FEATURE: Matt Cutts on PR Sculpting with Nofollow and the Siloing Solution

by Virginia Nussey, June 15, 2009

At Search Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced last month, Matt Cutts, head of Google's anti-spam team, said that nofollow-based "PageRank sculpting" was less effective than in the past. SEOs were left wondering how the change would affect their optimisation efforts.

As a panelist during the second day of the search engine marketing conference, Bruce Clay wanted to gauge the scope of the issue. "How many people in the audience are using nofollow?" he asked. The show of hands was practically unanimous.

In the years since the link element was first introduced, many Web site optimisers have come to use rel="nofollow" to limit the transfer of PageRank through internal links on a site. PageRank (PR) is an important indicator of authority used by Google to rank pages in search engine results. PageRank sculpting involves including a nofollow element on links to internal pages not targeted for ranking in search engines. By directing PR only to theme landing pages, SEOs try to concentrate PageRank on pages best positioned to rank for targeted queries. This technique is a small part of the themed site architecture methodology known as siloing, discussed in more depth later.

Since nearly every advanced SEO uses the nofollow attribute on internal links, the Internet marketing community was eager for clarification following Matt's initial comments. Attendees of this year's SMX Advanced conference had a chance to ask for further explanation during the You&A with Matt Cutts. Those not at the conference relied on second-hand accounts to inform them of what was being said. However, Bruce made a personal recording of the question and answer session, and because we feel that Matt's specific comments offer valuable insight on the matter, we're glad to be able to report parts of it here.

With that said, let's start at the beginning.

Where's the PageRank Going?

Question: Hey Matt, just to get back to PageRank sculpting for a second, you had mentioned that if you had 10 links on the home page and five of them you made nofollow so there were only five left, it used to be that the remaining PageRank would be kinda distributed amongst those remaining five.

Matt Cutts: Correct

Question: Now you're saying that that's changed and that's not really happening, so there is some kind of a loss of PageRank. Where is it going?

Matt Cutts: You can almost think of it as just evaporating.

In this exchange, Matt used the word "evaporate" to illustrate what happens to PageRank on a page that has nofollow links. Later in the session Matt further explains, "A little bit of it evaporates and then the rest goes out in the outlinks, and it essentially mimics a random surfer clicking around on the Web." So, what does evaporate mean? To Bruce, an SEO who has listened to and analyzed search engine rhetoric for more than a decade, evaporate suggests a small loss. Rather than worrying about what is lost during evaporation, it may be more constructive to think of the majority that remains. Even with some minor PR evaporation attributed to the use of nofollow links, those links without the nofollow attribute will still pass more PageRank than they would if all links passed PageRank.

Should SEOs Rule Out PageRank Sculpting?

Matt provided some helpful clarification about PageRank evaporation, but how does that affect the tactic of PageRank sculpting? Again, let's turn to Matt.

Matt Cutts: So I think some people ran some experiments early on and they're like, "Ah ha! I can use nofollow like a scalpel. I can send all my PageRank to these pages, the pages that I want to be crawled, and ignore these contact forms or these login pages, so I can shunt my PageRank where I want it to go." And that's less effective these days. It's not going to get you a penalty, you're not going to get in trouble. Google's not going to say, "Oh, he's in trouble for using links with no follow, in the clink!" or anything like that. However, it's not as effective. So, it's definitely a better use of your time to go and make new content.

The other thing that I would say, which is pretty simple, is, if you're using nofollow to change how PageRank flows within your site, it's almost like a band-aid. It's better to make your site the way you want PageRank to flow from the beginning, and then it's good for users and it's good for search engines. So, how you choose to link within your site is your own business, and I would tell people, you can try to sculpt PageRank, but it's not going to be as useful.

