Four alternatives to no-follow sculpting

**m42** · 27 June, 2009, 02:33 AM

This is an interesting response to the Google decision to stop recognizing pagerank sculpting using no-follows. The author lists some odd but possibly workable alternatives to sculpting with no-follows.

Note, I'd still take this with a grain of salt. The Google crawler has been capable of parsing JavaScript for quite a while so I'd definitely chuck that suggestion.

Here's the article:

Alternatives to nofollow for PageRank Sculpting - SEO and Internet Marketing blog, news and views

**Oranges** · 27 June, 2009, 05:52 AM

May be im not getting it, but is it like google stopped Nofollow tag? i mean every links is a dofollow from now on? Im confused, correct me if im wrong.

**m42** · 27 June, 2009, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by Oranges

May be im not getting it, but is it like google stopped Nofollow tag? i mean every links is a dofollow from now on? Im confused, correct me if im wrong.

Sorry, no. They've stopped allowing PR sculpting using no-follows. no-follows now waste PR.

**Oranges** · 27 June, 2009, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by m42

Sorry, no. They've stopped allowing PR sculpting using no-follows. no-follows now waste PR.

Alright, that means High PR Nofollow links will pass PR juice now as well?

**Will.Spencer** · 27 June, 2009, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by Oranges

Alright, that means High PR Nofollow links will pass PR juice now as well?

nofollow links still don't pass PageRank.

This difference is what happens to the PageRank now.

Lets say you have a PR5 page with ten outbound links -- 5 normal links and 5 nofollow links.

When nofollow was originally implemented, the PageRank your page had to "give" was divided between the five normal links. Each of those five pages would get one "point" of PageRank.

Now, Google divides the PageRank by all ten outbound links. So, each of the five normal links gives one-half of a "point" of PR. The PR that would normally go to the nofollow links just evaporates. It doesn't go and it doesn't stay -- it just disappears.

**Shenron** · 27 June, 2009, 08:53 AM

Yet I think Google is weighting those no-follow links a lot more than they disclaim, specially when they're calculating SERPS.

I didn't have the time yet to test things and write down some data, but I have a few sites that managed to jump loads of positions after getting them listed at the Wikipedia for example.

**m42** · 27 June, 2009, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Shenron

Yet I think Google is weighting those no-follow links a lot more than they disclaim, specially when they're calculating SERPS.

I didn't have the time yet to test things and write down some data, but I have a few sites that managed to jump loads of positions after getting them listed at the Wikipedia for example.

Matt Cutts claimed earlier this month that no-follows do not pass page rank.

**Shenron** · 27 June, 2009, 09:05 AM

Yes, I know they don't pass PR, but they pass whatever that helps your SERPs.

I have one page at one of my websites (portuguese website) that has only 1 backlink (from a wikipedia page); I rank #1 @ Google for its main keyword, and you bet there's competition for it (health related keyword).

**noone** · 27 June, 2009, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Shenron

Yes, I know they don't pass PR, but they pass whatever that helps your SERPs.

I have one page at one of my websites (portuguese website) that has only 1 backlink (from a wikipedia page); I rank #1 @ Google for its main keyword, and you bet there's competition for it (health related keyword).

That's good to know. So even if no follow links don't pass PR you still get something out of it. The question is what to call that something.