Which SEO Metrics Make For the Most Valuable Backlink?

[Jared]

Let's say you're doing outreach, and a webmaster gives you the freedom to add a link to any inner page on their site. Do you go for:

1. The most-authoritative page.
2. The most-trafficked page.
3. The most-relevant page.
4. A "middle ground" page that best combines the above factors.

 

[Cash Builder]

Let's say you're doing outreach, and a webmaster gives you the freedom to add a link to any inner page on their site. Do you go for:

1. The most-authoritative page.
2. The most-trafficked page.
3. The most-relevant page.
4. A "middle ground" page that best combines the above factors.

The order I would go for would be:
4.
3.
2.
1.

If you can get a relevant page that has good links pointing to it and traffic flowing through it, that’s the ideal situation.

Otherwise, I’d be looking for a page that is hyper relevant to my page. If none exist, I’d look for a high traffic page or a page with a few good links pointing at it.

 

[MuffinS]

4. A "middle ground" page that best combines the above factors.

Try your luck and suggest the webmaster adds a sitewide footer link in the navigation? From what I know - these links are discredited - bit would get you the best bang for buck.

 

[Ryuzaki]

From what I know - these links are discredited - bit would get you the best bang for buck.

How are you getting a bang for your buck if the links are discredited?

Also, I don't believe site-wide footer links are discredited. Old Money Men are buying up big sites online and interlinking them all as a network with the footers and getting huge boosts across the whole networks by doing this and dominating SERPs.

 

[MuffinS]

I'm understanding that a contextual exact match money keyword found within in body content of a highly relevant article is king of kings in regards to safe white hat link building.

I also know that it's common practice to buy footer links, so I would assume SOME level of link equity reduction. i.e body, in content link vrs footer navi link? the body content link - all things being fair - should send more link juice.

Then again, the effort for a web master to update an existing post to do the body in content is high, so you would be better off asking for a footer navi link. (and get home page, and all the other pages, sitewide).

 

[Ryuzaki]

@MuffinS, I agree with you. Contextual & Relevant with a good anchor is the king of links.

Google definitely knows the difference between navigational, supplementary (sidebar / footer), and main content and likely lets PageRank flow through them differently.

However, the quantity of those links across 100's or 1000's of pages can make up the difference easily. And that difference is a far cry from being discredited.

I use my own footers to funnel juice to specific pages. It works well, although those are internal links. I see it working like gangbusters for big sites with external links as mentioned above.

Here's a good write-up about it: http://www.viperchill.com/google-control/

 

[Calamari]

Let's say you're doing outreach, and a webmaster gives you the freedom to add a link to any inner page on their site. Do you go for:

1. The most-authoritative page.
2. The most-trafficked page.
3. The most-relevant page.
4. A "middle ground" page that best combines the above factors.

Relevance, link to pages that readers will find useful.