Backlinks

[Hlforr]

I am about to do a redesign of a website for a client and was checking out their current backlinks. I noticed that one of the backlinks was from an unrelated adult (very adult) site.
This site quoted a blog post and had a 'no follow' link to my client. When you click on the link - you go straight to another page on the adult site. I also noticed that this site is doing the same with other websites which again seem to have legitimate non-adult content.
Can anyone explain to me what is happening here and the possible harm this might do to my client's site ranking. I realise if the link was outbound it could harm the ranking. Could an inward link do the same even although it is a nofollow link - and what could she do about it?

[Stevie D]

I am about to do a redesign of a website for a client and was checking out their current backlinks. I noticed that one of the backlinks was from an unrelated adult (very adult) site.
This site quoted a blog post and had a 'no follow' link to my client. When you click on the link - you go straight to another page on the adult site. I also noticed that this site is doing the same with other websites which again seem to have legitimate non-adult content.
Can anyone explain to me what is happening here and the possible harm this might do to my client's site ranking. I realise if the link was outbound it could harm the ranking. Could an inward link do the same even although it is a nofollow link - and what could she do about it?

The usual trick is that the site uses Javascript to trigger a different action onClick, ie loading a different page to the one in the href.

In terms of the effect on your site, I don't see it having any. Google isn't stupid enough to be fooled by such practices, I'm not even sure if it would evaluate the Javascript instead of just following the href anyway. And the chance of an actual visitor finding the link to your site and then being confused because it goes to a porn site instead is as close to zero as you can get. It's one of those things that you only ever see when looking at your inbound links, which of course other people don't do.

[Hlforr]

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't understand how this helps the adult site.
What about the fact that at the bottom of the adult site page there is the title of my client's business and a quote from her blog? Is there a way to get this removed or to block it>

[shakir]

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't understand how this helps the adult site.
What about the fact that at the bottom of the adult site page there is the title of my client's business and a quote from her blog? Is there a way to get this removed or to block it>

I do not think there is anyway to remove the back link except by contacting them...For my site also found many (not one) BL which I do not know..I thing some tools are doing it bcz my latest site getting traffic from some sites but I do not find my link on it...may be for a period they include my site ....

[Hlforr]

Having had a further look at the source code on the adult site, I now see that they have even included content from a children's photography site. Surely there must be some rule against this. Is it something that Google would be concerned about? Sorry if I sound a bit naive but I haven't come across this before.

[eilersmarketing]

I think there should not the harm to client with this link.

[benbob]

...I noticed that one of the backlinks was from an unrelated adult (very adult) site...

In order to give you the most detailed advice, you would have to post the url in question.
Purely for research purposes, you understand.

[JJMcClure]

Google isn't stupid enough to be fooled by such practices,

There are quite a lot of implications in that statement.

Firstly, how does Google see links? If the bot simply reads the link then google will see it as a link to the OP's site. Or does Google see the link AND action the JS and add both, or just the destination link, to the link graph?

If google wouldn't see that as a link to the OP's site, then how is it showing up as an IBL in the first place i.e. how did the OP identify it as a backlink? If the OP used something other than GWT, then is there a difference between how google track IBLs and how the software the OP actually used tracks IBLs?

It seems that you've either made an unsupported guess there or you know something about how google sees links that I don't, if so would you mind explaining it please?

[chancerossi]

1 or two link will not harm your website ranking and reputation.If you have more quality links then one or two bad links here and there won't harm your site's ranking.The search engine also tend to give benefit of doubt to such website who have reputed and trustworthy.If this works then the competitors can always use this negative tactics to bring their competitors down.Meanwhile continue building quality and natural backlinks and your site will be fine.

[benbob]

Firstly, how does Google see links?

Although nobody outside Google really knows all the details, there is plenty of detail published by Matt cuts about links that have made it blatantly obvious that there is a lot of difference for Google between one link and the other.

[nekyian]

There is no way a inbound link / backlink can harm you. I will give you an example to ilustrate that.
One of the sites I competed with on a local market, in the travel business, has sponsored some wordpress themes and put it's links in the templates. A lot of sites, amongst which adult and porn sites, have picked up the templates and there were a lot ob backlinks from porn sites in this competitors profile.
Even so I had a hard time outranking it as it did great on a number of queries. Wehn checking up his backlink profile I was outraged to see how he ranked so well with backlinks from such websites. But backlinks can not harm you in any way. Can just boost you or not in rankings.

[JJMcClure]

There are quite a lot of implications in that statement.

Firstly, how does Google see links? If the bot simply reads the link then google will see it as a link to the OP's site. Or does Google see the link AND action the JS and add both, or just the destination link, to the link graph?

If google wouldn't see that as a link to the OP's site, then how is it showing up as an IBL in the first place i.e. how did the OP identify it as a backlink? If the OP used something other than GWT, then is there a difference between how google track IBLs and how the software the OP actually used tracks IBLs?

It seems that you've either made an unsupported guess there or you know something about how google sees links that I don't, if so would you mind explaining it please?

Stevie, I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this? How are Google not fooled by 'such practices'?

There is no way a inbound link / backlink can harm you. I will give you an example to ilustrate that.
One of the sites I competed with on a local market, in the travel business, has sponsored some wordpress themes and put it's links in the templates. A lot of sites, amongst which adult and porn sites, have picked up the templates and there were a lot ob backlinks from porn sites in this competitors profile.
Even so I had a hard time outranking it as it did great on a number of queries. Wehn checking up his backlink profile I was outraged to see how he ranked so well with backlinks from such websites. But backlinks can not harm you in any way. Can just boost you or not in rankings.

You need to see this thread - http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/show...inks&p=5045179

[4daLUVofSEO]

Hi there...I am pretty sure that porn link won't hurt you. I agree that if you are working on a solid backlink structure, you should first and foremost pay attention to content relevance, however in practice, even a natural grown site will have some links from irelevant sites which makes the whole picture natural again ;-) ...anyways, don#t think there is too much you can do about it...can't prohibit people to link out to you (at least not if you wanna go down a stress-free route). No-follow indicates no importance to the google bot...this link will be "skiped" in the analysis process....

[TechnoBear]

I think this thread has run its course and there's nothing to be gained from resurrecting it.

Thread closed.