Linking: To Follow or No Follow?

[djbaxter]

Linking: To Follow or No Follow?
By Lynn Terry, ClickNewz
January 27, 2014

There are different opinions on this topic. Some say affiliate links and other types of outgoing links (in guest posts, etc) should contain the no follow attribute.

I personally don't use it myself.

Whether or not it actually "works" has stirred up a lot of controversy, and interesting "test results" have been shared. I've kept an eye on it, and I'm a bit wary about the whole scheme. First, it's a Google link attribute. Much like PageRank, it is not adopted by other search engines. Second, the attribute has been used in the past to "sculpt PageRank" (spammy? black hat? a potential indicator?).

Then there's the fact that Google does actually follow the link, so the term "no follow" is misleading. What the attribute is meant to do is not pass PageRank (or "votes") from the one page to the other - but all search engines still "follow" the link. PageRank being questionable itself, and even more so at this point in the game.

All that said, my rule of thumb is:

If I am only doing this for SEO and not because it makes sense for my readers or my business, I probably shouldn't do it at all.

Later on in this article:

You have two choices: You can get sucked into the SEO rabbit hole and become a professional student (which equals an awful lot of "chasing your tail").

Or you can JUST RUN YOUR BUSINESS.

That's not to say that I don't optimize my content and enjoy great search traffic, because I do. But I've gotten to the point of not using the term "SEO" at all anymore.

I call my method Keyword Targeting instead, and it encompasses SO much more than just "Google." Fortunately Google seems to favor the way I run my business: organic, natural, real marketing.

Read the full article - it's worth the time

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

You have two choices: You can get sucked into the SEO rabbit hole and become a professional student (which equals an awful lot of "chasing your tail").
Or you can JUST RUN YOUR BUSINESS.

Couldn't have said it better! Very wise words indeed...