According to Matt Cutts, PR sculpting may not be worth it. SEOs now have to contend with at least two reasons why PageRank sculpting is a largely inefficient use of resources. First, most pages on the Web have a low level of PageRank and a high number of outbound links. In this scenario, when the nofollow attribute is used on a handful of links, only a small amount of additional PageRank is allocated. The potential PageRank gain is worth arguably less than the effort required to implement PageRank sculpting. Second, pages lose a fraction of PR when the nofollow attribute is used. Together these two facts support Matt's statement that PageRank sculpting may not be the best use of time. Matt said that use of the nofollow element isn't a negative indicator, so SEOs don't have to throw it out of their toolbox altogether, but he recommends a judicious application of the link element. There are many reasons not to pass PageRank internally if you can help it, but Matt says a better solution is to architect a site so that it flows PageRank as intended.

Siloing: An Architecture Supported Solution

At Bruce Clay, Inc. we teach and use a theme-supported architecture methodology called siloing. Siloing involves the creation of theme-based sections of a site, known as silos, and linking practices where support pages link to same-silo landing pages. By implementing siloing through a site's directory structure and internal links, PageRank will be distributed primarily to a site's main landing pages. In teaching siloing, Bruce recommends using the nofollow attribute internally only when linking to non-landing pages across theme boundaries. Did Matt address this strategic use? He did.

Question: So you want to theme them but you're gonna link from one theme into another. Well does it make sense to use rel="nofollow" in that type of a case?

Matt Cutts: If it's an internal link, our rule of thumb is, you know, you know it, you know the source page, you know the destination page, you know that you trust both pages, I would not use nofollow in most cases. That's my new rule of thumb because, you know, you've maybe got one page in the good directory and some subdirectory. You've got another page, and they're all available to your user, so there's no reason to add a nofollow to that. Typically it's for a link that you don't want to vouch for, and those tend to be third-party links, the user-generated links, the ones that are posted by other people on external sites rather than your internal site.

Nofollow was originally introduced as a way to indicate a link to an untrusted site. However, search engines have since redefined nofollow as a way to stop PageRank transfer. Matt seems to be suggesting a preference for the original use of nofollow, but by saying "most cases" he's leaving the door open for nofollow on internal links. The problem for SEOs is that frequent cross-theme linking eliminates theme boundaries, and then the site may not be considered a clear subject matter expert on the queried theme. After Matt's most recent comments, Bruce will continue to recommend a selective, cautious and educated use of nofollow to delineate a site's distinct themes.

When Does Matt Say Nofollow is Appropriate?

What we've been saying from the beginning is don't spend as much of your time on the PR sculpting aspect of it. Spend your time on making good site architecture so PageRank just flows wherever you want. And so that's why we've been saying, use it sparingly, use it for links you can't vouch for, use it for user generated content that you don't necessarily trust, and this is all up on the HTML documentation page we made for rel="nofollow", and the last one that we mention, and we barely mention it, is if you are a power user and there's a specific page you don't want, like a sign up page or a login page, that's a fine way to use nofollow. For example, if you look on my site, if you look on my blog, mattcutts.com, I don't have, you know, I have an About Me page, I have, you know, I don't know if I have a copyright page, but I wouldn't put a privacy or a copyright page, I wouldn't put a nofollow on that. The only thing I have nofollow on, on my blog, I believe, is my subscribe link and that's because it goes to an RSS feed, which is really not all that useful for a main Web index.

Again Matt emphasizes that site architecture is the best way to direct PageRank. He also mentions nofollow on links to sign up and login pages, pages that are often an SEO's target for nofollow links. Matt refers to Google's rel="nofollow" help documentation and says that experienced SEOs, or "power users", are welcome to use the nofollow attribute on a "specific page you don't want" and on links that aren't useful in a main Web index. In other words, it's okay to use nofollow to direct bots away from pages you don't want ranked.

It's worth noting here that the nofollow attribute is not the only tool SEOs have for limiting PageRank transfer. Bruce recommends using an iframe to remove blocks of links from a page. The iframe gets the links off the page, making the page code cleaner and easier for spiders to crawl. Alternately, search engines don't pass PageRank through HTML form constructs — considered the original nofollow attribute. Nofollow is a convenient way to direct the flow of PageRank through a site, but there are alternatives that can do the job effectively. If using nofollow is your only option, no need to be concerned. Evaporation is likely minimal and nofollow still accomplishes the three things it always has.

