Tracking Backlinks

I have always tracked any backlink that I had control over by using a url similar to www.mysite.com/go.php?site=url_of_backlinked_site.com

I think it might be affecting the number of links google thinks i have.

Is this true?

there are only a maximum of two variable (? and =).

Can it be because the domain name is not a straight forward "www.mysite.com"?

Thanks for the advice!

But some of my backlinks that have the ? and = in them do get read as backlinks.

Rusty,

It should only affect outbound links .. but if links to your internal pages are also linked in this fashion, then it would be a concern.

If people who link to you use this method - then yes it is indeed affecting your number of links into your site.

I do not link internally like this.

But almost all my external links (expect for the ones i do not control (i.e. yahoo, dmoz, google, etc.) are using this tracking method.

AND i do have links from those sites when i do a link:www in google.

So google does mark some as links to my site.

You think that they are not linking all of them because of the dynamic URLs?

Darrin,

In addition to my last post,

The way I link out to my clients sites is similar. "http://www.mysite.com/go.php?url=www.clientsite.com/" (links on my site to other's sites)

I doubt google can pick up on that.

But incoming links begin with my url "http://www.mysite.com/go.php?site=www.clientsite.com" (links on my client's site to my site)

It depends on what kinda of header the script returns. If it returns a 302 error then there more certainly will be problem. If it returns a 301 redirect then there should be less of a problem.

I always use direct links to sites that are not affiliates etc.. But if people are linking to me I ask for direct only!

thank you again!

I agree Darrin,

It does all depend on what the script actually does.

The scripts could put a person on the page pointed to but not even produce a link in any form for the Oogling Google ... do you know where and if there is a link there? ... could be the question of the day ... etc ...

Cheers ,

i changed my links to be standard...my web stats program will pick it up anyway.