Google And Bing Focus On Links
Webmasters May Download Enhanced Backlink Reports
Google have received a number of complaints about the backlink reports generated via Webmaster Central in recent years. The critics have pointed out that the reports were compiled on an alphabetical basis. This meant that it was impossible to gain a complete picture of the linked landscape. However, Google have responded by ensuring that new profiles feature a representative sample of links. The webmasters now have an improved chance of identifying links from top level domains and and third party websites.
Matt Cutts claimed that ‘Site owners looking for insights into who recommends their content will now have a better overview of those links, and those working on cleaning up any bad linking practices will find it easier to see where to spend their time and effort.’
Matt Cutts Provides Information About Nofollow Links
A web user by the name of Tubby Tim recently asked Matt Cutts whether ‘no-follow links [could] hurt [his] site’. The high profile engineer responded by revealing that the Google spider typically ignores these links. However, he went on to say that individuals who posted large numbers of spammy comments for the sole purpose of promoting their own websites would face the prospect of penalisation.
Here’s the full video for those of who are particularly interested in the issue of no-follow links:
Ineffective Link Building Strategies Outlined By Bing
It seems that Bing have decided to follow Google’s lead in the development of videos and blogs highlighting the dos and don’ts of SEO. The latest advice provided by Bing’s Senior Product Manager concerns the types of link building techniques that should be avoided. He said that web masters should resist the temptation of sending out unsolicited emails demanding backlinks. There was also a warning against the use of linked blog comments. Bing and Google are in agreement on this issue.
The Bing representative went on to urge online marketeers against link injection, which involves the unexpected insertion of backlinks into the headers, footers or main content of third party websites. And finally it was pointed out that web site owners shouldn’t create guest blogs for the exclusive purpose of boosting search engine rankings.
