Here is the tweet from Cutts:
https://twitter.com/mattcutts/status/427921190162665472
Not sure if they hate link lists because they are link farms but, off the top of my head, and some of which Simon has mentioned earlier, Google depreciates link lists because:
- they have unnatural one to one linking. You've got that main page anchor from that same sites going back to the link lists time again and again.
- they have backlinks that have the same anchor text.
- they have short descriptions on the link lists that add no real value.
As Simon wrote [and I badly paraphrase], link lists, in order to restore some former glory, need to have linking that appears more natural. It would be more advantagous to ask the link requester (i.e. freesite, gallery maker) to link back to the link list from another site and use anchor text that they make up themselves. Also, link lists should encourage longer descriptons of what you'll find if you click on the link.
Finally, IMHO I think that Google sees link lists as directories or simple search engines. They are competitors of Google and Google will not let you win. Freeones is a site with great value but it's been recently slammed in the rankings. Why? Not because of it's value - it's a quality site - but because Google wants that traffic and advertising revenue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoneMistress
I asked this question under Search Engines. Are LLs considered link farms as per the Google definition of link schemes? When I initially saw the Google warning regarding affiliate links and their criteria to base this on as "thin" information, I wondered about LLs. Now, I am on their webmaster forum looking to see what if any penalty my site has and the first accusation out of the box is that I have a "major link farm".
Also, does anyone have a link or know the context of when Matt Cutts stated a few months back that Google will start focusing on porn sites? In my research I picked up on that bit of information from several webmaster forums and can't seem to find exactly when that statement was made. |