More than one link on an external website

[Gavo]

Just wanted to clarify my understanding of this...

I'm of the understanding that if an external site has more than one link going to your site, then it is only the one link that passes value. If this is the case....

1. Which is the link that passes value (i.e the first link established or the link that, all factors being considered, is the most valuable for passing authority?)

2. If a second link established on an external website comes from and goes to a different webpage than the first (and is done for the purposes of targeting and boosting a different keyword category/theme), is this then a beneficial practice?

3. If multiple links on an external website all serve to generate solid referral traffic, will this boost rankings, and thereby be a sound practice?

Thanks in advance for your help in clarifying this for me!

[DonnaDuncan]

No, you're absolutely right Patrick. The answer is, an external site (emphasis on "site") can pass link equity to more than one page on your site. An external page can too, provided those links are pointing to different pages on the recipient site.

If, for example, Site A has a footer link that points to Site B's home page, those links will be devalued or penalized by Google because they're unnatural and rarely viewed or clicked on by users. If Site A feels compelled to use them, they should be nofollowed, effectively telling Google you're not trying to game the system.

If, on the other hand, Site A has a unique link on Page X that points to Site B, AND it adds value, AND it's a follow link, then it will pass value. If Site A has two identical outgoing links on the same page or if one of those links is identifical except for the anchor text, then only the first will pass value.

If site A has unique links on Page X that point to different pages on Site B, AND they add value, AND they are follow links, then they will pass value.

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hi Donna

Thanks for sharing the link to the Q+A about this question - my confusion was in the language of "site" vs "page".

"I'm of the understanding that if an external site has more than one link going to your site, then it is only the one link that passes value."

If we are talking about one "page" with multiple links, then I can understand Google's counting one link from that page (although again, this is the first time I am hearing about it), but "site" is a harder pill to swallow for me in only counting one link - hence my confusion.

I would also ask why do you need multiple links from one page pointed to your site? To me, if that's happening multiple times across different websites, this could potentially trigger spam filters and look like a link scheme or manipulative link building, especially if linking pages are irrelevant to your content or website, or over-optimized anchor text.

Just my thoughts - good luck!

[DonnaDuncan]

Edited now that I've seen Patrick's response which I agree with and want to elaborate on a bit.

"... if an external site has more than one link going to your site, then it is only the one link that passes value. " There has been some discussion of that point in the past. This is the most recent I found and I believe it is still accurate.

Moz best practices for anchor text also touch on your point.

1. Yes, but it the anchor text of the first link that will count most.

_2) _Yes, because the link destinations are different.

3) It's possible those links will boost rankings indirectly IF they provide sticky traffic, not not by virtual of the links themselves. Sticky traffic is traffic that doesn't bounce.

[PatrickDelehanty]

Hi there

I am not entirely sure I have ever heard that rule before - can you source that?

1. First, you have to figure out if the links are follow or nofollow. Follow meaning they pass value or nofollow meaning that more often than not, they don't. There's a common misconception that you only want follow links - this is simply not true. Even if a link is a nofollow link or not passing any equity, it's still potentially valuable from multiple standpoints. All links can provide value, by the way, it's not limited to just one link.

2. Yes, if where the backlink is pointing to is relevant to the content on your website. For instance, if the link is linking from a page about lawn mowers to a page on your site about toaster ovens, I wouldn't consider that a valuable link because it's not relevant. Does that make sense?

3. I suggest you read Google's stance on link schemes, as paid links are something that they have heavily cracked down on. I would suggest that you nofollow the link pointing to your website to avoid any unintended repercussions. I would also suggest you take a look at this Whiteboard Friday post to learn more about how paid media investments can have SEO value - you just have to be smart about it!

I have to say this though - don't "link build" with the intention of boosting rankings. I know that's an odd thought but you have to remember that any link you acquire should be done with the intention of adding value to that link and the user that is arriving because of it. Stay away from heavy anchor text or site-wide backlinks as you could obtain a manual action for attempting to manipulate Google's algorithm.

I also suggest you read Moz's The Beginner's Guide to Link Building - there are a ton of great resources and tactics in there that can help you stay on the right side of the track.

Hope this all helps! Good luck!