I keep reading advice to avoid links to/from bad neighborhoods on the web. What exactly does that mean? Directories? Porn sites? Reciprocal link sites? What's the other side of the digital railroad tracks?

As far as I know you can't avoid links from bad neighborhoods.

yeah whats that?

Broken links

Originally Posted by jaguar-archie15

Broken links

Broken links are just links whose destination URL doesn't exist. They are nothing to do with "bad neighbourhood".

A bad neighbourhood is just a group of websites that use dodgy SEO tactics e.g. link farms. I'm not sure that Google has given a definitive list of what constitutes a bad neighbourhood, but you'll know what kind of sites to avoid linking to.

What gringo said.

Some of the sites/pages that would be classified are:

1) Link exchange pages that serve no other purpose other than to exchange links.
2) Link farms.
3) Sites that cloak.
4) Pages containing sneaky redirects.
5) Sites that have been banned from a search engine at some point.
6) Sites that promote something thoroughly useless and stupid (e.g. one-page sites full of yellow highlighting and bold red text talking about making millions in your underwear.)

You can't avoid a link FROM a bad neighbourhood. They control the horizontal and they control the vertical when it comes to their sites. However, you can avoid linking TO a bad neighbourhood by well...avoiding linking to one. Link to good stuff that you feel is topically appropriate. That's it. That's all.

Thanks, everyone, mainly for satisfying my curiosity, but also for some practical advice.

I know you have very little control over who links to you, but I've added my site to a few directories, and that's something I can control ... wanted to make sure this wasn't a bad idea. ( I don't do reciprocal links, and always put myself under the photography category, so it sounds like there's no harm. ) Also, my outgoing links point to galleries and biographies of Ansel Adams and Sebastiao Salgado, so it sounds like I'm in good shape here, too.

So it sounds like the Supreme Court's pornography is a lot like "bad neighborhoods" on the web; maybe hard to define, but you'll recognize them instantly.

That's a good description Forrest and I think you're right. From everything I've seen you post on this forum in general I think you're going about things the right way.

Like was said above you can't control links coming into your sites from 'bad neighborhoods' and for the most part it won't hurt you.

The key is not to link back to sites in 'bad neighborhoods' and in general you will recognize them. When you link out just ask yourself if the page on the other side of the link has value for your visitors. If it does then there shouldn't be any need to worry. And if it doesn't why are you linking to it in the first place.

Originally Posted by gringo

Broken links are just links whose destination URL doesn't exist. They are nothing to do with "bad neighbourhood".

A bad neighbourhood is just a group of websites that use dodgy SEO tactics e.g. link farms. I'm not sure that Google has given a definitive list of what constitutes a bad neighbourhood, but you'll know what kind of sites to avoid linking to.

Do you have any evidence that broken links is not a part of "bad neighbourhood"?

Any badlinks conected from your outbound and inbound links is useless..
No credits to gain on traffic even on SEO. Broken links not only identify as "URL doesn't exist" also domain does not exist considered as broken.

Broken links have nothing to do with a 'bad neighborhood.' They're two completely separate things. A 'bad neighborhood' is not about the value links have on seo.

The fact that the link is broken actually means it can't be putting you in any neighborhood good or bad since it doesn't lead anywhere. It's a broken link and should be fixed, but it has nothing to do with 'bad neighborhoods.'

Do you have any evidence they are part of a 'bad neighborhood?'

Fine its your opinion....

Post Impressionist

Posts: 4,406

vs.

jaguar-archie15
Posts: 139

what can i say....

You can say anything you like, and what you say will be judged on its merits not your post count.

You are mixing concepts. A broken link is a link on your page that doesn't lead anywhere. A bad neighbourhood is a collection of websites that meet a certain criteria. Regardless of what the criteria are, you can see that a link (broken or not) is not the same as a website.

Broken links and Bad neighborhoods are two completely different topics. I concur with vangogh on the statement made by him.

Broken links are links which do not take a user on the site but takes it to an error page and bad neighborhood are also related to link farms from where links are acquired but are flagged as unethical by the SE’s.

Can we post more evidence to prove that "Broken Links its not a part of Bad neighborhood". so that our members figure out if his answer is correct or not.

But exchanging ideas is Cool to gain our SEO Knowledge.


Cheersz!

Originally Posted by vangogh

That's a good description Forrest and I think you're right. From everything I've seen you post on this forum in general I think you're going about things the right way.

Like was said above you can't control links coming into your sites from 'bad neighborhoods' and for the most part it won't hurt you.

The key is not to link back to sites in 'bad neighborhoods' and in general you will recognize them. When you link out just ask yourself if the page on the other side of the link has value for your visitors. If it does then there shouldn't be any need to worry. And if it doesn't why are you linking to it in the first place.

As I have researched, broken links are a part of "bad neighborhood sites". But the best definition of it is that bad neighborhood is a site where it is penalized by search engines.

You don't need proof because they have different definitions.

A brokem link is a link.
A bad neighbourhood is a collection of websites.

Do you need evidence that a link isn't a website?

jaguar this has nothing to do with post counts or whether or not I'm a moderator. It also has nothing to do with opinions. Broken links and 'bad neighborhoods' are just two different things. They really don't have anything to do with each other.

Let me try a metaphor.

Say there are 10 people. Persons 1-5 are your average law abiding citizens. Persons 6-10 are crack dealers, pimps, and assorted criminals.

Me putting myself in a 'bad neighborhood' would be like having the phone numbers of persons 6-10 in my phone book or email address book. It's guilt by association. Sure it's possible I may be a law abiding citizen, but if most of my friends are crack dealers...

A broken link is more like my phone book or email address book only lists persons 1-5, but one of them moved and the phone number I have recorded for them is now disconnected or they've dropped their email and the one I have for them no longer works. The only thing it says about me is I don't have the right number or email. That might mean I neglected to update my phone or address book or it might mean they forgot to give me the new one. But it doesn't mean I'm now associated with an unsavory crowd.

They're just two two completely different concepts.

angel_face I would suggest the proof needs to be the other way around. If you think a broken link implies or is associated with a 'bad neighborhood' then offer the proof.

parussa please share your research. Saying your research shows something isn't proof of anything.

Is it possible that a site in a 'bad neighborhood' has broken links? Absolutely. But it's not the broken links that place it in that neighborhood. Would I link to a site where all the links were broken? No, but it's not because that site is in a 'bad neighborhood.' That would be more like a ghost town.

#~$£ it !!!! Busy for a couple of days and almost miss a good discussion

Excellent post from you there Mr Bradley With a good analogy of a "bad neighbourhood"
"guilt by association" is the thing.
The much fabled bad neighbourhood as a demonstrable (therefore provable) entity does not really exist, but as Forrest puts it (when answering his own question) "You'll know one when you see one".
Many elements, or maybe just one element could put a site (or group of sites) into the Google "bad neighbourhood" territory but it certainly won't be the things that can happen to any site from time to time, such as broken links, linking to the odd sites that have expired and turned back up as yet another crappy PPC directory and it won't be simply because the site falls into a particular category eg porn, gambling, pharma, financial, real estate etc. You know, all the ones your mother warned you about

The only rules I apply when picking what sites to link to is;
"Would I mind my visitors ending up on this site?" and if you are honest with yourself on the answer you are unlikely to go wrong.