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Internet Marketing Coach
Do Authority Sites Really Need Your Help?
January 8th, 2008 | 7 comments
We should all be writing content that helps our viewers by solving a problem, making something easier or just giving them something to think about. While doing this, linking to other useful Websites comes natural, as it should. That’s what the WWW is all about really.
However, although we shouldn’t rely solely on traffic from Search Engines, we invite all visitors and SE’s do tend to provide alot of them. So we do our best to optimize our content to please both the viewer and the SE’s.
The Problem
When we need to define something, Wikipedia, Google etc. provide niche specific information, which is fairly accurate so we link to them. This helps the visitor by directing them to the information they need to know. This is great, but what about the “link juice” or “authority” you just sent their way that you could have retained for your own pages?
Do Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo etc. really need your help? No, they don’t!
If you have a blog or static site that is somewhat established with alot of content, chances are you have alot of links going out to these authority sites. While a hand-full of these links won’t hurt you, you’re actually passing a certain amount of your own authority over to them every time you do it.
The Solution
So how can you continue to maximize the user experience, while retaining your own authority? Those of you who regularly read this blog know exactly what I’m going to say because I mention it quite often - rel=”nofollow” Insert that into the links of the big guys who don’t need your help, so you can retain that authority.
Another option, which I try to do as much as possible, is to find a site/blog that answers the question and isn’t of the status of Google or Wikipedia and link to them. They can use that authority and you’re still providing a good user experience!
Popularity: 12% [?]
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8th January, 2008 at 8:37 pm
I think your point is a reasonable one…however, the issue here is that, for the most part, we don’t SEE these other helpful blogs/sites in the first place. I usually end up at Wikipedia or some other authority site first, because that’s what comes up at the top of the search engines.
Especially since “link juice” has pretty much zero value to me personally, I link rather freely to resources that I find helpful. And I would hope that most of us do this naturally. If not, maybe folks need to find a way to become a little less stingy about “PR leakage”.
But…if I understand you correctly…what you’re really suggesting is that we spend extra time looking for other authority options and link to them instead? I don’t think that’s likely to happen for most of us. I’m certainly not going to spend extra time trying to find someone to promote when I’m on an info hunt. If I run across them, and a solution is worth sharing, I will certainly do that.
I do think your point about “no-following” Google and Wikipedia and IMDB and other authority titans is a solid one, though.
8th January, 2008 at 9:15 pm
We won’t always find good info on the topic we’re covering, but my point is that we should look. I always take the time to look for other blogs/sites that could use my link juice rather than linking to Google, Wikipedia etc.
Controlling your own authority is extremely important, although many don’t care about it. I’ll let those who don’t think about go though
If they want to throw away what their sites/blogs have obtained and deserved then so be it. I’ll control mine, which will benefit both myself and those who I decide to link out to (which will rarely be Google, Wiki etc.) Why should I (the little guy) help fill the pockets of Larry Page etc. when I can help another little guy.
8th January, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I can see your point Josh, and if credible sources for information that are separate from the information monopoly that is wikipedia and google are found they should be encouraged.
10th January, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Thanks Steve, great to hear others that agree. I don’t have a problem with authority sites, but why not help the little guy instead of the big guy.
17th January, 2008 at 11:07 am
re=”nofollow” is the solution. Or you just don’t link to these authority sites at all. If a reader wants to look up a term you’ve written, he/she knows where to do that. Pointing to google or wikipedia, is…well…pointless, i think.
When pointing to books, I really hate linking to amazon. It’s a hub and it sells books. I prefer The libraryThing
21st January, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Andy Beard recently wrote a little about “dangling pages.” It’s something I know very little about, but apparently it’s no good to link to them and some of the biggest culperates are authority sites like Amazon.
22nd January, 2008 at 10:11 am
Yeah Josh,
I see that you are focussing on the most important issue here. That is traffic, traffic and more traffic. It is easy telling people to make money with blogs, websites and affiliate programs. Its getting customers and traffic to them which is terribly difficult if you are a newbie.
Traffic generating systems that really work are few and far between.
Rich