i, as much others, find a way to take advantage of this. But i see no point in being forced by Google to use tricks to get what you can have in a legit way. Google has forced the webmaster world in a tricky world, where the most trickest guy get the bigger cheese. I don't need that. Because i have legit content (software per example) linked from MANY authority sites, plenty of articles in blogs about some of my apps, etc. I said that Google is the frustrated, because they 2005 idea about the usage of nofollow has failed. And now the look to be trying a new one... no one will works unless they understand that they should NOT impact the same thing that they are trying to be an "observer". Also, im not sure that it counts as backlinks. Im just exploring the facts. I have some clues that makes me thing that *maybe* they are start counting it. What im sure is that Google is deseperate trying to find a solution, thats for sure.
I have been against this nofollow crap since day one. In a lightly discussed 'theory' it 'sounds good' - but it seemed nothing more than another (google pushed) 'SEO technique' that causes more bloated confusion & junk. Google need not rely, bet, push, penalize or advance sites based on proprietary 'SEO' suggestions. - As a result of their own algorithmic shortcomings.. (again) Google != The Internet. 'nofollow' would of course, turn into a gray area that likely ends with no one giving a rip, including themselves & other engines. Never saw that coming. .
It's probably best to focus on "do follow" so that you know for sure that the link will count for PR if that is what you are focusing on.
I think one of the biggest and earliest signs that nofollow would not work as intended was when Wikipedia decided to make every external link in the encyclopedia a nofollow link. There was a lot of discussion among the editors at the time, but the conclusion was that to eliminate "link spam" from the articles, ALL external links would be nofollow. Editors on Wikipedia are very diligent and most articles have only the best possible external links related to a subject. The vetting process is constant. Those links certainly SHOULD be recognized a trustworthy by Google, much more so than a typical ezine article, hubpage, "human edited" directory or forum signature. Yes, spammy links still slip through but by and large the links in Wikipedia articles are of excellent quality. But, because of the nofollow tags (assuming that Google doesn't ignore them in some instances), a "do follow" link in an ezine article, hubpage, "human edited" directory or forum signature is given some weight while a link in Wikipedia is given none. That is simply a preposterous position.
Very intelligent comment, I was not aware of the discussion about nofollow on wikipedia. But was aware that, as you said, an ezine links is suppoused to pass juice, and wikipedia links not... just crazy! The question is, does anybody thinks that Google people never think and talk about this kind of thing?
Only if the site has authority, in some cases Google will follow the link even if it has nofollow attribute.