Interlinking between multiple websites I own

I have about 5 blogs....all of them are about one topic. Let's pretend the topic is bikes, and my blogs are:

mountainbikes.com
racingbikes.com
bmxbikes.com
luxurybikes.com
cheapbikes.com

Each one is a niche website. Occasionally, there will be a post on one blog that is relevant to a post on another blog. For example, I might write a post on mountainbikes.com about a really expensive mountain bike that I mentioned in a post on luxurybikes.com.

Is it okay if all my blogs are interlinked, so long as there is relevant content? Typically, if I did not own all of these, this would help my rankings, but is there any chance Google will penalize me if they discover they are all owned by the same person, even though the links are to relevant content?

Thank you for the advice in advance.

If you want to get super technical, then yes it will matter, especially if the websites are on the same IP address, and the domains come from the same company.

However, in reality, it probably won't matter all that much. As long as the links are sparing, and are in context. You will only see a devaluing of the links if they are everywhere, throughout your site.

To interlink them you have to be smart to get benefit. Get them on different IP's, make sure they have a diversity of links from sites outside your network. Make the links contextual in article text so they look editorial. I also think that by having them all registered to the same person shows the Search Engines a footprint of manipulation, so the best practise is to have the registration details set to private, however doing so may lower the trust of potential customers. You have to also be aware that by doing what you're doing you're running the risk of getting nuked for manipulation by Google. So proceed at your own risk.

I don't think there's going to be a big issue for google if you do that.. just like what seogoat said.. make the linking more natural..

Ideally they should be on different Ip addresses, as it would then appear that they are completely seperate websites. If they reside all on the same ip, it may be the case that search enigines will not value the links. However, i don't think it will damage your websites in any way, and if the links point to additional information that is useful to your readers and increases your number visitors and reduce bounce rates, then that can only be a good thing.

No way for Google to discover that all 5 blogs in the same ownership ...
What can happen is that the blogs are on the same IP ...
In this case, will not evaluate the links, nothing more than that ...

nothing wrong with this at all. Interlinking them can be very beneficial for your users. Just as long as its not the same/close to same site with different names.

Great Example of this:

http://www.gizmodo.com/

Look at the bottom Footer.

I wouldn't interlink the sites. It looks abusive and you may get penalised.

I was pressed for time yesterday and have come back today to post a fuller reply.

In its bolierplate message to customers, Google mentions a number of well known black hat techniques and at the bottom

"setting up pages/links with the sole purpose of fooling search engines may result in permanent removal from our index."

The type of cross-linking that you propose is a frequent cause of delisting from Google. Common because it is easy to do and easy to get caught.

For this reason web site operators go to great length to avoid detection of common ownership purchasing IP addresses on different class C IP addresses.

Please note that operating "under the radar" in this way is still against Google TOS and a spam report may get you delisted anyway if there is evidence of common ownership such as whois records being the same etc.

In the example given I would be unsurprised if you were delisted.

I am disappointed by the advice you have been given.

However unrelated the site themes are, if you cross-link to fake popularity then that is spam and you are running a big risk.

It is very clear from the information that you want to make the links to create "fake" popularity. It is hard to get link juice, but if you want to stay within Google's TOS this is quite unequivocally not the way.

Note the first question asked to the OP in the discussion here:

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/10673.htm?highlight=msg218982


Crosslinking the sites is the first thing queried. Crosslinking is the first thing I look for when there is a delisting. I wiuld go so far as to say that delisting is nearly always caused by the type of behaviour that you describe in this thread.

This is a particularly galling thread as Alex has been quite outspoken in claiming I give out bad advice in this forum. i expect the usual flame war in due course, but don't do this!!!!

Your advice is assuming way too much Whitehat, it is not necessarily bad practice. Also I have never seen a site get delisted for interlinking sites which they own. This is a common practice, and one which is not against Google TOS.

I have seen links devalued, but never banned. The approach OP is taking is in my opinion very valid, he is linking within content to relevant content (i.e what EVERY major news organization does)

Granted it is not pure un solicited votes but come on.
Get off your high horse Whitehat I am about to vomit

Sorry - I've had sites delisted for doing exactly this.

Yahoo can be particularly fussy.

Let's be crystal clear about what I mean. The page rank bar goes grey and you will be nowhere in Google's index for six months. If you clean up your act and file a re-inclusion request then you'll get in.

