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Went Hot: July 11, 2008 - 4:14 am
Posted By: davidrosenberg 42 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://thelinkspiel.blogspot.com)
Category: Google SEO
This is a question that we all want to hear a definitive answer from google.
12 Comments
Comments
New and better title suggestion: Matt Cutts Almost Confirms That The 2nd Anchor Text Does Count
Wow. Did Matt really not understand that Debra was most likely asking about it when the anchor text was different in the second link?
At any rate, thanks to Debra for asking! Maybe Matt will even come back and answer it for real!
Nah, I think he got it Jill. ;)
What would the SEO industry do without you Debra?
Matt's answer lines up with Dan Thies' earlier comments on Sphinn regarding this, that sometimes he found a second link passing anchor text, though in the majority of cases Google seems to prefer the first link. Dan's suggestion about running a variety of tests not just setting up one test page also applies here, since Googlebot's decision process as to which links get dropped involves more factors than we thought. With a single test, those factors can't be isolated.
Matt traditional reply would be:
I can neither confirm nor deny that ...... :-)
the answer to the question is definitely maybe ...
and is these kind of non answers that drive me crazy ... sigh
yeah, in some cases google behaves according to the scenario you didn't ask about... gee thanks.
It is a politician's answer. Either say you cannot answer the question or don't say anything at all, but what is the point in answering the question you weren't asked ?
Hey, some feedback is better than none.
Question is, should we develop strategy to account for value in the second link or just focus on the first?
I'm going to use the old "in case it works" philosophy and optimize second iterations of a link, but will make the first link a primary focus.
Perhaps you should have drawn a diagram.
Back to picking my nose, which is quite good fun, now it's summer, the pollen count's up. I get those big scaley ones stuck to the side which are hard to get out, for a few minutes. :)
ummm ... its so crystal clear now! Matt Cutts would rock at dodge ball!
Another answer on the blog boys and girls - allow me to share my interpretation: Work for the answer. :)
http://thelinkspiel.blogspot.com/2008/07/calling-matt-cutts-to-bat-phone.html
yep. he says that he is not confirming that the second anchor text will always pass value and says that it should be tested. Interesting