Nofollow Still Does the 3 Things You Want it To

1. The nofollow attribute prevents the pass of PageRank to pages not related in theme and pages not targeted to rank.
2. The nofollow attribute helps delineate theme boundaries, ensuring that the Web site is not seen as generic by search engines.
3. The nofollow attribute concentrates the flow of PageRank. By focusing PageRank on landing pages, an SEO can help propel a page's ranking.

After hearing what Matt had to say on the use of the nofollow element and PageRank sculpting, we hope it's easier to put the issue in perspective. Don't dwell on the PageRank you're losing from nofollow, but instead remember what you're gaining with a strategic internal link structure. As a stand-alone practice, PageRank sculpting is a band-aid not supported by site architecture. The most comprehensive link management strategy integrates theme-based site architecture aligned to the way people search. And that's the beauty of siloing.

For permission to reprint or reuse any materials, please contact us. To learn more about our authors, please visit the Bruce Clay Authors page. Copyright 2009 Bruce Clay, Inc.

BACK TO BASICS: Seven Free Search Marketing Tips for Nonprofits

by Paula Allen, June 15, 2009

How is search engine optimisation for a nonprofit Web site different from "normal" SEO? I asked a couple of SEOs this question, and found out something surprising (at least to me) — nonprofit SEO is pretty much the same as the other kind. The goals may be different, but the basic SEO principles don't change. If you want your Web site to be found in a search engine, you need relevant keywords, good content, unique Title and Meta tags per page, lots of incoming links, and so forth. That's true whether you're saving an endangered species or selling shoes.

What is different for nonprofits? To find out, I talked to Keri Morgret, who's the site manager and in-house SEO for a project at an educational nonprofit research institute. It turns out that nonprofits do have some advantages! Besides the fact that most nonprofits are currently behind the technology curve, which gives those who are SEO-savvy a competitive edge, there's also some serious free stuff available.

Nonprofits characteristically operate on a shoestring budget. This is especially true in our current economic times. So it was wonderful to learn that a bona fide, IRS-certified 501(c)(3) organization has advantages that include a bunch of free services. Based on Keri's input and some additional research, below are seven budget-saving tips for smart nonprofits to consider.

Start with Some Free Search Engine Marketing

The Google Grants program awards free AdWords advertising to selected charitable organizations. Google is currently helping more than 4,000 organizations in this way, giving them a monthly allowance capped at $10,000 (or $40,000 if you qualify) in pay-per-click ads at no cost. They require that you use Google Analytics (also free) to frequently monitor and manage your keywords, but it's in your best interest to do so.

There are a number of reasons why a nonprofit organization would want to use a Google Grant:

• First, it's free advertising!
• Second, PPC advertising can help you find new donors or supporters and spread the word about your cause to people already interested in your topic. The ads appear on the search results pages when people search for the keywords you specify, so it's a targeted audience. Your account is only charged when someone clicks your ad to go to your Web site. This can immediately bring traffic to your site, even if your organic listing is still buried on page 15.
• Third, PPC ads are a fertile testing ground for keywords. The grant allowance gives you the freedom to explore different wording choices and identify new phrases people are using to find what you offer. (For-profit businesses would drool at the thought!) You'll need to install Google Analytics (also free) to help analyze your results, and regularly log in to manage your AdWords campaigns. Keri pointed out that because you can now see the actual queries people use to trigger your ads, instead of just "3,234 other unique queries," you have enough detail to make keyword research particularly effective.

Interested? Read more about how search engine marketing can help nonprofits and pay-per-click methodology in general. Then apply for a Google Grant and start your new marketing campaign.

Note: You may be wondering whether other search engines offer free advertising, as well. Yahoo! does not; instead, they donate money to a hand-picked list of charities. I also could not find anything being offered by Microsoft adCenter specifically tailored to nonprofits.

