URL in signature of discussion forum post
-
I used to see URL's in the signature part of discussion forum posts covering various topics but it does not seem popular anymore. It seems like a good way to build links and I am wondering why it is not used.
Suppose I ask a question about proper tooth brushing technique on the forum at "toothbrushingforum.com" and user "ToothBrushWizard" is nice enough to answer my question. I used to see signatures like this:
Good luck,
ToothBrushWizard
www.ToothBrushWizard.comIs this considered poor taste or are these links discounted by the search engines? Is it best to keep an updated profile with your URL and hope that forum users click through to it?
-
I think most of the responses addressed the question as if it concerned signatures on the SEOmoz forums. I believe Daniel was asking about signatures on forums in general.
I can share two observations regarding links in signatures:
-
some sites disable the links completely. If that is the case, you will know right away and there is your answer.
-
some sites allow the link, but add a "no follow" tag. It depends on the site preference and the software they use. You can always view the page source code and see if the no follow tag has been added, then you will know the answer for that site.
The topic is a double-edged sword. You want quality contributors to receive credit for their work. Then again, by allowing these links you will attract some poor quality responses.
-
-
Have no fear, EGOL. I am not a spammer. I was planning to offer meaningful contributions and build links at the same time. (Not here, I dont know much SEO yet.)
thanks to everyone for your replies!
-
LOL careful Steve - it took me just a couple months of answering questions here to skyrocket from a couple hundred points to "authority" level. Of course, I did have to provide a lot of answers that were given "good answer" status. But if that's all it took to get a sig link here...
Then again - if people really did stick around long enough (even a couple months) and really gave good enough answers to rise that way, I suppose everybody would win. Even if most bailed out after they got their link.
Then again - if they did it for the link, they could then possibly revert to crappy answers, knowing that the sig would be there even with crappy answers.
Yeah - before my head explodes, I'll just stick with the "hope they don't offer it" answer you guys gave.
-
There is also some discussion within the industry that links of that nature have been so seriously abused by spammers that Google now recognizes such link patterns and either devalues them (doesn't give them the link value to pass along) or may even ding the site where all those signature files are.
-
And that's not to mention the automated software that creates profiles and then spams signature links in forums everywhere with generic posts.
I'm with EGOL, no need to add an inventive for that stuff in here.
Having said that, I think it would be cool if Authority ranks, or Guru ranks or something were given the ability to have sig links. It's not like any spammer would stick around that long to get there.
-
It seems like a good way to build links and I am wondering why it is not used.
Lots of people enjoy getting that type of link.
However, a lot of those same people will participate in forums for no reason other than dropping those links.
The result is a lot of low-quality posts that really are nothing more than spam.
I hope that signature links are not planned for this forum.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Blog post outreach for backlinks
Hi all, My understanding of obtaining backlinks by way of blogpost outreach is that it's best to include several outbound links to related high domain websites within blog post copy (as well as a link to the website you're marketing, obviously) such as this post https://www.scoopearth.com/why-should-you-use-royalty-free-music-for-youtube-videos/ or this one https://small-bizsense.com/how-to-create-quality-content-for-your-business/. However, I've recently read a few articles that suggest that from a human perspective only having one clear link in the copy, such as this post https://www.clichemag.com/entertainment/movies/the-benefits-of-royalty-free-cinematic-music-for-your-videos/, increases the chance of the reader visiting the site in question. I guess the thinking is that if there's only one link to be clicked on it increases the chances of click-thru, as opposed to the reader possibly clicking on another external link that's only there because of current SEO advice. So is it best to follow SEO guidelines and include several outbound links within guest blog posts, or is it better to only have the one link to your client's site (to focus the readers attention on it)?
Link Building | | JCN-SBWD0 -
Link Anchor Text post Penguin 2.0
I have heard a great variety of views concerning the anchor text used for link building post Penguin 2.0 but have yet to hear some consensus. Some say the anchor text for external links should be different than internal. Some say brand should be used on external and keywords on internal. Some say brand and a variety of keywords on external. Any thoughts on a strategy consistent with google expectations and guidelines?