A much more informed debate on this topic can be seen here:

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum30/28157.htm

Cross linking of sites under common ownership is *the* major reason why sites get delisted. As stated in the above thread if its an attempt to manipulate link juice they'll can you for it.

Be aware that big sites get away with it by using different class C addresses. the company now called Hayneedle, formerly Netshops now was entirely promoted using this technique, much to my distress at the time. It can work and you can get away with it but it is against Google TOS and there are major negative implications if you are detected. The advice above is just wrong.

Another crosslinker feels Google's wrath
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/5780.htm


Search google for cross linking and PR0 for many, many more examples.

You can get way with lots of things against the Google TOS but it is not good advice to tell people they should do that. Lots of people get away with smoking but it may cause cancer. *Any* amount of cross-linking done for PR inflation may cause delisting. Assessment of what an abusive link is, is highly subjective and depends on the attitude of the Google reviewer on the day. The only 100 per cent safe amount of dofollowed cross-linking is none.

In reality the answer is very simple, nofollow the links.

You don't get the benefit of the link then.

And then in considering nofollowing you realise exactly why what you are doing renders you prone to a penalty. It really is that simple. Anyone that tells you it is OK is not risking their own web site or just hopes to continue gettng away with it with fingers crossed. Not a robust option for many.

When you've lost a lot of money or traffic from a de-listing your perspective changes.

Best SEO practice in the situation described is to use a hub and spoke layout as properly discussed in the link previously given http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/5780.htm, if there are cross links they should be no-followed.

That is the professional response to this question.

"Fly by the seat of your pants, you might get away with it, I do" is rank bad advice.

I am not on any high horse. This is the professional viewpoint.

To actually answer the question. Assuming you have correctly used the term 'occasionally' and that means really 'infrequently' then linking to your blogs when it makes literary sense then go for it, no harm done.

If your'e trying to manipulate the search engines by getting links from the blogs then I wouldn't do it.

Having said that, IP location seems to be irrelevant, it's the types of links to the 5 different websites that make the difference. If all 5 have the same links and theyonly link to each other you're driving around in circles.

But again, if it's infrequent and useful then don't bat an eye. (Albeit the fact u asked in an SEO forum suggests ur trying to get some benefit. Pursue at your own risk )

The question is:

Is it okay if all my blogs are interlinked?

In the lack of further information one has to assume the following paranthetically

Is it okay ( by major search engines' TOS.) if all my blogs are interlinked.

NO,NO,NO,NO,NO

If your assumption is


Is it okay ( flying by the seat of my pants.) if all my blogs are interlinked.

Go ahead

Simple

You know about these links.

You know you should nofollow intra site links.

This discussion is indexed on Google.

For the sake of argument lets assume you really do own mountainbikes.com and it gets to number one on G and a competitor stumbles across this thread knowing its you for whatever reason, or picks up the abusive practice (easy enough) and files a spam report (All highly likely when you are at number one)

You my friend are then toast. That is a hard fact.

So then the question really is How high are we aiming our sights here?

I don't know how much experience others have of being at number one for a competitive phrase, not much by their comments, they're making money from the low hanging fruit.

You'd have spent some serious money on those domains if they were accurately stated and my bet is you'd want to protect that investment.

The advice you are getting assumes that you are going to operate at low competition levels and that you can get away with what is spam pure and simple. Your domain may be cheap-specialized-mountain-bikes-birmingham.com and you *might* go undetected. You are also a bottom feeder grubbing round for the odd scrap, rather than a mighty predator.

You will only get to the top of the food chain if you act like you deserve to be there.

Everybody has to start somewhere but setting your sites low at the outset is a mistake. Go for easy phrases when you can but always keep your eyes on the bigger prize. Google success is largely a question of mindset and you'll see time after time real winners go all out for the top spot.

The suggestion that interlinking of domains under common ownership is OK is a serious and potentially very costly disservice to the OP.

Suddenly you are very knowledgable about giving out private information on a public forum. You are horribly false.

I also see that you have changed your post above from saying how the advice he has been given is "a disgrace to the forum" ~ which disappoints me as I was going to suggest that you leave in protest.

Still selling what you can't/don't provide?

The url you posted is from 2002, a bit like you.