Add an E-Mail Campaign

E-mail marketing lets you create a bulk e-mail campaign and track the results. While there are many services you could choose from, your shoestring budget will appreciate this: a company called Vertical Response offers nonprofits a great deal. Any 501(c)(3) organization is eligible to send up to 10,000 e-mails per month for no charge. If your organization needs to send more than that, additional e-mail credits can be paid for with a 15 percent discount. They'll also give you 15 percent off postcard mailings and online surveys, if you like.

How does an e-mail campaign affect your SEO and Web site marketing? People receiving your e-mails may click to go to various landing pages on your site. One of the best features of Vertical Response is that it integrates with Google Analytics. You'll be able to track those clicks, learn what landing pages work for what keywords, and strategize your marketing further.

Use Videos to Expand Your Online Marketing

Video offers a compelling way to communicate what your organization stands for. Reading about the plight of the manatees, for example, pales in comparison to watching a 30-second clip of a manatee rescue as it happens. To get exposure for a video, you can post it on YouTube or another video-sharing site, give it a keyword-rich description, and link it back to your own Web site. This is a great way to increase exposure and traffic for a site, and anyone can do this at no charge. However, nonprofits that qualify have a few extra perks they can take advantage of.

The YouTube Nonprofit Program gives nonprofits in the U.S. and U.K. the following benefits:

• Increased uploading capacity
• Premium branding
• Listing on YouTube's nonprofit channel and the nonprofit videos page
• "Call-to-action" overlays

That last benefit lets you show a semi-transparent ad overlay on your video as shown below. Interested viewers can click the overlay and jump to your Web page, where you can collect e-mail addresses, sign-ups, signatures, or even donations.

Use Pictures to Maximum Advantage

The photo-sharing site Flickr gives good causes a break by waiving the fee for a pro account. (It's normally just $25 a year, but we're maximizing a shoestring budget here.) You want to have a pro account because with it you can very effectively get links as well as content from Flickr. One important tip: Be sure to tag all your images with juicy, relevant keywords.

Collect Donations Online, Without Buying an E-Commerce System

If you want to be able to collect donations online without the e-commerce hassle and expense, you'll be happy to hear about another special promotion for nonprofits. Google Checkout is available to nonprofit organizations who participate in the Google Grants program for free until 2010. It allows you to put a "Donate" button on your Web page that lets visitors check out at Google.

Get Free Software

To get down to the absolute basics, before you can operate a Web site or even think about SEO, you have to have a computer and some software to run it.

TechSoup has established partnerships with many big-name software providers to offer free or reduced-cost technology to nonprofits. One such partner is Microsoft. Their Corporate Citizenship outreach to nonprofits, for example, can provide software donations and free licensing for lots of Microsoft products.

Participate in the Online Community and Win

In Keri's experience, she's found that the SEO community is generous with people working for a nonprofit org. Two years ago, Keri was the winner of Bruce Clay, Inc.'s first nonprofit charity contest, which awarded her free attendance to SMX Advanced and four days of search engine optimisation training. She said she regularly runs Twitter queries for "nonprofit contest" and similar keywords looking for other opportunities. This spring it paid off when she applied and was awarded a free booth for her organization at the Web 2.0 Conference.

Besides winning prizes, participating in the online nonprofit community can boost your SEO know-how and give you valuable networking connections that can lead to links and increased traffic. The Nonprofit Technology Network, or NTEN, is a nonprofit org that strives to help other NPOs use technology effectively. They provide education (seminars and the like) and networking opportunities. You might want to join ($60 for a small .org, $85 for an individual membership), but even non-members can read their blog or sign up for their newsletter. You'll get lots of free nonprofit news and technology info that includes a good dash of SEO advice.

For permission to reprint or reuse any materials, please contact us. To learn more about our authors, please visit the Bruce Clay Authors page. Copyright © 2009 Bruce Clay, Inc.