Link Building | | casper4340 -
Getting site ready for outreach for guest posting
Hello, We've decided to focus on guest posting for my client's site. What do we need to do to my client's website to be ready for guest posting. I assume those providing guest posting opportunities will look at our site and evaluate how good it is and how good our writing is. Here's what we're doing, and I'm wondering what's important 1. We went from a junky design to a pretty good one. 2. The logo is still average - we're thinking of upgrading it 3. all of the buttons for the store are still bad looking - we're going to make them pretty 4. All the category text was keyword stuffed and not good, we're rewriting all category text which is a huge effort 5. There was 20 short OK articles. We're making 5 long good ones to take their places. What are they going to look at to make their decision?
Link Building | | BobGW0 -
Link Building - Post Penguin
Hi, We have an eCommerce site that has recently been hit for some unnatural linking, resulting in a warning in our Google Webmaster Tools account. We weren't doing anything particularly underhand (and indeed before Penguin there wasn't a cause for concern) but nevertheless Google has picked up and penalised us. We've instantly removed the worst offending links and requested a resubmission. If this doesn't result in positive action from Google we're planning on employing the services of an Oracle member on SEOmoz who was kind enough to give us some fantastic free advice in order to go through and remove any further links that may be seen as questionable. Moving forward however I'm a little bit overwhelmed as to exactly what we should be doing in order to create a positive, natural link portfolio. I understand the emphasis is on ‘natural’ linking but we’ve been online for 8 years and I think it’s fairly safe to say that the number of links we have now is probably representative of about our ‘lot’ when it comes to 100% natural links. It would be nice to give our portfolio a nice gentle push in the right direction. I’ve checked through SEOmoz and the most up to date link building article they have appears to be http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links - This guide however does seem to suggest some things that are potentially frowned upon now (for example, highly optimised anchor text I understand is now a no-no). Obviously, in days gone by I could look at Open Site Explorer to try to emulate my competitors but, to be honest, most of them have what I would describe as a fairly poor link profile and if I'm going to invest real time in to this I want to make sure I'm heading off in the right direction. Does anybody on here know of a really high quality post penguin link building guide, either on SEOmoz or elsewhere that I can use as some bedtime reading? Our website is eCommerce in nature so an article tailored towards online selling would be ideal. Thanks for reading! Chris
Link Building | | ChrisHolgate0 -
Guest posts on sites you buy advertising with?
What are your thoughts about the following scenarios. Scenario 1: You purchased a banner ad on a site for $50. Then you notice that the site accepts guest posts and you contribute a guest article which has a followed link. Scenario 2: You pitch a guest post to a blog and they say sure but first pay us $50. You say, I can't pay for links but how about I buy an ad spot for $50 instead in appreciation of you reviewing by submission. Scenario 3: You pitch a guest post to a blog and they say sure but it will cost $50 to be published. You say sure and pay them. Which of these would go against Google's guidelines and be considered a paid link? It seems like they are all buying links to a different degree, but they would all be indistinguishable to Google.
Link Building | | ProjectLabs1 -
Can you dominate a niche with just guest posts?
Hypothetically, if your competitors in a niche have 100 linking domains from medium authority sites and you were able to publish guest posts on 200 relevant sites with medium authority, what do you think would happen? Would you dominate your competition?
Link Building | | ProjectLabs0 -
White Paper - Should I post to mysite before I put it on PRWEB?
I have a White Paper on Asset Based Lending. Should I post to mysite before I put it on PRWEB as a press release? Does it really matter who get's the credit first? How can I get forum and blogs to carry it?
Link Building | | AppleCapitalGroup0 -
Is it safe to do a lot of links to a new post on an old domain?
Hi, I was wondering as far as being aggressive in link building can you add a lot of links to a new post on an aged domain? How many would you say is too much for the new pages if the over all domain has about 40k links? I am just wondering of a safe round about number monthly that can be done although I do realize this is site specific. I would trust your best guess. Thanks, ~JImmy
Link Building | | dreamfire0